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INTEGRAL Spectrometer SPI
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INTEGRAL
is a European (ESA) Gamma-Ray Observatory Satellite Mission for the
study of cosmic gamma-ray sources in the keV to MeV energy range. It
was launched on 17th October 2002 and will be operated till
at least 2012 or beyond. INTEGRAL has two main instruments, the Imager
"IBIS"
and the Spectrometer "SPI". (see  fact
sheet on INTEGRAL by ESA, and INTEGRAL
Info (in german) by DLR).
SPI
is a coded-mask spectrometer telescope with a 19-element Germanium
solid-state detector camera and a massive anticoincidence shield of BGO
scintillation detectors. Science objectives are nucleosynthesis,
relativistic-particle
accelerators, and strong-field signatures in compact stars; this is
studied
through nuclear lines and spectral features in accreting binaries,
pulsars,
or solar flares, but also through energetic continuum radiation in the
20 keV - 10 MeV range from the variety of cosmic sources, including AGN
and gamma-ray bursts.
SPI is a collaborative international project, with CESR
Toulouse and MPE as PI-Institutes (MPE Co-PI Roland Diehl). The MPE
provided
the anticoincidence system of SPI (SPI ACS Project Manager and Co-I
Giselher
Lichti), while CESR provided the Ge Camera, and other institutes
provided
components such as coded mask and electronics systems. Total costs were 105 Mio EUR. MPE (ACS
Scientist
and SPI Co-I Andreas von Kienlin) monitors the in-flight operations and
performance of the SPI anticoincidence
subsystem as one of the key detector components of SPI, and
is responsible for its maintenance and operation during the mission.
From this system's mission data, MPE derived and maintains a Gamma-Ray
Burst Catalogue. Data processing and initial analysis is
centralized
for INTEGRAL at the ISDC (ISDC Co-I from MPE is Andrew Strong).
CNES was the main industry
contractor
for instrument assembly. DLR
supports the German part of INTEGRAL (~26M up to launch, ~2M Ops).
MPE's science activities with INTEGRAL focus on gamma-ray line spectroscopy from
diffuse radioactivities and supernovae, diffuse Galactic emission and
cosmic rays, gamma-ray bursts, and point sources (accreting binaries,
pulsars, AGN).
more
info and Links
Last update: 2009-07-05 by R.
Diehl 
Authorized by R. Diehl |
INTEGRAL 
