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Preprint 21/11

The radiation environment in L-2 orbit:implications on the non X-ray background of the eROSITA pn-CCD cameras

E. Perinati (1), C. Tenzer (1), A. Santangelo (1), K. Dennerl (2), M. Freyberg (2) and P. Predehl (2)

(1) IAAT- University of Tübingen, Germany
(2) MPE, Germany

To be published in: Experimental Astronomy

Abstract. The pn-CCD cameras at the focal plane of the eROSITA space observatory will be the first X-ray (0.2-12 keV) detector to operate in a L-2 orbit. Therefore, no direct information of instrumental non X-ray background (NXB) is available to make predictions for eROSITA. Since, in general, the instrumental NXB experienced in orbit has a major impact on the overall sensitivity of the cameras, we investigated and modeled the L-2 radiation environment and its interaction with the eROSITA mass distribution and cameras, in order to quantify the expected pn-CCD NXB level. We obtain an average value of NXB ~25% lower than that observed by the pn-CCDs on-board the XMM-Newton satellite, which is placed in a Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO). We discuss this result in light of the differences between the L-2 and HEO space environments.
 
Key words: X-ray astrophysics, CCDs, particle background, numerical computation

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