Hybrid active-passive galactic cosmic ray simulator: Experimental implementation and microdosimetric characterization

Abstract

Space radiation is one of the major obstacles to space exploration. If not mitigated, radiation can interact both with biological and electronic systems, inducing damage and posing significant risk to space missions. Countermeasures can only be studied effectively with ground-based accelerators that act as a proxy for space radiation. Following an in-silico design and optimization process, we have developed a galactic cosmic ray (GCR) simulator using a hybrid active-passive methodology. In this approach, the primary beam energy is actively switched and the beam interacts with specifically designed passive modulators. In this paper, we present the implementation of such a GCR simulator and its experimental microdosimetric characterization. Measuring the GCR field is of paramount importance, both before providing it to the user as a validated radiation field and for achieving the best possible radiation description. The issue is addressed in this paper by using a tissue equivalent proportional counter to measure radiation quality and by comparing experimental measurements with Monte Carlo simulations. In conclusion, we will demonstrate the GCR simulator’s capability to reproduce a GCR field.