The Gamma-ray group has successfully carried out an irradiation test on SiPM sensors proposed for use in low-Earth-orbit gamma-ray and cosmic-ray missions such as HERD and FOCUS. The test was conducted on July 7 at the Light Ion Facility of the Centre de Ressources du Cyclotron (Université Catholique de Louvain), with fully funded access secured through the EUROLABS Horizon EU project.

A dedicated setup, entirely designed and built at IFAE, made it possible to test the sensors under realistic operational conditions. The results will help assess their viability — and that of SiPM technology more broadly — for future space applications.

The test was carried out by Alexandros Kapelios, Giulio Lucchetta and Javier Rico, with additional contributions from Benjamin Hauptmann, Juan Boix, Víctor Mendoza, Laia Cardiel, Sarah Wagner and Manel Martínez.