Optical monitoring camera on board the ESA high-energy mission INTEGRAL

Alvaro Gimenez; J. M. Mas-Hesse

doi:10.1117/12.312899

1 July 1998 Optical monitoring camera on board the ESA high-energy mission INTEGRAL

Alvaro Gimenez, J. M. Mas-Hesse

Proceedings Volume 3446, Hard X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Detector Physics and Applications; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.312899
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1998, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The payload of the European Space Agency mission INTEGRAL has been designed to study simultaneously gamma-ray sources in a wide field of view over many decades in energy (around 2 eV + 4 keV - 20 MeV) and thus make a major contribution to short time-scale high-energy astrophysics. The Optical Monitoring Camera (OMC) will contribute with observations of the optical emission of the gamma-ray targets, while an X- ray monitor will provide measurements in the hard X-ray range. This multiwavelength capability will provide invaluable diagnostic information on the nature and the physics of the studied sources. The main scientific objectives of the OMC are: (1) to monitor the optical emission from the sources observed by the gamma- and X-ray instruments, measuring this time and intensity structure of the optical emission for comparison with variability at high energies, and (2) to provide the brightness and position of the optical counterpart of any gamma- or X-ray transient taking place within its field of view. In addition, because of the wide field of view of the OMC, a large number of serendipitous optical variable and transient sources will be monitored. The OMC is based on a refractive optics with an aperture of 50 mm focused onto a large format CCD (1024 X 2048 pixels) working in frame transfer mode. With a field of view of 5 degree(s) X 5 degree(s) it will be able to monitor sources down to 19 V magnitudes. Typical exposure will consist of 10 integrations of 100 seconds each.

Citation Download Citation

Alvaro Gimenez and J. M. Mas-Hesse "Optical monitoring camera on board the ESA high-energy mission INTEGRAL", Proc. SPIE 3446, Hard X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Detector Physics and Applications, (1 July 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.312899

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