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.
NASA has selected Swift as one of five missions for Phase
A study, from a field of 35 candidates submitted in response
to the MIDEX AO. Swift was the g-ray
burst mission of choice among six original contenders. Two of
the five proposals undergoing Phase A evaluation will be chosen
for flight later this year.
MSSL role:
UVOT (UltraViolet
and Optical Telescope)
Further
Information:
 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 Nougerede 9th
July 1999
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