Measurements of Gamma-Ray Bursts with GLAST

Abstract

The next large NASA mission in the field of γ-ray astronomy is the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), which is scheduled for a launch end of 2007. This satellite consists of the main instrument LAT (Large-Area Telescope) which is sensitive in the energy range between 10 MeV and 300$>>300 GeV, and a secondary instrument, the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM), sensitive from 10 keV to 30 MeV. This omnidirectional monitor is an important instrument for γ-ray burst (GRB) science with GLAST, as it provides the link between the majority of the γ-ray busts emitting at lower energies and the high-energy events of γ-ray bursts and other transients. It will also serve as a trigger to increase the detection rate of γ-ray burst with the LAT. The GBM will provide real-time burst locations over a wide field-of-view (FoV) with sufficient accuracy to repoint the whole GLAST spacecraft. Time-resolved spectra of bursts recorded with LAT and the burst monitor will allow the investigation of the relation between the keV and the MeV–GeV emission from GRBs over seven decades in energy and will provide new insights into the physics of GRBs in general. In addition, the excellent localization of GRBs by the LAT will stimulate follow-up observations at other wavelengths which may yield clues about the nature of the burst sources.