Speaker
Description
The primary scientific objective of the POLAR-2 experiment on the China Space Station is to perform wide-field survey observations of X-ray transients, such as Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs). As one of its three core payloads, the Wide-field Low-energy X-ray Polarization Detector (LPD) utilizes a Gas Pixel Detector (GPD) based on pixel chips (Topmetal-L) for charge collection. To meet its on-orbit application requirements, this paper presents the design and development of an electronics prototype capable of simultaneously operating three independent detection units. The prototype employs a three-board architecture: a Front-End Board responsible for analog signal acquisition and analog-to-digital conversion; a Main Control Board serving as the system control hub for data processing and communication with the satellite platform; and a High-Voltage Board that supplies precise and stable operational bias to the detector. In the firmware design, we have optimized the readout logic of the Topmetal-L chip, effectively reducing the transmission of invalid pixel data and enhancing system efficiency.
Test and verification results demonstrate that: the total power consumption of the electronics prototype system is 16.1 W, complying with platform constraints; thermal simulation analysis indicates a local maximum on-orbit operating temperature of approximately 44°C, significantly lower than that of current similar gas detectors successfully operating in orbit; functional experiments verify that the system can stably drive the three detection units, thereby providing an effective detection area of 11.8 cm² per prototype unit and the capability to capture and logically read out photoelectron events with fluxes up to 450 count/cm²/s .
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