The AGILE contribution to GRBs studies

¹ Istituto di Fisica Cosmica "G. Occhialini”, CNR, Milano, Italy
² Columbia University, New York, U.S.A.
³ University of Trieste and INFN, Trieste, Italy
⁴ University of Roma "Tor Vergata" and INFN, Roma, Italy
⁵ Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale, CNR, Roma, Italy
⁶ Istituto di Tecnologie e Studio delle Radiazioni Extraterrestri, CNR, Bologna, Italy
⁷ Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Roma, Italy

Send offprint request to: F. Longo

Received: 21 January 1999
Accepted: 28 May 1999

Abstract

AGILE is a gamma-ray mission planned to be operating as an Observatory during the period 2002-2005. Its baseline instrument is designed to detect gamma rays in the band. AGILE's good sensitivity, very large field of view ( of the whole sky), and excellent timing capability ( ms deadtime) are ideal to study gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). AGILE is expected to detect ~10 GRBs per year at energies above 100 MeV. The Super–AGILE option might be able to localize GRBs within a few arcminutes and provide additional information in the hard X-ray band. A rapid alert program is an essential part of the scientific goals of the AGILE Observatory.