0000000001227643
AUTHOR
P Ubertini
ESTREMO/WFXRT: Extreme phySics in the TRansient and Evolving COsmos
We present a mission designed to address two main themes of the ESA Cosmic Vision Programme: the Evolution of the Universe and its Violent phenomena. ESTREMO/WFXRT is based on innovative instrumental and observational approaches, out of the mainstream of observatories of progressively increasing area, i.e.: Observing with fast reaction transient sources, like GRB, at their brightest levels, thus allowing high resolution spectroscopy. Observing and surveying through a X-ray telescope with a wide field of view and with high sensitivity extended sources, like cluster and Warm Hot Intragalactic Medium (WHIM). ESTREMO/WFXRT will rely on two cosmological probes: GRB and large scale X-ray structur…
HARD X-RAY CZT DETECTOR DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING ON STRATOSPHERIC BALLOON PAYLOADS
We report on the R&D activities on the development of room temperature semiconductor detectors (CZT detectors) for high energy space instrumentation. Our groups have been involved in the development of new hard X and soft gamma ray telescopes (e.g. Laue lens telescopes) and focal plane detectors. We present the characteristics and the performance of various CZT detector prototypes coupled with custom read-out electronics. The main target of this R&D activity is an end to end system for domestic growth CZT crystals, new sensor configurations and related read out architecture to provide an effective 3D focal plane able to perform contemporaneously imaging (spatial resolution mm or better), ti…
Gravitational Waves and Gamma-Rays from a Binary Neutron Star Merger: GW170817 and GRB 170817A
On 2017 August 17, the gravitational-wave event GW170817 was observed by the Advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors, and the gamma-ray burst (GRB) GRB 170817A was observed independently by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor, and the Anticoincidence Shield for the Spectrometer for the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory. The probability of the near-simultaneous temporal and spatial observation of GRB 170817A and GW170817 occurring by chance is $5.0\times 10^{-8}$. We therefore confirm binary neutron star mergers as a progenitor of short GRBs. The association of GW170817 and GRB 170817A provides new insight into fundamental physics and the origin of short gamma-ray bursts. We use the ob…