SuperAGILE: The Hard X-ray Imager of AGILE

• Published in: AIP conference proceedings Vol. 727; no. 1; pp. 696 - 699
• Main Authors: Feroci, M, Costa, E, Barbanera, L, Del Monte, E, Di Persio, G, Frutti, M, Lapshov, I, Lazzarotto, F, Mastropietro, M, Morelli, E, Pacciani, L, Porrovecchio, G, Preger, B, Rapisarda, M, Rubini, A, Soffitta, P, Tavani, M, Argan, A, Ghirlanda, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.01.2004
• Subjects: COSMIC GAMMA BURSTS; COSMIC GAMMA SOURCES; COSMIC PHOTONS; COSMIC RAY DETECTION; GAMMA DETECTION; GAMMA RADIATION; HARD X RADIATION; KEV RANGE; PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS; RESOLUTION; SI MICROSTRIP DETECTORS; TELEMETRY; TELESCOPE COUNTERS
• ISBN: 0735402086; 9780735402089
• ISSN: 0094-243X; 1551-7616
• DOI: 10.1063/1.1810938

SuperAGILE is the hard X-ray (10-40 keV) imager for the gamma-ray mission AGILE, currently scheduled for launch in mid-2005. It is based on 4 Si-microstrip detectors, with a total geometric area of 1444 cm2 (max effective about 300 cm2), equipped with one-dimensional coded masks. The 4 detectors are perpendicularly oriented, in order to provide pairs of orthogonal one-dimensional images of the X-ray sky. The field of view of each 1-D detector is 107 deg X68 deg , at zero response, with an overlap in the central 68 deg X68 deg area. The angular resolution on axis is 6 arcmin (pixel size). We present here the current status of the hardware development and the scientific potential for GRBs, for which an onboard trigger and imaging system will allow distributing locations through a fast communication telemetry link from AGILE to the ground.