Astrophysics Seminar

Two Years of INTEGRAL Gamma-Ray Observations
and Accreting Binary Stars

Dr. Roland Diehl
MPE Garching

Tuesday, April 26, 2005   3:30 pm   NSH 184

 

 

The International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory INTEGRAL of ESA surveys the gamma-ray sky since January 2003. Instruments and satellite are performing well, and obtain imaging and spectroscopic details from diffuse emission and gamma-ray point sources. Accreting binary systems are among the promonent sources of high-energy radiation, through a variety of radiation processes. INTEGRAL has found new views onto such objects, discovering binaries embedded in interstellar clouds, high-energy tails in the emission spectra of X-ray pulsars, the fastest ever-detected milisecond pulsar, and one of the rare huge flares of a soft gamma-ray repeater. This talk will present INTEGRAL's status and scientific results from the mission after two years of successful operation, and will discuss in particular results on accreting binaries.