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Imaging through Compton scattering and pair creation

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Observing Photons in Space

Part of the book series: ISSI Scientific Report Series ((ISSI,volume 9))

Abstract

Compton telescopes and pair-creation telescopes are the most successful instruments used in space-based gamma-ray astronomy in the energy range from ≈ 0.3 MeV to ≈ 300 GeV. The principles of measurement of both kinds of telescopes are explained and an overview of early Compton and pair telescopes is given. The properties and capabilities of COMPTEL and EGRET aboard NASA’s CGRO are described. These two instruments have performed the first-ever all-sky survey in gamma-ray astronomy above 1 MeV. The other two CGRO instruments OSSE and BATSE have complemented these surveys towards lower energies (for this purpose, the omni-directionally sensitive BATSE instrument used its capability to monitor hard X-ray sources > 20 keV by means of Earth occultation). Since 2008 the high-energy telescope Fermi performs continuous deep all-sky surveys at gigaelectronvolt energies. Finally, the outlook for future Compton and pair-creation telescopes is given.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MPE—Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany

    Volker Schönfelder & Gottfried Kanbach

Authors
  1. Volker Schönfelder
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  2. Gottfried Kanbach
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland

    Martin C. E. Huber , Anuschka Pauluhn  & Alex Zehnder ,  & 

  2. Mullard Space Science Lab, University College London, Dorking, Surrey, UK

    J. Len Culhane

  3. Nightsen, Inc., Tiverton, Rhode Island, USA

    J. Gethyn Timothy

  4. Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

    Klaus Wilhelm

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Schönfelder, V., Kanbach, G. (2013). Imaging through Compton scattering and pair creation. In: Huber, M.C.E., Pauluhn, A., Culhane, J.L., Timothy, J.G., Wilhelm, K., Zehnder, A. (eds) Observing Photons in Space. ISSI Scientific Report Series, vol 9. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7804-1_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7804-1_11

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7803-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7804-1

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