The WATCH gamma-burst detector for Eureca-I

The WATCH gamma-burst detector will be flown for the first time on the ESA microgravity satellite EURECA-I. The unique feature of the WATCH detector is its capability for real time localizations of the sources of strong gamma ray bursts. The expected source localization accuracy is about 10 arcminutes. The aim for the future is to supplement the WATCH detector with a rapidly moving optical telescope, on the ground or space borne, with the hope of obtaining very precise source localizations and new information on the emission mechanism in the gamma burst sources. WATCH will not only study gamma bursts but also detect hard X-ray transients and monitor the X-ray sky in the energy band from 5 to 120 keV.