The FIGARO Experiment for the Observation of Time Marked Sources in the Low Energy Gamma-Ray Range
Abstract
The only two firmly identified galactic gamma-ray sources in the second COS B catalogue are the pulsars PSR 0531+21 (Crab) and PSR 0833-45 (Vela). In the region between 100 keV and 10 MeV the detailed shape of the emission is particularly important, since one expects a turn-off which is related to geometry of the source. A marginal evidence of such a turn-off just below 1 MeV has been reported for the Vela pulsar. In order to study sources with a well marked time signature in this energy band, the FIGARO - French Italian Gamma Ray Observatory was designed. The first version was launched in November 1983 from the Sao Manuel base (Brazil), and was destroyed in a free fall following a balloon burst at an altitude of 50 mbar. A brief description is given of the new improved version of the experiment, FIGARO 2, which is nearly completed and whose launch is scheduled before summer 1986.
- Publication:
-
19th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC19), Volume 3
- Pub Date:
- August 1985
- Bibcode:
- 1985ICRC....3..334A
- Keywords:
-
- Gamma Ray Astronomy;
- Gamma Ray Observatory;
- Gamma Ray Spectra;
- Radiation Detectors;
- Gamma Ray Bursts;
- Monte Carlo Method;
- Pulsars;
- Space Radiation