Bremen 2000 – scientific programme
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EP: Extraterrestrische Physik
EP 8: Kosmische Teilchen und Quanten I
EP 8.6: Talk
Wednesday, March 22, 2000, 17:15–17:30, H3
The Gamma-Ray Burst-Detection System of the INTEGRAL-Spectrometer SPI — •Giselher Lichti1, Robert Georgii1, Andreas von Kienlin1, Volker Schönfelder1, Cornelia Wunderer1, Hans-Jürgen Jung2, and Kevin Hurley3 — 1Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstraße, 85748 Garching — 2Dornier Satellitensysteme GmbH, An der B11, 88039 Friedrichshafen — 3University of California, Space-Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94708, USA
The determination of precise locations of γ-ray bursts is a crucial task of γ-ray astronomy. Although γ-ray burst locations can be obtained now already from single experiments (BATSE, COMPTEL, BeppoSax) the location of bursts via triangulation using the interplanetary network is still important because not all bursts will be located precisely enough by these single instruments. In order to get location accuracies down to arcseconds via triangulation one needs long baselines. At the beginning of the next decade several spacecrafts which explore the outer planetary system (the Mars-Surveyor 2001 Orbiter and probably Ulysses) will carry γ-ray burst instruments. INTEGRAL as a near-earth spacecraft is the ideal counterpart for these satellites. Its massive anticoincidence shield allows the measurement of γ-ray bursts with a high sensitivity. Estimations have shown that with SPI some hundred γ-ray bursts per year on the 5 σ level can be measured, having an equivalent sensitivity to BATSE. The γ-ray burst detection system of SPI will be described here, its technical features will be presented and the scientific capabilities will be assessed.