The Advanced Particle-astrophysics Telescope (APT) Project Status

Discussion timeslot (ZOOM-Meeting): 20. July 2021 - 18:00
ZOOM-Meeting URL: https://desy.zoom.us/j/91999581729
ZOOM-Meeting ID: 91999581729
ZOOM-Meeting Passcode: ICRC2021
Corresponding Session: https://icrc2021-venue.desy.de/channel/43-New-and-Upcoming-Instruments-for-Space-Based-Gamma-Ray-Astronomy-GAD/87
Live-Stream URL: https://icrc2021-venue.desy.de/livestream/Discussion-05/6

Abstract:
'We describe a future gamma-ray/cosmic-ray mission concept called the Advanced Particle-astrophysics Telescope (APT). The instrument combines a pair tracker and Compton telescope in a large monolithic design. By using scintillating fibers for the tracker and wavelength-shifting fibers to readout CsI detectors, the instrument could achieve more than an order-of-magnitude improvement in both MeV and GeV sensitivity compared to other proposed instruments, while fitting within the cost envelope for an astrophysics probe-class mission. The addition of a single layer silicon-strip detector is currently under study, and could result in a substantial improvement in charge resolution for cosmic-ray studies as well as angular resolution for low-energy gamma-ray events. The ultimate goal of the APT program is the deployment of an observatory in a 10-year mission in a sun-Earth Lagrange orbit, providing an all-sky field of view and an effective area more than 10 times that of the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. While the mission would have a broad impact on astroparticle physics, the primary science drivers for the mission include: (1) probing dark matter across the entire natural mass range and annihilation cross section for a thermal WIMP, (2) providing a nearly all-sky instantaneous FoV with prompt sub-degree localization and polarization measurements for gamma-rays transients such as neutron-star mergers and (3) making measurements of rare ultra-heavy cosmic-ray nuclei to distinguish between n-star merger and SNae r-process synthesis of the heavy elements. We will present results of detailed simulation studies, results from the Antarctic APTlite balloon flight and a heavy-ion beam test at CERN, and a proposed balloon experiment: the Antarctic Demonstrator for APT (ADAPT).'

Authors: James Buckley
Collaboration: APT

Indico-ID: 1326
Proceeding URL: https://pos.sissa.it/395/655