The removal method and generation mechanism of spikes in Insight-HXMT/HE telescope

Abstract

Spikes are some obvious sharp increases that appear on the raw light curves of Insight-HXMT's High Energy X-ray telescope(HE), which could have influences on data products like energy and power spectra. They are considered to be fake triggers generated by large signals. In this paper, we study the spikes' characteristic and propose two methods to remove spikes from the raw data. According to the different influences on energy and power spectra, the best parameters for removing the spikes is selected and used in the Insight-HXMT data analysis software. The generation mechanism of spikes is also studied using the backup HE detectors on ground and the spikes can be reduced by the electronic design.