Synopses & Reviews
The Gamma Ray Sky with COMPTON GRO and SIGMA covers the new results of the COMPTON Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) satellite, which covers six decades of energy from 15 keV to 30 GeV, the French gamma ray telescope SIGMA, the first imaging experiment on a satellite to observe gamma rays from 35 keV to 1.3 MeV, and of ground-based telescopes in the TeV range. SIGMA and the suite of four instruments aboard the COMPTON GRO are first described by the members of the COMPTON GRO Team and the SIGMA science team. Most of the rest of the book is then devoted to the astronomical implications of these observations. The topics covered are: galactic and extragalactic gamma ray sources; galactic and extragalactic gamma ray backgrounds; the galactic centre; gamma ray spectrometry; and gamma ray bursts. An original book in which both experimentalists and theoreticians -- both astrophysicists and particle physicists -- review the achievements, problems and prospects in the gamma ray field, from 15 keV to 1 TeV. Also suitable for young scientists working on related topics.
Synopsis
This volume consists of invited lectures and seminars presented at the NATO Advanced Study Institute "The Gamma Ray Sky with COMPTON GRO and SIGMA," which was held at the Centre de Physique Theorique of Les Houches (France) in January / February 1994. The school has been planned by a Scientific Organizing Committee. It was organized with the aim of providing students and young researchers with an up-to-date account of the high-energy phenomena in the vicinity of compact objets and the diffuse gamma-ray backgrounds after the early results from the gamma-ray telescope SIGMA and the four instruments onboard COMPTON GRO (Gamma Ray Observatory): BATSE (Burst and Transient Source Experiment), COMPTEL(Compto'l Telescope), EGRET (Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope) and OS SE(Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment) . It was attended by more than sixty researchers from many countries. The lectures and seminars represent a complete coverage of our present knowledge and understanding of: Gamma-ray backgrounds, Gamma-ray Burts, Active Galactic Nuclei, Galactic Compact Objects, Gamma-ray Spectroscopy, Instrumentation and observation techniques, etc ... Most of these lectures are reproduced in this volume. Unfortunately, a few lecturers have chosen not to submit their manuscrip
Table of Contents
Preface. I: Introductory Lectures. The COMPTON Gamma Ray Observatory: Highlights from the First Three Years of the Mission; N. Gehrels, C. Shrader, D.A. Kniffen. Overview of the SIGMA Results; J. Paul. TEV Gamma-Ray Astronomy, Techniques; T.C. Weekes. II: Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Sources. High-Energy Radiation from Active Galactic Nuclei: Implications for AGN Unification Scenarios: C.D. Dermer. Modelling the High Energy Spectra of AGN; G. Henri. Multi-wavelength Observations of Active Galactic Nuclei; T.J.-L. Courvoisier. OSSE Observations of Galactic Nuclei; J.D. Kurfess, W.N. Johnson, K. McNaron-Brown. EGRET Observations of Active Galactic Nuclei; R.C. Hartman. TEV Gamma-Ray Astronomy, Extragalactic Sources; T.C. Weekes. III: Gamma-Ray Backgrounds. Diffuse Gamma Rays from WIMP Decay and Annihilation; M. Kamionkowski. The Diffuse Gamma Ray from Cosmic Ray Interactions in the Galaxy; P. Chardonnet. Diffuse Galactic Continuum Emission; E.W. Strong. EGRET Observations of the Diffuse Galactic and Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Backgrounds; P.F. Michelson. IV: Galactic Gamma-Ray Sources. The Equation of State of Dense Matter; D. Vautherin. Binary Pulsar Shock Emission as Galactic Gamma-Ray Sources; M. Tavani. TEV Gamma-Ray Astronomy/Galactic Sources; T.C. Weekes. EGRET Observations of Galactic Gamma-Ray Sources; G. Kanbach. BATSE Observations of Galactic Black Hole Candidates; W.S. Paciesas, B.A. Harmon, B.C. Rubin, C.A. Wilson, S.N. Zhang. Observations of Discrete Galactic Sources with OSSE; J.D. Kurfess, M.S. Strickman, J.E. Grove. V: The Galactic Center. SIGMA Observations of the Galactic Center in the Hard X-Ray and Soft &Ggr;-Ray Regime; B. Cordier. Balloon Observations of the Galactic Center 511keV Line and their Relationship to Satellite Results; B.J. Teegarden. VI: Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy. Gamma-Ray Producing Radioactivities from Supernova Explosions; R.D. Hoffman, S.E. Woosley, T.A. Weaver, F.X. Timmes, R.G. Eastman, D.H. Hartmann. Astrophysical Gamma-Ray Lines from Accelerated Particle Interactions; R. Ramaty. Gamma-Ray Line Observations with the COMPTEL Imaging Telescope; R.L. Diehl. Gamma-Ray Line Observational Results from OSSE; J.D. Kurfess, R.J. Murphy, M.D. Leising, W.R. Purcell. VII: Gamma-Ray Bursts. Gamma-Ray Bursts: Theoretical Considerations; D.H. Hartmann. Statistics of the Gamma-Ray Burst Population; J.L. Atteia. Observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts; G.J. Fishman. Inquisitive Correlations in the BATSE Gamma-Ray Burst Data; N.J. Shaviv. Gamma Ray Bursts, Inverse COMPTON Scattering and the Processing Jets in Galactic Halo; D. Fargion, A. Salis. VIII: Conclusion. Summary; A.W. Strong. Author Index. Subject Index.