Heavy ion response of the TimePix version of the Medipix2 technology in preparation for use in space radiation dosimetry applications

The CERN-based Medipix2 Collaboration has developed a new pixel-based detector technology, which has enormous potential to characterize radiation fields including charged particles and neutrals. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently selected this technology for evaluation as the potential basis for next-generation dosimeters and area monitors in space radiation environments. Important ground-based studies to map out the breadth of capabilities of detectors based on this technology have been and are continuing to be conducted at Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC). Significant progress has been made in determining the ultimate resolution of these detectors to measure both the charge and energy of incident charged particles with a single detector layer. (author)