_version_ 1866913950677860352
author Metzler, Zachary
Kirschner, Nicholas
Smith, Lucas
Cannady, Nicholas
Sasaki, Makoto
Shy, Daniel
Caputo, Regina
Kierans, Carolyn
Bolotnikov, Aleksey
Caligiure, Thomas J.
Carini, Gabriella A.
Crosier, A. Wilder
Fried, Jack
Ghosh, Priyarshini
Griffin, Sean
Grove, J. Eric
Hays, Elizabeth
Herrmann, Sven
Kong, Emily
Liceaga-Indart, Iker
McEnery, Julie
Mitchell, John
Moiseev, A. A.
Parker, Lucas
Perkins, Jeremy
Phlips, Bernard
Schoenwald, Adam J.
Sleator, Clio
Thompson, D. J.
Valverde, Janeth
Wasti, Sambid
Woolf, Richard
Wulf, Eric
Zajczyk, Anna
author_facet Metzler, Zachary
Kirschner, Nicholas
Smith, Lucas
Cannady, Nicholas
Sasaki, Makoto
Shy, Daniel
Caputo, Regina
Kierans, Carolyn
Bolotnikov, Aleksey
Caligiure, Thomas J.
Carini, Gabriella A.
Crosier, A. Wilder
Fried, Jack
Ghosh, Priyarshini
Griffin, Sean
Grove, J. Eric
Hays, Elizabeth
Herrmann, Sven
Kong, Emily
Liceaga-Indart, Iker
McEnery, Julie
Mitchell, John
Moiseev, A. A.
Parker, Lucas
Perkins, Jeremy
Phlips, Bernard
Schoenwald, Adam J.
Sleator, Clio
Thompson, D. J.
Valverde, Janeth
Wasti, Sambid
Woolf, Richard
Wulf, Eric
Zajczyk, Anna
contents ComPair, a prototype of the All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory (AMEGO), completed a short-duration high-altitude balloon campaign on August 27, 2023 from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, USA. The goal of the balloon flight was the demonstration of ComPair as both a Compton and Pair telescope in flight, rejection of the charged particle background, and measurement of the background $γ$-ray spectrum. This analysis compares measurements from the balloon flight with Monte Carlo simulations to benchmark the instrument. The comparison finds good agreement between the measurements and simulations and supports the conclusion that ComPair accomplished its goals for the balloon campaign. Additionally, two charged particle background rejection schemes are discussed: a soft ACD veto that records a higher charged particle event rate but with less risk of event loss, and a hard ACD veto that limits the charged particle event rate on board. There was little difference in the measured spectra from the soft and hard ACD veto schemes, indicating that the hard ACD veto could be used for future flights. The successes of ComPair's engineering flight will inform the development of the next generation of ComPair with upgraded detector technology and larger active area.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_15916
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Background Measurements and Simulations of the ComPair Balloon Flight
Metzler, Zachary
Kirschner, Nicholas
Smith, Lucas
Cannady, Nicholas
Sasaki, Makoto
Shy, Daniel
Caputo, Regina
Kierans, Carolyn
Bolotnikov, Aleksey
Caligiure, Thomas J.
Carini, Gabriella A.
Crosier, A. Wilder
Fried, Jack
Ghosh, Priyarshini
Griffin, Sean
Grove, J. Eric
Hays, Elizabeth
Herrmann, Sven
Kong, Emily
Liceaga-Indart, Iker
McEnery, Julie
Mitchell, John
Moiseev, A. A.
Parker, Lucas
Perkins, Jeremy
Phlips, Bernard
Schoenwald, Adam J.
Sleator, Clio
Thompson, D. J.
Valverde, Janeth
Wasti, Sambid
Woolf, Richard
Wulf, Eric
Zajczyk, Anna
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
ComPair, a prototype of the All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory (AMEGO), completed a short-duration high-altitude balloon campaign on August 27, 2023 from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, USA. The goal of the balloon flight was the demonstration of ComPair as both a Compton and Pair telescope in flight, rejection of the charged particle background, and measurement of the background $γ$-ray spectrum. This analysis compares measurements from the balloon flight with Monte Carlo simulations to benchmark the instrument. The comparison finds good agreement between the measurements and simulations and supports the conclusion that ComPair accomplished its goals for the balloon campaign. Additionally, two charged particle background rejection schemes are discussed: a soft ACD veto that records a higher charged particle event rate but with less risk of event loss, and a hard ACD veto that limits the charged particle event rate on board. There was little difference in the measured spectra from the soft and hard ACD veto schemes, indicating that the hard ACD veto could be used for future flights. The successes of ComPair's engineering flight will inform the development of the next generation of ComPair with upgraded detector technology and larger active area.
title Background Measurements and Simulations of the ComPair Balloon Flight
topic Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.15916