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INTEGRAL: Science Highlights and Future Prospects

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Abstract

ESA’s hard X-ray and soft gamma-ray observatory INTEGRAL is covering the 3 keV to 10 MeV energy band, with excellent sensitivity during long and uninterrupted observations of a large field of view (∼100 square degrees), with ms time resolution and keV energy resolution. It links the energy band of pointed soft X-ray missions such as XMM-Newton with that of high-energy gamma-ray space missions such as Fermi and ground based TeV observatories. Key results obtained so far include the first sky map in the light of the 511 keV annihilation emission, the discovery of a new class of high mass X-ray binaries and detection of polarization in cosmic high energy radiation. For the foreseeable future, INTEGRAL will remain the only observatory allowing the study of nucleosynthesis in our Galaxy, including the long overdue next nearby supernova, through high-resolution gamma-ray line spectroscopy. Science results to date and expected for the coming mission years span a wide range of high-energy astrophysics, including studies of the distribution of positrons in the Galaxy; reflection of gamma-rays off clouds in the interstellar medium near the Galactic Centre; studies of black holes and neutron stars particularly in high- mass systems; gamma-ray polarization measurements for X-ray binaries and gamma-ray bursts, and sensitive detection capabilities for obscured active galaxies with more than 1000 expected to be found until 2014. This paper summarizes scientific highlights obtained since INTEGRAL’s launch in 2002, and outlines prospects for the INTEGRAL mission.

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Notes

  1. An extensive description of the INTEGRAL mission, scientific payload, calibrations, science operations and initial “first-light” science results can be found in a special issue of A&A, Vol. 411, No. 1, November III (2003).

  2. http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?project=INTEGRAL&page=Publications.

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Acknowledgement

This paper is based on the scientific case made by the INTEGRAL Users Group (IUG), to support the ESA 2010 request for the extension of the INTEGRAL mission until 31 December 2014.

During 2010, members of the IUG were: A. Bazzano (INAF/IASF, Rome), T. Belloni (INAF, Brera Observ.), S. Brandt (DNSC, Copenhagen), E. Churazov (IKI, Moscow & MPA, Garching), R. Diehl (MPE, Garching), M. Falanga (ISSI, Bern), N. Gehrels (NASA/GSFC), A. Goldwurm (SAp-CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette), S. Grebenev (IKI Moscow), W. Hermsen (SRON, Utrecht), M. Hernanz (IEEC-CSIC, Barcelona), E. van den Heuvel (U. Amsterdam), P. Kretschmar (ESA/ESAC), F. Lebrun (SAp-CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette), M. Leising (U. Clemson), M. Mas-Hesse (INTA, Madrid), M. McConnell (U. New Hampshire), G. Palumbo (U. Bologna), J. Paul (SAp-CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette), K. Postnov (Sternberg Astr. Inst., Moscow), J.-P. Roques (CESR, Toulouse), N. Schartel (ESA/ESAC), R. Sunyaev (IKI, Moscow & MPA, Garching), P. Ubertini (INAF/IASF, Rome), R. Walter (ISDC, Versoix), J. Wilms (U. Erlangen-Nürnberg), C. Winkler (ESA/ESTEC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. European Space Agency, ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

    Christoph Winkler

  2. Max-Planck Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstr, 85748, Garching, Germany

    Roland Diehl

  3. INAF-IASF Roma, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133, Roma, Italy

    Pietro Ubertini

  4. Dr. Karl Remeis-Sternwarte Bamberg, Astronomisches Institut, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Sternwartstraße 7, 96049, Bamberg, Germany

    Jörn Wilms

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  1. Christoph Winkler
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Correspondence to Christoph Winkler.

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INTEGRAL: The International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, an ESA project with instruments and science data centre funded by ESA member states (especially the PI countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain), Poland and with the participation of Russia and the USA.

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Winkler, C., Diehl, R., Ubertini, P. et al. INTEGRAL: Science Highlights and Future Prospects. Space Sci Rev 161, 149–177 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-011-9846-0

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