A Panchromatic Gamma Ray Burst MIDEX Mission
The discovery of afterglow from
g-ray
bursts has revolutionised our understanding of these enigmatic
events. We now know that they are produced at cosmological distances
and involve the most powerful and relativistic explosions known,
resulting in an afterglow that cascades down in energy from g-rays to radio.
The Swift MIDEX is a rapid-response, multiwavelength observatory
that exploits the newly discovered afterglow characteristics
of g-ray
bursts to make a comprehensive study of ~1000 bursts. It will
determine the origin of the g-ray bursts, tell us how the blast wave evolves and
interacts with its surroundings, and identify different classes
of bursts and their associated physical processes. In addition,
Swift will allow g-ray bursts to be used as probes of the early Universe.
Swift will include a wide-field
g-ray
Burst Alert Telescope, plus narrow-field X-ray and ultraviolet/optical
telescopes to study the afterglow emission. Based on a g-ray trigger,
the observatory will be repointed to study a g-ray burst with the narrow-field
telescopes within seconds of the initial event. The proposed
UK role in Swift will be to provide core elements of the narrow
field instruments, which can be done very cost effectively by
utilising mature technology already developed for the ESA XMM
mission, and the JeT-X instrument that is to fly on the Russian
Spectrum-X spacecraft. This contribution is key to the success
of SWIFT and will facilitate a leading role for the UK in a major
emerging astrophysics area.
Swift was selected for flight by
NASA in November 1999, one of two MIDEX missions so selected
from a group of five that underwent Phase-A study during 1999.
Swift is scheduled for launch in the second half of 2003. UK
involvement in Swift was approved by PPARC Council in December
1999.
MSSL role: UVOT (UltraViolet
and Optical Telescope)
Further Information:
 Click here
to view Swift team photo.
Click here
for a link to NASA's SWIFT homepage.
Click here
for a link to the XMM-Optical Monitor homepage.
Click here
to return to the MSSL homepage.
This page was last updated by Martin
de la Nougerede16th December 1999
|
