Speakers
Description
The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) is a balloon-borne, gamma ray imager, spectrometer, and polarimeter with sensitivity from 0.2 to 5 MeV. Utilizing a compact Compton telescope design with twelve cross-strip, high-purity germanium detectors, COSI has three main science goals: study the 511 keV positron annihilation line from the galactic plane, image diffuse emission from stellar nuclear lines, and perform polarization studies of gamma-ray bursts and other extreme astrophysical environments. COSI has just completed a successful 45+ day flight on NASA’s new Super Pressure Balloon, launched from Wanaka, New Zealand in May 2016. We will present an overview of the instrument and the 2016 flight. We will further discuss COSI’s main science goals, predicted performance, and preliminary results.
Summary
The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) is a balloon-borne, gamma ray imager, spectrometer, and polarimeter with sensitivity from 0.2 to 5 MeV. Utilizing a compact Compton telescope design with twelve cross-strip, high-purity germanium detectors, COSI has three main science goals: study the 511 keV positron annihilation line from the galactic plane, image diffuse emission from stellar nuclear lines, and perform polarization studies of gamma-ray bursts and other extreme astrophysical environments. COSI has just completed a successful 45+ day flight on NASA’s new Super Pressure Balloon, launched from Wanaka, New Zealand in May 2016. We will present an overview of the instrument and the 2016 flight. We will further discuss COSI’s main science goals, predicted performance, and preliminary results.
