Engineering topics

Gehrels, N.

Publications and source records attributed to Gehrels, N..

At least 163 records · Page 9

NASA NTRS1997

BASIS: A new GRB mission concept

The burst acrsecond imaging and spectroscopy (BASIS) mission concept is reviewed. The scientific objectives of the mission are to accurately locate bursts, determine their distance scale and measure the physical characteristics of the emission region. Arcsecond burst positions would be obtained for approximately 100 bursts/yr in the 10 to 200 keV emission region, allowing deep, unconfused counterpart surveys at other wavelengths. The key enabling technology development is the production of CdZnTe room temperature semiconductor detectors with a spatial resolution of the order of 100 microns. Fine spectroscopy would be obtained between 0.2 and 200 keV. The 0.2 keV threshold would allow measurements of the absorption in our Galaxy and possible host galaxies.

Teegarden, B. J.↗

NASA NTRS1997

INTEGRAL core programme

The International Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) mission is described with emphasis on the INTEGRAL core program. The progress made in the planning activities for the core program is reported on. The INTEGRAL mission has a nominal lifetime of two years with a five year extension option. The observing time will be divided between the core program (between 30 and 35 percent during the first two years) and general observations. The core program consists of three main elements: the deep survey of the Galactic plane in the central radian of the Galaxy; frequent scans of the Galactic plane in the search for transient sources, and pointed observations of several selected sources. The allocation of the observation time is detailed and the sensitivities of the observations are outlined.

Gehrels, N.↗

NASA NTRS1996

All-Sky Search for Transient Sources near 0.5 MeV with the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE)

We present a search for bright, transient emission lines near 0.5 MeV in nearly two years of data from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, Such features have been reported from black hole candidates Nova Muscae and 1E 1740.7-2942 and from the Crab, lasting for about 1 day. Our survey covers the whole sky and is sensitive to events with durations from 0.5-3.0 day. No transients are observed, and the systematic errors are low enough that the upper limits are significantly below the fluxes of the two most significant events previously reported.

Smith, D. M.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Search for Compton-backscattered annihilation radiation from the galactic center with the OSSE

An emission feature near 170 keV, interpreted as Compton-backscattered 511 keV positron-annihilation radiation, has been reported twice by balloon-borne germanium spectrometers from within approximately 15 deg of the Galactic center (Leventhal, MacCallum, & Stang 1978; Smith et al. 1993). Upper limits on this feature set by HEAO 3 (Mahoney, Ling, & Wheaton 1993) and other instruments indicate that it must be transient. We have searched data from the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) for this feature, using daily spectral accumulations from all pointings near the Galactic center up to 1993 August, and covering most of the region viewed by the balloon instruments. We find no evidence for backscatter emission. Under the hypothesis that the source is 1E 1740.7-2942, the OSSE data set (186 days) disagrees with the balloon measurements with 99.3% confidence. The average daily 3 sigma OSSE upper limit on bakscatter flux from 1E 1740.7-2942 is 6.8 x 10(exp -4) photons/sq cm/s, compared to the 1.3 x 10(exp -3) photons/sq cm reported by the balloon observations. We also saw no evidence in 186 days for linelike emission from the point source EXS 1737.9-2952 recently discovered by Grindlay, Covault, & Manandhar (1993). This source exhibited bright emission from 83-111 keV, which has been interpreted as doubly backscattered 511 keV radiation. The average daily 3 sigma upper limit from OSSE for this line is 9.8 x 10(exp -4) photons/sq cm/s, or approximately 8% of the reported flux.

Smith, D. M.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Gamma Ray Astronomy; E2 Symposium of COSPAR Scientific Commission E, COSPAR Scientific Assembly, 30th, Hamburg, Germany, July 11-21, 1994

This issue on gamma ray astronomy presents many results from observations made with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) and other spaceborne experiments and includes studies of Seyfert galaxies, X-ray binaries, neutron stars, diffuse cosmic background radiation, pulsars, blazars, gamma ray bursts, the galactic center, and the distribution of Aluminum-26 in the galaxy. The issue begins with a survey of Compton Telescope (COMPTEL) results and concludes with future prospects for the field.

Gehrels, N.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Joint ROSAT-Compton GRO observations of the X-ray bright Seyfert galaxy IC 4329A

We report a simultaneous ROSAT and Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) observation of the X-ray-bright Seyfert galaxy IC 4329A. For the GRO Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) detector, we also present the sum of the data for this and earlier observations. The overall spectrum is very well described as a power law with an energy spectral index of approximately 1 absorbed at low energies plus a strong Compton reflection component, typical for Seyfert 1 galaxies. The low energy absorption can be well described by a sum of a neutral column density of approximately 3 x 10(exp 21)sq cm, most of which is associated with the edge-on galactic disk of IC 4329A, plus an edgelike feature at approximately 700 eV; this feature implies either complex absorption (due to additional ionized material, or due to a partial covering), or a soft excess. The data only weakly constrain the presence of a high-energy cutoff in the underlying power law; they are compatible with an exponential cutoff at any energy E(sub c) approximately greater than 100 keV. The relative steepness of the OSSE data, with the power-law energy index of 1.6 +/- 0.2, can be accounted for entirely by the contribution of the high-energy tail of the reflection component when E(sub c) approaches infinity. (We find that the definite cutoff at an energy E(sub c)approximately 130 keV suggested in the recently published analysis of the OSSE data for this subject is due to a data reduction error.) Including nonsimultaneous Ginga observations with 2 keV fluxes matching well that of ROSAT gives us likely broad-band X-ray/gamma-ray spectra of the object from approximately 0.1 keV up to several hundred keV. We also report the ROSAT spectrum of the companion object to the Seyfert galaxy, the elliptical galaxy IC 4329.

Madejski, G. M.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Gamma-ray observations of NGC 253 and M82 with OSSE

Gamma-ray observations of the nearby starburst galaxies NGC 253 and M82 over the energy range (0.05-10) MeV have been obtained with the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) spectrometer on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO). The priority of these galaxies as OSSE targets had been established on the grounds that the average supernova rate may be high in starbursts as indicated by infrared and radio observations, and at distances of approximately 3 Mpc a significant chance of supernova gamm-ray line detection exists. NGC 253 was detected in continuum emission up to 165 keV with a total significance of 4.4 sigma and an estimated luminosity of 3 x 10(exp 40) ergs/s. The spectrum is best fit by a power law of photon index approximately 2.5. We consider the possible contribution of different emission mechanisms, including inverse Compton scattering, bremsstrahlung, discrete sources, and Type Ia/Ib supernova continuum to the measured flux. No significant continuum flux was observed from M82. A search for the gamma-ray line from the decay of the most abundant radioactive element produced in supernovae (Ni-56 yields Co-56 yields Fe-56) yielded no significant detection: the 3 sigma upper limits to the line fluxes at 0.158, 0.812, 0.847, and 1.238 MeV for both galaxies are obtained.

Bhattacharya, D.↗

NASA NTRS1994

The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory

The Arthur Holly Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Compton) is the second in NASA's series of great Observatories. Launched on 1991 April 5, Compton represents a dramatic increase in capability over previous gamma-ray missions. The spacecraft and scientific instruments are all in good health, and many significant discoveries have already been made. We describe the capabilities of the four scientific instruments, and the observing program of the first 2 years of the mission. Examples of early discoveries by Compton are enumerated, including the discovery that gamma-ray bursts are isotropic but spatially inhomogeneous in their distribution; the discovery of a new class of high-energy extragalacatic gamma-ray sources, the gamma-ray AGNs; the discovery of emission from SN 1987A in the nuclear line of Co-57; and the mapping of emission from Al-26 in the interstellar medium (ISM) near the Galactic center. Future observations will include deep surveys of selected regions of the sky, long-tem studies of individual objects, correlative studies of objects at gamma-ray and other energies, a Galactic plane survey at intermediate gamma-ray energies, and improved statistics on gamma-ray bursts to search for small anisotropies. After completion of the all-sky survey, a Guest Investigator program is in progress with guest observers' time share increasing from 30% upward for the late mission phases.

Gehrels, N.↗

NASA NTRS1994

GRIS background reduction results using isotopically enriched Ge

The Gamma Ray Imaging Spectrometer (GRIS) was flown twice from Alice Springs, Australia, in the spring of 1992 for a total of 32 hr at float altitude. One of the seven Ge detectors was isotopically enriched (greater than 97% Ge-70). This was the first time an enriched-Ge detector was used for astrophysical observations. Because of its thick anticoincidence shield, the GRIS instrument background is dominated by internal beta-decay in the energy range of 200-1000 keV. Half of the contribution in this beta-decay 'hump' is due to neutron-activated Ge-74. In this energy range, GRIS observed a factor of 2 reduction in the background in the enriched detector, as predicted. In future instruments (e.g., INTEGRAL), with thicker anticoincidence shields and smaller apertures, the background reduction will be even larger. Three strong instrumental background lines (54, 67, and 139 keV) are also eliminated. The elimination of the first two is particularly important for cylotron line observations.

Barthelmy, S. D.↗

NASA NTRS1994

A ROSAT observation of the transient X-ray pulsar GRO J1008-57

We report results of a brief Target of Oppurtunity observation of the newly discovered transient X-ray pulsar Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) J1008-57 using the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC). The observation was performed well into the decline of the source outburst as monitored by the BATSE hard X-ray light curve. The PSPC cleanly detected the source, at a 0.1-2.4 keV flux of 2.3 x 10(exp -11) erg/sq cm/s. A position centroid accurate to 10 arc seconds has been determined. The 0.1-2.4 keV spectrum is best characterized by a flat power law with substantial interstellar absorption. The PSPC photon index and column density are consistent with that measured at higher energy by ASCA; there is no evidence for an additional soft component. Light-curve folding reveals a period of 93.4 s, consistent with that measured at higher energies; the 0.1-2.4 keV folded light curve shows a high pulsed fraction and a strongly double-peaked pulse profile. The spectral and temporal properties of GRO J1008-57 as observed using the PSPC are entirely consistent with a pulsar orbiting a massive (OB) companion.

Petre, R.↗

NASA NTRS1993

GRIS detections of the 511 keV line from the Galactic center region in 1992

The Gamma Ray Imaging Spectrometer (GRIS) was flown on balloons over Alice Springs, Australia on 1992 April 26 and May 7. A full Galactic center transit (about 12 hr) was achieved on both flights with the instrument working normally. The electron/positron annihilation line was detected on both flights. The line fluxes and line widths were found to be (7.7 +/- 1.2) x 10 exp -4 and (8.9 +/- 1.1) x 10 exp -4 photons/sq cm per sec and 1.3 +/- 0.7 and 3.6 +/- 1.0 keV, respectively. These results are compared to each other and earlier (1988) GRIS results to produce suggestive evidence for source variability. Near-contemporaneous OSSE/CGRO Galactic center observations indicate that the GRIS results cannot be due solely to a single point source like IE 1740.7-2942 within a few degrees of the Galactic center. The GRIS 1992 results represent the first time that successive high-resolution balloon measurements have been achieved on a time scale of days.

Leventhal, M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory

The Arthur Holly Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (Compton) was launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on 5 April 1991. The spacecraft and instruments are in good health and returning exciting results. The mission provides nearly six orders of magnitude in spectral coverage, from 30 keV to 30 GeV, with sensitivity over the entire range an order of magnitude better than that of previous observations. The 16,000 kilogram observatory contains four instruments on a stabilized platform. The mission began normal operations on 16 May 1991 and is now over half-way through a full-sky survey. The mission duration is expected to be from six to ten years. A Science Support Center has been established at Goddard Space Flight Center for the purpose of supporting a vigorous Guest Investigator Program. New scientific results to date include: (1) the establishment of the isotropy, combined with spatial inhomogeneity, of the distribution of gamma-ray bursts in the sky; (2) the discovery of intense high energy (100 MeV) gamma-ray emission from 3C 279 and other quasars and BL Lac objects, making these the most distant and luminous gamma-ray sources ever detected; (3) one of the first images of a gamma-ray burst; (4) the observation of intense nuclear and position-annihilation gamma-ray lines and neutrons from several large solar flares; and (5) the detection of a third gamma-ray pulsar, plus several other transient and pulsing hard X-ray sources.

Gehrels, N.↗

NASA NTRS1992

The Galileo heavy element monitor

The Heavy Ion Counter on the Galileo spacecraft will monitor energetic heavy nuclei of the elements from C to Ni, with energies from about 6 to about 200 MeV/nucl. The instrument will provide measurements of trapped heavy ions in the Jovian magnetosphere, including those high-energy heavy ions with the potential for affecting the operation of the spacecraft electronic circuitry. The instrument, which is a modified version of the Voyager CRS instrument, is described.

Garrard, T. L.↗

NASA NTRS1992

GRIS observations of the galactic center and the gamma ray galactic diffuse continuum

On two flights in 1988, the Gamma-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (GRIS) discovered the galactic center in a high state (greater than 1 x 10(exp -3) ph/(sq cm sec)) of positron annihilation line emission (511 keV) after nearly a decade of failed attempts to confirm the exciting early results of balloon and satellite instruments. These two flights represented the first flights of a new generation of high resolution germanium spectrometers designed to achieve significantly greater sensitivity for astrophysical observations. During the fall flight, an observation of the galactic plane at 335 degrees longitude was also performed. This observation showed a very low level of 511 keV emission (2 +/- 1 x 10(exp -4) ph/(sq cm sec)), confirming the galactic center origin of the line, and a high level of hard x-ray and gamma-ray continuum emission (1 x 10(exp -4) ph/(sq cm sec keV) at 100 keV), which we attribute to galactic diffuse emission. Improved fits to the spectrum of the galactic center are presented with the proposed diffuse component subtracted. We conclude that our galactic center continuum spectrum is consistent with the sum of the 1E1740.7-2942 spectrum observed by SIGMA/GRANAT and our 1 = 335 degree galactic plane spectrum. The predicted diffuse flux should be easily measurable by the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) experiment on the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO).

Tueller, J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

GRIS observations of Al-26 gamma-ray line emission from two points in the Galactic plane

Both of the Gamma-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (GRIS) experiment's two observations of the Galactic center region, at l = zero and 335 deg respectively, detected Al-26 gamma-ray line emission. While these observations are consistent with the assumed high-energy gamma-ray distribution, they are consistent with other distributions as well. The data suggest that the Al-26 emission is distributed over Galactic longitude rather than being confined to a point source. The GRIS data also indicate that the 1809 keV line is broadened.

Teegarden, B. J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

GRIS observations of positron annihilation radiation from the Galactic center

In the present Gamma-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (GRIS) observations, the 511 keV line has been spectrally resolved and the Galactic plane and center components have been independently measured. These data, in combination with those from other narrow-field observations in the 1980s, support the two-component model of the positron annihilation source. A strong hard-X-ray continuum was detected in the Galactic plane observation; this 'diffuse' continuum component solves the mystery as to why wide-field instruments have detected such high continuum emission from the Galactic center, in virtue of its source contributions.

Gehrels, N.↗

NASA NTRS1991

The transient gamma-ray spectrometer

The authors describe the Transient Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (TGRS) to be flown onboard the WIND spacecraft. This instrument is designed to detect cosmic gamma-ray bursts over the energy range of 20 keV to 10 MeV with an expected spectroscopic resolution of 2 keV at 1 MeV (E/Delta-E = 500). The active detection element is a 215-cu cm high-purity n-type Ge crystal cooled to cryogenic temperatures by a passive radiative cooler. The geometric field of view (FOV) defined by the cooler is 170 deg FWFM. Burst data are stored directly in an onboard 2.75-Mb burst memory with an absolute timing accuracy of +/-1.5 ms. This capacity is sufficient to store the entire spectral data set of all but the largest bursts. In addition to burst measurements, the instrument will also study solar flares, search for possible diffuse background lines, and monitor the 511-keV positron annihilation radiation from the galactic center. The experiment is scheduled to be launched on a Delta II launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral on December 31, 1992.

Owens, A.↗

NASA NTRS1991

GRIS instrument continuum results from SN1987A

Results on the continuum emission from SN1987A from two balloon flights of gamma-ray imaging spectrometer over Alice Springs, Australia, in the spring and fall of 1988 are presented. The durations of the two observations were 11.2 and 11.7 hours, respectively. The measured continuum spectra (95-2560 keV for the spring and 55-2560 keV for the fall) are consistent with Compton scattering of the Co-56 decay lines. The 10HMM model agrees well with continuum data in the energy dependence of the continuum both in the slope of the spectra and the step increases below the 2599, 1238, and 847 keV Co-56 decay lines.

Barthelmy, S.↗