The MAX Mission: Focusing on High-Sensitivity Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy

Details The MAX Mission: Focusing on High-Sensitivity Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy The MAX Mission: Focusing on High-Sensitivity Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy

Oct 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004esasp.552..747v&link_type=abstract

Proceedings of the 5th INTEGRAL Workshop on the INTEGRAL Universe (ESA SP-552). 16-20 February 2004, Munich, Germany. Scientific

Physics

Optics

4

Scientific paper

The mission concept MAX is a space borne crystal diffraction telescope for nuclear astrophysics. With its Laue lens consisting of Cu and Ge crystals, MAX is capable of concentrating gamma-rays onto a small, low background detector. The Lens and detector are situated on two formation flying spacecraft. MAX observes simultaneously in two energy bands of high astrophysical relevance (450-540 keV and 800-900 keV); its effective lens area in each band is roughly 600 cm 2 . A small position sensitive detector (strip Ge detector, Si/CdTe matrix, or single segmented Ge detector) performs high resolution spectroscopy and provides the capability for measuring the polarization of the incident photons. The primary scientific objective of MAX is the study of type Ia supernovae by measuring intensities, shifts and shapes of their nuclear gamma-ray lines in the 800-900 keV energy band. When finally understood and calibrated, these strongly radioactive events will be crucial in measuring the geometry and evolution of the entire Universe. Observing the radioactivities from a substantial sample of supernovae and novae will significantly improve our understanding of explosive nucleosynthesis. Moreover, sensitive gamma-ray line spectroscopy performed with MAX is expected to clarify the nature of sources of e - e + annihilation radiation which would appear in the 450-540 keV band, including jets in Galactic microquasars, neutrons stars and pulsars, X-ray Binaries, AGN, solar flares, and gamma-ray afterglows from gamma-burst counterparts. Keywords: instruments for nuclear astrophysics, gamma-ray optics, formation flying

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