Advanced Telescope for High Energy Nuclear Astrophysics (ATHENA)

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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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1995
Accession Number
ADA461818

Entities

People

  • C. Dermer
  • J. Grindlay
  • James D. Kurfess
  • Jason T. Ryan
  • M. D. Leising
  • N. Gehrels
  • Richard A. Kroeger
  • T. Prince
  • T. Tumer
  • W. Neil Johnson
  • W. Purcell

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Energy
  • Energy Bands
  • Gamma Rays
  • Hard X Rays
  • High Energy
  • High Resolution
  • Measurement
  • Observatories
  • Radiation
  • Scintillation Counters
  • Simulations
  • Solar Panels
  • Spectroscopy
  • Two Dimensional
  • X Rays

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Image Processing and Computer Vision.
  • Nuclear and Radiation Engineering.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Space Objects