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Illll]llllll]llllllllH]lll,,.m PB97-167001 InfOrmatiod Is Our busk_is. RECOMMENDEDPRIORITIES FOR NASA'S GAMMARAY ASTRONOMYPROGRAM1996-2010 (U.S.) NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON, DC APR 97 U.$. bEPAR'I_MENT oF COMMERCi_ National Technical Information Service • 111_ I# • 41 °" _1 _ 4 J . • RECOMMENDEDPRIORITIESFORNASKS GAMMARAYASTRONOMYPROGRAM 1996-2010 ReporloftheGammaRayAstronomyProgramWorkingGroup April,1997 RECOMMENDEDPRIORITIESFORNASA'S GAMMARAYASTRONOMYPROGRAM 1996-2010 ReportoftheGammaRayAstronomyProgramWorkingGroup April,_997 PROTECTED UND_:R INTf:RNATiONAL COPYRIGHT ALL RIQHT_ RESERVED° NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE U.$, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION PB97-167001 Report Nos: Title: Recommended Priorities for NASA'S GammaRay Astronomy Program 1996-2010. Date: Apr 97 Performin 9 Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, UC. Supplemental Notes: Color illustrations reproduced in black and white. TIS Field/Group Codes: 54C (Astrophysics). 70E (Research Program Administration & ecnnology Iranster) Price: PC AO5/MF AOI Availability: This product may be ordered from NTIS by phone at (703)487-4650" by fax at (/u3)Jz1-8547: and by email at 'orders@ntis,fedworld.gov'. NTIS is located at 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA, 22161, USA. Number of Pages: 56p Ke_lwords" *NASA programs. *Gamma ray astronomy, *Program management. *Long range pjannlng Research programs, Research management, Pmorities, Recommendatlons, Mission planning Abstract: It has assessed the state of the field including current missions and approvea future missions, the critical scientific problems o_en today, the promising technologies for the future, the mission priorities for the Tu_ure. and _ne neeas Tot data analysis and theory. This report presents a summary of the GRAPWGfindings and gives detailed recommendations. n 1995, NASA formed the Gamma-Ray Astronomy Program Working Group (GRAPWG) to formulate recommendations for future direc- tions in NAS_s gamma-ray astronomy program. The energy range consid- ered in this study extends from hard x-rays (>_ 15 keV) through TeV gamma rays. The mandate of the working group is to recommend a road map to the future for use as an input to th_ next NASA strategic plan, cur- rently slated for 1997. The working group, whose membership is given belom; has met four times over the past 2 years. It has assessed tke state of the field including current missions and approved future missions, the crit- ical scientific problems open today the promising technologies for the future, the mission priorities for the future, and the needs for data analysis and theor): This report presents a summaD' of the GRAPWG findings and gives detailed recommendations. The acronyms used in the report are defined in Appendix A. GAMMA-RAYASTRONOMYPROGRAMWORKINGGROUPMEMBERS: Elena Aprile (Columbia) Alan Bunner (NASA) [Ex-Officio (NASA Headquarters)] Neil Gehrels (GSFC) [Co-Chair] Jonathan Grindlay (Harvard) Gerald Fishman (MSFC) W. Neil Johnson (NRL) Kevin Hurley (UCB/SSL) Steve Kahn (Columbia) Richard Lingenfeher (UCSD) Peter Michelson (Stanford) Thomas Prince (Caltech) [Co-Chair] Roger Romani (Stanford) James Ryan (UNH) Bonnard Teegarden (GSFC) David Thompson (GSFC) Trevor Weekes (Harvard/Smithsonian) Stanford Woosley (UCSC) Precedingpageblank Recommended Ptioritfc._for NASA's Gal,ma.Ra._ Astro_om._ PIog_am iiJ Iv _:_+,* ..'.. _.. _ ..4_-i - ..,. -;_.,; -.. ; .:.,_.._+ . , _'_ ..+ .. -. : _._.. • :...:._- ,.. • ._ _,', . ... ii:."@ i newresu,,fro,,,the ComptonGammaRayObse a,o " j" i_JJlJi'"! J ''"/i_"_i_=J: W ¥ (CGRO), the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), and GRANAT, hard X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy are in a period of discov- er" and vigor unparalleled in their history- Tr,_ CGRO mission in particular has made fundamental contributions to und_$tanfling many classes of galactic and extragalactic objects. The CGRO discoveries of gamma-ray blazars, an isotropic distribution of gamma-ray bursts, bright black hole and neutron star transients, sites of galactic nucleosymhesis, and a large class of unidentified high energy sources have inlrigaed astronomers and the public alike. These discoveries ha_e prompted a wide range of correlat- ed observations by X-ray satellites and ground-based radio, IR, and optical observatories, adding to our rapidly expanding knowledge of the nature of high-energy emission. We now have the beginnings of a better understand- ing of the astrophysics of gamma-ray sources, and this i;n turn has raised . fundamental new questions about the origin and evolution of high-energy objects and about the nonthermal astrophysical processes that occur in them. Looking ahead to the next decade, further discoveries in hard X-ray and ._-.. gamma-ray astronomy are anticipated with further CGRO and RXTE obser- ¢. vations and with the ESA INTEGRAL mission (launch +2001). However, there are currently no major missions being planned beyond INTEGRAL and none being planned at all by NASA. Of particular concern is the high- energy regime (100 Me\: - 100 GeV), where obseta-ations will soon come to a virtual halt in the next 2 years as the EGRET instrument on CGRO runs out of spark-chamber gas. Also of concern is the present lack of plans for missions that would l) significantly improve on the BATSE capabilities to study gamma-ray bursts as well as conduct a full-sky survey and monitor transient source 2) follow-on the first exploration of the MeV band by COMPTEL with much better sensitivity, and 3) continue the important studies of nucleosynthesis begun by balloon instruments, OSSE, and COMPTEL. From a scientific standpoint, there is an urgent need for new observational missions. From a technical standpoint, the timing is excellent since powerful new detector and imaging technologies are in hand that promise major steps in observational capabilities. With this in mind, the GRAPWG recommends the following program in hard X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy: Precedingpageblank Rccc,,,,,,tc,,dcdP,io,llIes fo, X.-_,S..'t_Ga,nn,c,.Ra3. Astro,,o,,,) P,og,a,,, v INTERMEDIATEMISSIONS($75M- _00M) expected two orders of magnitude improve- The HIGHEST PRIORITY recommendation of merit in sensitivity compare to RXTE would the GRAPWG is: address questions such as the nature of • A next-generation 10 Mev to I00 GeV accretion onto compact objects in galactic sources. A new multilayer mirror technology gamma-ray mission such as GLAST. One to can extend the focusing range to -I00 keg: two orders of magnitude improvement in The HTXS concept includes a focusing hard sensitivity compared to EGRET are expected X-ray telescope that extends up to 50 keV. resulting in breakthroughs in our under- • A next-generation nuclear line and MeV con- standing of particle acceleration and nonther- tinuum mission. A major step forward com- real processes in AGN and galactic sources. pared to INTEGRAL in both sensiuvity and The GRAPWG identified two other missions as energy range would allow detailed studies of very high priority for initiation within the next sites of nucleosynthesis in the galaxy and of decade. These programs would serve pressing sci- nonthermal sources in the universe. The entific needs and represent areas where prompt GRAPWG views this mission as a follow-on support for technology development and mission to INTEGILhL. study' promises great gains in the capabilities and efficiency of future missions. MIDEXANDSMEXMISSIONS • A focusing hard X-ray telescope. The Future MIDEX and SMEX missions are crucial for NASKs gamma-ray and hard X-ray astronomy program. The two highest priorities for near-term KEYQUESTIONSIN HARDX-RAYAhD SMEX and MIDEX missions are (of equal priority): GAMMA.RAYASTRONOMY • A gamma-ray burst localization mission. • What is the origin and nature of gamma- Such a mission would address the question of ray bursts? the origin of gamma-ray bursts. Missions • What are the physical conditions and with coding apertures or an a, rat of small processes near accreting black holes and telescopes would fill this need. Searches neutron stars? could also be made for a halo population of • How does matter behave in extreme con- burst sources around M31 to test galactic ditions like those in neutron stars, super- halo models. Example mission concepts are BASIS, ETA, and BLAST. nova explosions and active galactic nuclei? • A hard X-ray all-sky survey and monitor mis- sion such as EXIST. More than two orders of . How do astrophysical accretion processes work and what are their instabilities, magnitude improvement over the HEAO-1 periodicities and modes? survey could be obtained in the 10 - 200 keV range. A significant fraction of the entire sky • What is the nature of the jets emanating from galactic black holes and AGN and could be scanned every day ','ortransient sources. how are the particles accelerated? • What is the origin of the diffuse gamma- HETE ray background? The loss of HETE is a maj _r setback to the • What is the nature of the unidentified study of gamma-ray bursts. The objectives of that high energy gamma-ray sources? mission are still compelling: rapidly obtained pre- • Where are the sites of nucleosynthesis? cise positions are invaluable for multiwavelength • How do supernovae work? What are the counterpart searches, The HETE spacecraft can be progenitors and explosion mechanisms? rebuilt and reflown relatively quickly and inexpen- What has been the rate in the last several sively. hundred years? • We endorse this initiative and further recom- • What and where ate