The Tracking and Imaging Gamma Ray experiment uses multi layers of thin silicon strip detectors to convert and tracks gamma rays from .5 to 100Mev.
in the .5 to 10Mev Compton scatter events are reconstructed by measuring the directions and energies of both the scattered gamma ray and recoil electron. electron tracking between silicon layers with direction of motion provides the final information needed to completely reconstruct a unique incident direction for each photon event this facilitates improved background rejection, image reconstruction, and sensitivity. the silicon converter/tracker also serves as an electron positron pair detector for gamma rays up to 100Mev with out the inherent loss of angular resolution characteristic of telescopes with high Z converter materials.
In laymen terms: a gamma ray comes in
it will hit the silicon strip detectors and anything not like a gamma ray w il go all the way through, gamma rays will recoil of the silicon detectors and some will hit the Cesium Iodide detectors on the left, this is how they can distinguish between gamma rays and other background radiation.
This instrument is lifted into the air by a big ass balloon, bigger than 3 foot ball fields.
that is huge. The last launch was in Alice Springs, Australia last year. and it was a success, current analyzing of the data is being conducted.
Just to let you know, when they went to launch in Alice Springs, the other baloon experiment that was being launched by UC Berkeley malfunctioned during lift off. It was released too soon, maybe because a bolt broke, and the experiment that they spent 15years to do, was dragged across the ground, and hit a parked car, and flipped the car over. In the end, the experiment was destroyed, aswell as the car.
The video, was on the news, and here is the link check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcPYwPFZzAc
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