COMCUBE: A CONSTELLATION OF CUBESATS TO MEASURE THE GRB PROMPT EMISSION POLARIZATION
Résumé
The precise mechanism for the prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is still largely debated. Polarization measurements of the prompt gamma-ray emission could help model this phenomenon, and lead to a broader understanding of GRBs and astrophysical relativistic jets. COMCUBE is a project of the European programme AHEAD2020 aiming at the development of a Compton polarimeter CubeSat mission to measure the polarization of bright GRBs. The launch of a constellation of 6U CubeSats will allow the detection of several hundred GRBs per year and make possible a full-time monitoring of the gamma-ray sky for time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy. In addition, COMCUBE will accurately measure the polarization of the prompt emission of several GRBs per year. An extensive simulation work has been conducted to design the scientific payload, and is ongoing to quantify the sensitivity of the mission to GRBs and GRB polarization. Simultaneously, a reduced prototype of the Compton polarimeter is being developed. It uses double-sided silicon stripped detectors and inorganic scintillators read by SiPMs, and it should be tested during a stratospheric balloon flight in 2023.
Domaines
Astrophysique [astro-ph]Origine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
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