Speaker
Dr
Alexander Moiseev
(CRESST/NASA/GSFC and UMCP)
Description
The gamma-ray energy range from a few hundred keV to a few hundred MeV has remained largely unexplored since the pioneering but limited observations by COMPTEL on the CGRO (1991-2000). Fundamental astrophysics questions can be addressed by a discovery mission in the MeV range, from astrophysical jets and extreme physics of compact objects to a large population of unidentified objects. We will briefly go through the science drivers for such a mission. We will present the concept of the wide-aperture instrument ComPair (Compton-Pair Production Space Telescope) being developed by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center in collaboration with Navy Research Laboratory, Clemson University, Washington University and University of California at Santa Cruz, to investigate the energy range from 200 keV to > 500 MeV with high energy and angular resolution and with sensitivity approaching a factor of 20-50 better than COMPTEL.
We will also present extended science requirements to include nuclear gamma-ray spectrometry, gamma-ray polarization and precise mapping of the gamma radiation from the Galactic Center.
A possible concept for a large-scale instrument to meet these requirements will be discussed
Primary author
Dr
Alexander Moiseev
(CRESST/NASA/GSFC and UMCP)
