Science with e-ASTROGAM: a space mission for MeV-GeV gamma-ray astrophysics
Date
2018Author
De Angelis, A.
Böttcher, M.
Venter, C.
Tatischeff, V.
Grenier, I.A.
McEnery, J.
Metadata
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e-ASTROGAM (‘enhanced ASTROGAM’) is a breakthrough Observatory space mission, with a detector
composed by a Silicon tracker, a calorimeter, and an anticoincidence system, dedicated to the study of
the non-thermal Universe in the photon energy range from 0.3 MeV to 3 GeV – the lower energy limit
can be pushed to energies as low as 150 keV for the tracker, and to 30 keV for calorimetric detection.
The mission is based on an advanced space-proven detector technology, with unprecedented sensitivity,
angular and energy resolution, combined with polarimetric capability. Thanks to its performance in
the MeV–GeV domain, substantially improving its predecessors, e-ASTROGAM will open a new window
on the non-thermal Universe, making pioneering observations of the most powerful Galactic and
extragalactic sources, elucidating the nature of their relativistic outflows and their effects on the
surroundings. With a line sensitivity in the MeV energy range one to two orders of magnitude better than
previous generation instruments, e-ASTROGAM will determine the origin of key isotopes fundamental
for the understanding of supernova explosion and the chemical evolution of our Galaxy. The mission
will provide unique data of significant interest to a broad astronomical community, complementary to
powerful observatories such as LIGO-Virgo-GEO600-KAGRA, SKA, ALMA, E-ELT, TMT, LSST, JWST, Athena,
CTA, IceCube, KM3NeT, and LISA
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10394/31662https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jheap.2018.07.001
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214404818300168