Free access article



A&A 411, L71-L79 (2003)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20031302

Letter

INTEGRAL/SPI ground calibration

D. Attié¹, B. Cordier¹, M. Gros¹, Ph. Laurent¹, S. Schanne¹, G. Tauzin¹, P. von Ballmoos², L. Bouchet², P. Jean², J. Knödlseder², P. Mandrou², Ph. Paul², J.-P. Roques², G. Skinner², G. Vedrenne², R. Georgii³, A. von Kienlin³, G. Lichti³, V. Schönfelder³, A. Strong³, C. Wunderer³, C. Shrader⁴, S. Sturner⁴, B. Teegarden⁴, G. Weidenspointner⁴, J. Kiener⁵, M.-G. Porquet⁵, V. Tatischeff⁵, S. Crespin⁶, S. Joly⁶, Y. André⁷, F. Sanchez⁸ and P. Leleux<sup>9

1</sup>  DSM/DAPNIA/Service d'Astrophysique, CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France,
²  Centre d'Études Spatiales des Rayonnements, 9 avenue du Colonel Roche, 31028 Toulouse, France
³  Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstraße, 85748 Garching, Germany
⁴  NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, code 661, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
⁵  Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse, IN2P3-CNRS, 91405 Orsay Campus, France
⁶  CEA Bruyères-le-Châtel, BP 12, 91680 Bruyères-le-Châtel, France
⁷  CNES/Centre Spatial de Toulouse, 18 avenue E. Belin, 31401 Toulouse, France
⁸  Universitat de Valencia, IFIC, Dr Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
⁹  Univ. of Louvain, chemin du Cyclotron, 1348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium

(Received 14 July 2003 / Accepted 26 August 2003)

Abstract
Three calibration campaigns of the spectrometer SPI have been performed before launch in order to determine the instrument characteristics, such as the effective detection area, the spectral resolution and the angular resolution. Absolute determination of the effective area has been obtained from simulations and measurements. At 1 MeV, the effective area is 65 cm ² for a point source on the optical axis, the spectral resolution ~2.3 keV. The angular resolution is better than 2.5° and the source separation capability about 1°. Some temperature dependant parameters will require permanent in-flight calibration.

Key words: instrumentation: detectors -- instrumentation: spectrographs -- space vehicles: instruments -- gamma rays: observations

Offprint request: D. Attié, David.Attie@cea.fr

© ESO 2003