Speaker
Description
High-energy particles originating either from the Sun (i.e., Solar Energetic Particles – SEPs) or our Galaxy (Galactic Cosmic Rays – GCRs) have been observed for decades with spacecraft and ground-based instruments. However, there is a gap in the energy spectral region from beyond the nominal science-grade spacecraft instrument (100 MeV) to that of ground-based recordings. One of the instruments that cover this energy range was the \textit{Kiel Electron Telescope (KET)} on board the \textit{Ulysses} mission. The key capability, the detection of \textit{protons and helium with energies up to 2\,GeV} was achieved through the use of \textit{Cherenkov radiation} detectors. This concept has been recently adopted to extend the energy range of the \textit{High Energy Telescope} aboard Solar Orbiter, within the students' project \textit{CHAOS (CHerenkov Atmospheric Observation System)} that combines the $dE/dx-dE/dx$-method of HET with a velocity threshold provided by an \textit{Aerogel Cherenkov detector}.
The instrument was successfully deployed during the \textit{BEXUS 35} stratospheric balloon mission in 2024 and provided measurements of the proton and helium spectra above the Regener Pfotzer Maximum, showing that CHAOS is well suited as a radiation monitor for harmful near-relativistic SEP events.
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