Background and sensitivity simulation of a space based germanium Compton telescope

摘要

A Monte Carlo simulation code has been developed that calculates the isotopes produced by spallation and propagates the products of radioactive decays for the purpose of studying activation backgrounds in space based gamma-ray telescopes. This code has been applied to study a Compton telescope consisting of two large arrays of position sensitive germanium detectors. Activation of the germanium by cosmic rays and their secondaries is the major source of background. These simulations quantify the contributions and spectrum of each background component.