Advanced telescope for high-energy nuclear astrophysics (ATHENA)

W. Neil Johnson III; Charles D. Dermer; Richard A. Kroeger; James D. Kurfess; Neil A. Gehrels; Jonathan E. Grindlay; Mark D. Leising; Thomas A. Prince; William R. Purcell; James M. Ryan; Tumay O. Tumer

doi:10.1117/12.218406

1 September 1995 Advanced telescope for high-energy nuclear astrophysics (ATHENA)

W. Neil Johnson III, Charles D. Dermer, Richard A. Kroeger, James D. Kurfess, Neil A. Gehrels, Jonathan E. Grindlay, Mark D. Leising, Thomas A. Prince, William R. Purcell, James M. Ryan, Tumay O. Tumer

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 2518, EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy VI; (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.218406
Event: SPIE's 1995 International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1995, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

We present a space mission concept for a low energy gamma-ray telescope, ATHENA, which is under investigation as the next major advance in gamma-ray spectroscopy following the current COMPTON Gamma Ray Observatory and the planned INTEGRAL missions. The instrument covers the nuclear line emission energy domain with dramatically improved sensitivity and spectral resolution. The baseline configuration combines a high resolution Compton telescope constructed from Ge planar strip detectors for the 0.3 - 10 MeV energy region with a coded-aperture system for the 10 - 200 keV domain. The Ge Compton telescope provides a broad field of view with exceptional spectral and imaging resolution. The requirements, capabilities and simulations of ATHENA are discussed.

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W. Neil Johnson III, Charles D. Dermer, Richard A. Kroeger, James D. Kurfess, Neil A. Gehrels, Jonathan E. Grindlay, Mark D. Leising, Thomas A. Prince, William R. Purcell, James M. Ryan, and Tumay O. Tumer "Advanced telescope for high-energy nuclear astrophysics (ATHENA)", Proc. SPIE 2518, EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy VI, (1 September 1995); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.218406

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