1994•Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIERequires access
Long-term orbital performance of the microchannel plate (MCP) detectors aboard the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer
John V. Vallerga, Marty Eckert, Martin M. Sirk, Oswald H. W. Siegmund, Roger F. Malina
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Abstract
The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), launched June 7, 1992, conducted an all-sky survey in the extreme ultraviolet wavelengths (70-760 angstrom) for 6 months and is now performing spectroscopic pointings for Guest Observers. The seven microchannel plate (MCP) detectors used on the instrument (four for imaging in photometric wavebands and three for the spectrometers) have operated successfully throughout the mission. The long-term (780 days) performance characteristics such as quantum efficiency (QE), gain, and background count rate, will be reviewed along with other interesting unexpected effects noted during the mission. Because the QE has remained constant, the background has been reduced, and other effects have been minimized, the EUVE instruments currently operate better than after launch and will probably continue to do so.