A novel technique for real-time ion identification and energy measurement for in situ space instrumentation

The AGILE (Advanced enerGetic Ion eLectron tElescope) project focuses on the development of a compact lowcost space-based instrument to measure the intensities of charged particles and ions in space. Using multiple layers of fast silicon sensors and custom front-end electronics, the instrument is designed for real-time particle identification of a large variety of elements from H to Fe and spanning energies from 1 to 100 MeV per nucleon. The robust method proposed in this work uses key defining features of electronic signals generated by charged particles (ions) traveling through silicon layers to reliably identify and characterize particles in situ. AGILE will use this real-time pulse shape discrimination technique for the first time in space based instrumentation.

Automated summary

The AGILE project focuses on developing a compact low-cost space-based instrument for real-time measurement and identification of charged particles and ions in space, spanning a wide range of elements and energies. The instrument uses silicone sensors and custom electronics to reliably identify particles based on key features of electronic signals, and will be the first to use real-time pulse shape discrimination in space-based instrumentation.