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INTEGRAL

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische PhysikMPE

- Gamma-Ray Astronomy -

Project:   INTEGRAL
Science from INTEGRAL (collected&selected by RD/MPE)


 
  MPE MPE   Group Gamma-Ray Astronomy   Group Projects   Group INTEGRAL  Group Science

...more INTEGRAL Science 

ESA News for general Public

ESA INTEGRAL News Archive

Various Press Releases


INTEGRAL Spectrometer Status
 MPE's Notes

CESR Notes

Impressum

INTEGRAL Science Chronologyscience

(RD selected science highlights, latest on top; for other highlights/selections see ESA and press release links)
  • GRB061122 detected 7 deg off axis (22Nov2006)
  • Cyg X-1 outburst at 2*I(Crab) in soft-hard state (Tuerler et al. 2006)(05Oct2006)
  • Evidence for Crab polarization-state correlations between gamma-rays (SPI) and optical (Willis et al. 2006)(01Aug2006)
  • Xray Binary spectra (LMXBs) show hard tails from blackbody emission, Comptonized by magnetospheric electrons (Paizis et al. 2006)(26Jul2006)
  • Clear (5sigma) detection of both 60Fe lines from the Galaxy with SPI (Wang et al. 2006) (03Jul06)
  • Detection of both 44Ti low-energy lines with IBIS (Renaud et al. 2006) (29Jun06)
  • Determination of AGN luminosity function, showing that AGN contribute only at the percent level to total background at 20-50 keV, and that obscured AGN are a minor population (Beckmann et al. 2006; see also Sazonov et al. 2006, Bassani et al. 2006, Bazzano et al. 2006, Bird et al. 2006) (28Jun06)
  • Detection of a GRB from 'the backside' of INTEGRAL with IBIS (Marcinkowski et al. 2006) (press release)(POM) (16Jun2006)
  • Identification of IBIS-detected absorbed-source AXJ1838-0655 with HESS source J1837-069, suggestive of a cosmic particle accelerator (SNR/PWN?); similarly, INTEGRAL IGR18135-1751 coincides with HESS J1813-178, also seen by MAGIC, and likely a SNR accelerating cosmic rays. Issue: electrons or hadrons? (Molkov et al. 2004; Bird et al. 2006) (10May2006)
  • Anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) identified as high-magnetic field neutron stars, related to soft gamma-ray repeaters (denHartog et al. 2006, POM) (20Mar2006)
  • Earth observations clearly detect the cosmic diffuse X-ray background with SPI and IBIS (POM_Jun06)(POM_May06)(ESA Press Release Sep06)(Churazov et al. 2006)(25Jan2006)
  • Publication of 26Al Diffuse-Emission Results: Line width constraint, signature of Galactic rotation (POM)(Diehl et al. 2006)(05Jan2006)
  • Detection of new class of high-mass and rapidly-variable X-ray Binaries (POM)(Negueruela 2005)(02Nov2005)
  • Non-detection of 44Ti lines from Cas A with SPI rules out 44Ti velocities <1000 km/s (Vink 2005) (18Jul2005)
  • First AGN catalogue from INTEGRAL (Beckmann et al. 2005)(08Jul2005)
  • Second soft gamma-ray source catalogue released (Bird et al. 2005)(05Jul2005)
  • Positron annihilation from Positronium continuum confirms 511 keV line results (Weidenspointner et al. 2005) (21Jun2005)
  • Diffuse Galactic Emission analyzed for source contributions: low-energy part dominated by typical X-ray sources, high-energy part with singificant-to-dominating contribution of a new source population (Lebrun et al. 2005; Bouchet et al. 2005; Strong et al. 2005) (15Jun2005)
  • New discoveries by HESS of cosmic-ray acceleration signs in / near supernova remnants: INTEGRAL/IBIS detection of these same sources (Ubertini et al. 2005) (15Jun2005)
  • Diffuse 26Al emission from inner Galaxy: 26Al nuclei found to have low velocity as typical for ISM; detection of Doppler shift signature as expected from Galactic rotation (Diehl et al. 2005) (15Jun2005)
  • Galactic Center region sources imaging: new source near GC detected (Belanger et al. 2005)(21May2005)
  • State change and flaring activity in Cyg-X1-like BH binary JGR17464 (Joinet et al. 2005) (10Mar2005)
  • Cyg X-1 BH accretion seen in intermediate state, variability analyzed (Cadolle-Bel et al. 2005, Malzac et al. 2005) (10Mar2005)
  • Blazar 3C454 outburst detected with INTEGRAL (Pian et al. 2006) (15Feb06)
  • Cyclotron lines most clearly seen in transient X-ray pulsar X00115+63 (Santangelo et al. 2005) (21Jan2005)
  • Giant outburst of magnetar SGR1806 on 27 Dec 2004: First reported from SPI-ACS detectors (GCN 2920ff; MPE report (in german)) (21Jan2005)
  • Absence of 44Ti emission from SNR Tycho rules out sub-Ch model for this case (Renaud et al. 2005)(18Jan2005)
  • 44Ti emission from Cas A SNR is confirmed with IBIS (Vink et al. 2005) (18Jan2005)
  • Radioactive 60Fe: Now seen with SPI (Internal INTEGRAL Workshop at ESTEC; Harris et al. A&A 2005) (18Jan2005)
  • Positron annihilation measurements confirm symmetric bulge-like extended emission in inner Galaxy with a weak disk component; annihilation must occur in warm partly-ionized ISM (Jean et al. 2005; Churazov et al. 2005; Knödlseder et al. 2005) (18Jan2005)
  • Mapping of X-ray binaries in Galaxy confirms HMXB origin in star-forming regions, and LMXB origin in old stellar population (Lutovinov et al. 2004) (11Nov2004)
  • Cyclotron lines seen in Nov-Jan outburst from Be-X-ray binary V0332+53 (Kreykenbohm et al. 2005) (26Dec2004) 
  • Rapid GRB followups on INTEGRAL's GRB041219 detection allow prompt burst discovery also in IR (Hanlon et al. 2005) (Jan2005)
  • Fastest-rotating X-ray pulsar: Discovered JGR 00291+5934 as millisecond pulsar with 1.67 ms periodicity (Eckert et al. ATel 352; Falanga et al. A&A 2005) (02Dec2004)
  • 26Al emission from Cygnus region indicates young massive star cluster origin, from slightly broadened line (Knödlseder et al. 2004) (11Feb2004)
  • 44Ti emission from candidate young SNR in Vela region is not confirmed by INTEGRAL (vonKienlin et al. 2004) (11Feb2004)
  • Closest and underluminous Gamma-Ray Burst GRB031203 detected (z~0.3), associated with SN (Sazonov et al. 2004) (05Aug2004)
  • Diffuse emission in the innner Galaxy is confirmed in SPI surveys (yet not understood), in spite of an unexpectedly-large population of hard X-ray point sources discovered with ISGRI (Lebrun et al. 2004; Strong et al. 2004)(17Mar2004)
  • A gamma-ray burst occurs within INTEGRAL's field of view (GRB031203); INTEGRAL's alert and results stimulated  follow-up studies on its optical counterpart after its finding (05Dec2003)
  • 26Al emission from inner Galaxy does not confirm ~550 km/s high-velocity line reported earlier (Diehl et al. 2003) (11Nov2003) 
  • Positron annihilation emission from inner Galaxy appears as extended, bulge-like emission (Jean et al. 2003) (17Sep2003; 10Nov2003)
  • New hard-X-ray sources are discovered with INTEGRAL, which appear embedded in molecular clouds, e.g. IGR J16318-4848, opening up broader research on stellar-mass black holes  (Walter et al. 2003) (10Apr2003,17Oct2003)
  • First GRBs rapidly located with INTEGRAL/IBAS, specifically GRB021219 (Mereghetti et al. GCNs 1706 ff) (20Dec2002)

INTEGRAL Mission and Spacecraft News

  • Proposals for the Key Program of INTEGRAL Period 5 were collected: 22 total, requesting 9 times more observing time than available in the 17Aug2007-16Aug2008 period (52 Msec). Many proposals are of a multi-year nature, and will have to be reviewed and re-endorsed with following AO's (17Nov2006)
  • INTEGRAL Science Workshop in Moscow 3-7 July with 190 contributions; program posted on workshop website (02Jul2006)
  • INTEGRAL funding in the US has been confirmed up to 2010 at the requested level, after a successful Senior Review (12May2006)
  • Proposals for the 4th Observing Period have been collected (142 total, requesting 8 times more observing time than available in the 17Aug2006-16Aug2007 period (25Apr2006)
  • Slight adjustments made in the normal dither pattern (rev.421; stepsize now 2.17deg; 2.0 deg used for hex pattern and calibration references) (23Mar2006)
  • Telemetry readjustments are necessary due to background increase (solar activity), SPI reaching tlm saturation occasionally (14Mar2006)
  • ESA approval of extension for mission operations till Dec 2010 (05Dec2005)
  • ESA's Science Program Committee endorses the mission extension: approved till Dec2008, budget for INTEGRAL operations approved till Dec 2010) (21Nov2005)
  • INTEGRAL User Group endorses 'key programs' supplement of public annual AO programmes (15Nov2005)
  • INTEGRAL Science Working Team agrees on AO-4 Core Program: Homogenization of exposure along the plane of the Galaxy, stop GPS, await results of deep extragalactic survey and inner-Galaxy latitude scan (06Oct2005)
  • ESA's Astronomy Working Group endorses 4-year rolling mission extension (till Dec2010) (22Sep2005)
  • INTEGRAL User Group inauguration meeting (11Jul2005)
  • Crab Calibration Observations (rev300) (28Mar2005)
  • Science Operations Center (ISOC) reorganized and moved to Madrid/Spain (ESAC) (15Feb2005)
  • AO-3 beginning (ending 17 Aug 2006) (18Feb2005)
  • AO-3 program established from proposals (10Jan2005)
  • Crab Calibration Observations (rev170) (04Mar2004)
  • AO-2 beginning (17Dec2003)
  • ESA's Science Program Committe decides to extend the INTEGRAL mission till 2008 (19Nov2003)
  • Crab Calibration Observations (rev102) (14Aug2003)
  • Crab Calibration Observations (rev42) (16Feb2003)
  • AO-1 beginning of science operations (17Dec2002)
  • Commissioning Phase with Cyg Region Calibrations (rev11ff) (16Nov2002)
  • Successful launch from Baikonur, by Proton rocket (17Oct2002)
  • ESA Selection of INTEGRAL as the next Gamma-Ray Mission (1993)

SPI Instrument Performance Notes & Newsthe SPI instrument


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