Astrophysics and Cosmology

Semiconductor X- and Gamma-ray detectors are utilized extensively in astrophysics as focal plane instruments in X-ray satellites, in healthcare industry for diagnosis of cancer and other diseases and in homeland security to detect dirty bombs and to prevent unlawful transport of radioactive material.

The advancement of high energy astrophysics is strongly linked to the development of capable semiconductor detectors. At High Energy Astrophysics Detector Laboratory we design, produce and test Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CdZnTe) detectors.

Recent work on CdZnTe detector development focuses using these detectors in small satellites called CubeSats. BeEagleSat, the first satellite carrying a scientific instrument from Turkey was launched from the International Space Station in 2017. An improved version of the detector is being produced to conduct long term observations of black holes on Sharjah-Sat-1. The same detector systems can also be utilized in healthcare industry as gamma-probes and gamma-cameras for X-ray imaging, medical diagnostic.

The observational high energy astrophysics group at Sabanci University use data from X-ray telescopes (Chandra, XMM-Newton, Swift, INTEGRAL) as well as data from ground facilities and study different aspects of neutron stars and black holes through imaging, spectral, timing and polarization analysis. We are specifically interested in how jets form and die in galactic black hole transients through multiwavelength observations. Timing and spectral data from X-ray satellites are combined with radio and near infrared data to pinpoint changes in nature of accretion as jets forms.Our group also works on how the interstellar medium alters the spectral and timing properties of black holes by analyzing imaging data from X-ray telescopes. The so called “dust scattering halos” produced by scattering of bright black hole outbursts can be used to determine distance to the object.