Descripción del proyecto
Imitar los rayos cósmicos galácticos en la Tierra para probar la electrónica espacial
Mejorar la competitividad de Europa en la exploración y las aplicaciones espaciales exige algo más que el desarrollo de dispositivos y sistemas. Las pruebas para medir su rendimiento en el espacio constituyen un factor complejo pero fundamental para lograr el éxito. El equipo del proyecto HEARTS, financiado con fondos europeos, prevé ayudar a la comunidad espacial en esta tarea, al permitir el acceso a su acelerador de iones pesados de alta energía, capaz de imitar los efectos de los rayos cósmicos galácticos (GCR, por sus siglas en inglés). Los GCR se componen de partículas de muy alta energía que viajan casi a la velocidad de la luz. Se generan fuera del sistema solar y son una fuente dominante de radiación que deben soportar las naves espaciales actuales y futuras. El equipo de HEARTS tiene previsto ayudar a los científicos espaciales a garantizar que sus sistemas electrónicos de alta tecnología puedan resistir precisamente a esta radiación.
Objetivo
The main purpose of the HEARTS proposal is to provide high-energy (>100 MeV/n) heavy ion accelerator access to space users, in order to mimic the effects of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) at ground level, and thus fulfilling the needs of microelectronics qualification and shielding & radiobiology experiments. These ions will successfully mimic the effects of heavy ions present in the GCR spectrum, and will also ensures penetration levels large enough to enable electronics testing in air, without the need of electronics device preparation (e.g. de-lidding, thinning) and at board and box level. High penetration ion irradiation is essential in order to facilitate the exploitation of high-end microelectronics technology in space, for e.g. onboard artificial intelligence or Big Data processing applications.
To this end, the HEARTS proposal features CERN and GSI as accelerator infrastructure partners, who also gather a vast experience and knowledge in radiation effects on electronics, and shielding & radiobiology, respectively.
Moreover, HEARTS features also the University of Padova as academic partner, and Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space as industrial participants, all of which have ample experience in the radiation effects domain, and a strong interest in VHE ion testing. The academic and industrial partners will define the requirements, both technical and procedural, for VHE ion user facilities. Such requirements will serve as input to CERN and GSI and will be implemented as upgrade which, once completed, will be scrutinized and validated by the industrial and academic partners, through “real case” experimental campaigns that will in turn serve as input for the development of VHE ion testing recommendations and guidelines.
Therefore, in final instance, HEARTS ambitions to create a high quality and sustainable VHE ion irradiation capacity in Europe, accessible to and tailored for space users and applications.
Ámbito científico
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringastronautical engineeringspacecraft
- natural sciencesphysical sciencestheoretical physicsparticle physics
- natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicsmicroelectronics
- natural scienceschemical sciencesnuclear chemistryradiation chemistry
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Régimen de financiación
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinador
1211 GENEVE 23
Suiza