What is Aditya-L1 mission's HEL1OS? ISRO explains
In a remarkable milestone for India's space exploration efforts, the Aditya-L1 mission, the nation's maiden solar observation mission, set its course for the Sun-Earth L1 point (L1) on September 2. On Tuesday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) unveiled the success of the High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) payload, which recorded the impulsive phase of solar flares during its inaugural observation period on October 29.
HEL1OS, an innovative hard X-ray spectrometer, is part of the Aditya-L1 mission designed to study the Sun's activities and notably, it is capable of capturing the early impulsive phases of solar events. This instrument operates within the wide X-ray energy band of 10- 150 keV, presenting a revolutionary approach to understanding the intricate dynamics of solar flares.
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Despite extensive research on solar flares over the years, capturing and analysing the initial impulsive emission, particularly in hard X-rays, has remained a formidable challenge. HEL1OS seeks to surmount these difficulties by employing a set of detectors tailored to different energy ranges, offering high spectral and time resolution measurements.
The primary scientific objectives of HEL1OS include studying the explosive energy release, electron acceleration, and transport mechanisms during solar flares through fast timing measurements and high-resolution spectra. Additionally, the instrument aims to investigate quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) of hard X-rays during solar flares to gain insights into particle acceleration mechanisms.
HEL1OS features two distinct types of detectors: Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) operating in the 10 – 40 keV range and Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT)
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