Speaker
Prof.
Scott Nutter
(Northern Kentucky University)
Description
The Cosmic Ray Electron Synchrotron Telescope (CREST) high-altitude balloon
experiment is a pathfinding effort to detect multi-TeV cosmic-ray electrons. These
electrons would be indicative of nearby cosmic accelerators, since energetic
electrons from distant Galactic sources are depleted by radiative losses during
interstellar transport. The electrons will be detected indirectly by the
characteristic signature of their geomagnetic synchrotron losses: a group of
collinear x-ray photons intersecting the instrument. Since the primary electron
itself need not traverse the payload, an effective detection area is achieved that is
several times the nominal 6.4 m^2 instrument. The payload is composed of an array of
1024 BaF2 crystals surrounded by a set of plastic scintillator detectors which veto
through-going charged particles. A long-duration balloon flight in Antarctica is
planned for the upcoming 2010-11 season.
Primary author
Prof.
Scott Nutter
(Northern Kentucky University)
Co-authors
C. Bower
(Indiana University)
D. Müller
(University of Chicago)
G. Tarlé
(University of Michigan)
J. Gennaro
(University of Michigan)
J. Musser
(Indiana University)
M. Geske
(Pennsylvania State University)
M. Schubnell
(University of Michigan)
N. H. Park
(Indiana University)
S. Coutu
(Pennsylvania State University)
S. Wakely
(University of Chicago)
Mr
T. Anderson
(Pennsylvania State University)
