Bibcode
Gehrels, N.
Bibliographical reference
GAMMA-RAY BURSTS: 30 YEARS OF DISCOVERY: Gamma-Ray Burst Symposium. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 727, pp. 637-641 (2004).
Advertised on:
9
2004
Citations
38
Refereed citations
36
Description
Swift is a first-of-its-kind multiwavelength transient observatory for
GRB astronomy. It has the optimum capabilities for the next
breakthroughs in determining the origin of GRBs and their afterglows, as
well as using bursts to probe the early Universe. Swift will also
perform the first sensitive hard X-ray survey of the sky. The mission is
being developed by an international collaboration and consists of three
instruments, the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), the X-ray Telescope (XRT),
and the Ultraviolet and Optical Telescope (UVOT). The BAT, a wide-field
gamma-ray detector, will detect > 100 GRBs per year with a
sensitivity >2 times that of BATSE. The sensitive narrow-field XRT
and UVOT will be autonomously slewed to the burst location in 20 to 75
seconds to determine 0.3-5.0 arcsec positions and perform optical, UV,
and X-ray spectrophotometry. Strong education/public outreach and
follow-up programs will help to engage the public and astronomical
community. The Swift launch is planned for mid 2004.