`X-red': A satellite mission concept for detecting Gamma Ray Bursts

Paper number

IAC-05-A3.1.08

Author

Mr. Pedro Russo, Navegar Foundation, Portugal

Year

2005

Abstract

Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are the most energetic eruptions known in the
Universe. Instruments such as Compton-GRO/BATSE and the GRB
monitor on BeppoSAX have detected more than 2700 GRBs and, although
observational confirmation is still required, it is now generally
accepted that many of these bursts are associated with the collapse
of rapidly spinning massive stars to form black holes.
Consequently, since first generation stars (Pop III) are expected to
be very massive, GRBs are likely to have occurred in significant numbersat early epochs. `X-red' is a space mission concept designed to detectthese extremely high redshifted GRBs, in order to probe the nature of thefirst generation of stars and hence the time of reionisation of the earlyUniverse. We demonstrate that the gamma- and x-ray luminosities of typicalGRBs render them detectable up to extremely high redshifts (z=10-30), but that current missions such as HETE and SWIFT operate outside the observational range for detection of high redshift GRB afterglows. Therefore, to redress this, we present a complete mission design from the science case to the mission architecture and payload, the latter comprising three instruments, namely a wide field x-ray camera to detect high redshift gamma-rays, an imaging x-ray telescope to determine accurate coordinates and extract spectra, and an infrared spectrograph to observe the high redshift optical afterglow. The mission is expected to detect and identify for the first time GRBs with z > 10, thereby providing constraints on properties of the first generation of stars and the history of the early Universe.

Abstract document

IAC-05-A3.1.08.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-05-A3.1.08.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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