New high energy γ-ray sources observed by COS B

1977

LOCALISED γ-ray sources contribute to the overall galactic emission; some of these sources have been identified with known astronomical objects1,2, while several unidentified γ-ray sources have also been reported3,4. We describe here a search for γ-ray sources using data from the ESA γ-ray satellite COS B which revealed 10 new unidentified sources. These sources seem to be galactic with typical γ-ray luminosities above 100 MeV in excess of 1035 erg s−1.

SPI/INTEGRAL in-flight performance

2003

The SPI instrument has been launched on-board the INTEGRAL observatory on October 17, 2002. SPI is a spectrometer devoted to the sky observation in the 20 keV-8 MeV energy range using 19 germanium detectors. The performance of the cryogenic system is nominal and allows to cool the 19 kg of germanium down to 85 K with a comfortable margin. The energy resolution of the whole camera is 2.5 keV at 1.1 MeV. This resolution degrades with time due to particle irradiation in space. We show that the annealing process allows the recovery of the initial performance. The anticoincidence shield works as expected, with a low threshold at 75 keV, reducing the GeD background by a factor of 20. The digital …

The INTEGRAL experiment

1998

The International Gamma-ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) is conceived as the next logical step in gamma-ray astronomy after the US Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) and the French/Russian SIGMA mission. The INTEGRAL scientific payload consists of two main instruments (Imager and Spectrometer) and two monitor instruments (X-Ray Monitor and Optical Transient Camera). The INTEGRAL spectrometer "SPI" is optimized for detailed measurements of gamma-ray lines and mapping of diffuse sources. It combines a coded aperture mask with an array of large volume, high-purity germanium detectors. The detectors make precise measurements of the gamma-ray energies over the 20 keV-8 MeV energy range. …

COS-B OBSERVATION OF THE MILKY WAY IN HIGH-ENERGY GAMMA RAYS

1980

SPI/INTEGRAL observation of the Cygnus region

2003

We present the analysis of the first observations of the Cygnus region by the SPI spectrometer onboard the Integral Gamma Ray Observatory, encompassing ${\sim}$ 600 ks of data. Three sources namely Cyg X-1, Cyg X-3 and EXO 2030+375 were clearly detected. Our data illustrate the temporal variability of Cyg X-1 in the energy range from 20 keV to 300 keV. The spectral analysis shows a remarkable stability of the Cyg X-1 spectra when averaged over one day timescale. The other goal of these observations is SPI inflight calibration and performance verification. The latest objective has been achieved as demonstrated by the results presented in this paper.

INTEGRAL/SPI ground calibration

2003

Three calibration campaigns of the spectrometer SPI have been performed before launch in order to determine the instrument characteristics, such as the effective detection area, the spectral resolution and the angular resolution. Absolute determination of the effective area has been obtained from simulations and measurements. At 1 MeV, the effective area is 65 cm^2 for a point source on the optical axis, the spectral resolution ~2.3 keV. The angular resolution is better than 2.5 deg and the source separation capability about 1 deg. Some temperature dependant parameters will require permanent in-flight calibration.

Imaging test setup for the coded-mask /spl gamma/-ray spectrometer SPI

2001

The European Space Agency's International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) will be launched in 2002. One of its two main instruments is the spectrometer SPI. It uses 19 HPGe detectors to observe the sky in the energy range of 20 keV to 8 MeV with a resolution of /spl Delta/E/E/spl ap/0.2%. Directional information is obtained using a coded mask. The expected angular resolution is about 20, The SPI imaging test setup (SPITS) was built at the Max-Planck-Institut fur Extraterrestische Physik, Germany, to allow experimental verification of the imaging properties of SPI. SPITS consists of a coded hexagonal uniformly redundant array (HURA) mask and two germanium detectors. The mask is …

SPI: The spectrometer aboard INTEGRAL

2003

SPI is a high spectral resolution gamma-ray telescope on board the ESA mission INTEGRAL (International Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory). It consists of an array of 19 closely packed germanium detectors surrounded by an active anticoincidence shield of BGO. The imaging capabilities of the instrument are obtained with a tungsten coded aperture mask located 1.7 m from the Ge array. The fully coded field-of-view is 16º, the partially coded field of view amounts to 31º, and the angular resolution is 2.5º. The energy range extends from 20 keV to 8 MeV with a typical energy resolution of 2.5 keV at 1.3 MeV. Here we present the general concept of the instrument followed by a brief description of …

COS-B Observations of Long Term Variability and Absorption Phenomena in the X-ray Emission from Cen X-3

1976

The COS-B satellite has observed the X-ray source Cen X-3 in the energy range 2 to 12 keV