标题： 切连科夫光子背景的表征用于空间中的低噪声硅探测器 显示英文标题

标题： Characterization of the Cherenkov Photon Background for Low-Noise Silicon Detectors in Space

摘要： 未来用于对微弱天体源进行成像和光谱分析的空间观测设备将需要具有超低噪声的探测器，这些探测器在宽波长范围内具有灵敏度。 硅电荷耦合器件（CCD），如电子倍增CCD（EMCCD）、跳过CCD、多放大器传感（MAS）CCD和单电子敏感读出（SiSeRO）CCD已经证明能够检测和测量从X射线能量到接近硅带隙（~1.1$\mu$m）的单个光子，使它们成为该应用的候选技术。 在此背景下，我们研究了一种相对较未被探索的低能背景来源，即高能宇宙射线穿过硅探测器时产生的切连科夫辐射。 我们提出了一种切连科夫光子产生和吸收的模型，并将其校准到实验室数据，我们使用该模型来表征空间中超低噪声硅探测器的剩余背景率。 我们研究了切连科夫背景率如何依赖于探测器厚度、太阳活动的变化以及重宇宙射线种类（Z > 2）的贡献。 我们发现，对于厚硅探测器，例如为了在长波长下实现高量子效率所需的探测器，宇宙射线引起的切连科夫光子产生率与其他探测器和天体物理背景相当。 我们将我们的切连科夫背景模型应用于模拟的系外行星光谱观测，并发现尽管切连科夫背景率较高，厚探测器在长波长下仍优于较薄的探测器。 此外，我们发现，即使存在扩展的切连科夫光子晕，最小的宇宙射线轨迹遮挡仍然能够最大化非常微弱源的信噪比。 显示英文摘要

摘要： Future space observatories that seek to perform imaging and spectroscopy of faint astronomical sources will require ultra-low-noise detectors that are sensitive over a broad wavelength range. Silicon charge-coupled devices (CCDs), such as EMCCDs, skipper CCDs, multi-amplifier sensing (MAS) CCDs, and single-electron sensitive read out (SiSeRO) CCDs have demonstrated the ability to detect and measure single photons from X-ray energies to near the silicon band gap (~1.1 $\mu$m), making them candidate technologies for this application. In this context, we study a relatively unexplored source of low-energy background coming from Cherenkov radiation produced by energetic cosmic rays traversing a silicon detector. We present a model for Cherenkov photon production and absorption that is calibrated to laboratory data, and we use this model to characterize the residual background rate for ultra-low-noise silicon detectors in space. We study how the Cherenkov background rate depends on detector thickness, variations in solar activity, and the contribution of heavy cosmic ray species (Z > 2). We find that for thick silicon detectors, such as those required to achieve high quantum efficiency at long wavelengths, the rate of cosmic-ray-induced Cherenkov photon production is comparable to other detector and astrophysical backgrounds. We apply our Cherenkov background model to simulated spectroscopic observations of extra-solar planets, and we find that thick detectors continue to outperform their thinner counterparts at longer wavelengths despite a larger Cherenkov background rate. Furthermore, we find that minimal masking of cosmic-ray tracks continues to maximize the signal-to-noise of very faint sources despite the existence of extended halos of Cherenkov photons.