The LargE Area burst Polarimeter (LEAP) a NASA mission of opportunity for the ISS

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https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie/11821/118210P/The-LargE-Area-burst-Polarimeter-LEAP-a-NASA-mission-of/10.1117/12.2594737.full

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https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2594737
 http://hdl.handle.net/11603/42118

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UMBC Faculty Collection
UMBC Center for Space Sciences and Technology (CSST) / Center for Research and Exploration in Space Sciences & Technology II (CRSST II)

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Author/Creator ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9690-9352
 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6237-1622

Date

2021-08-24

Type of Work

conference papers and proceedings
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Citation of Original Publication

McConnell, Mark L., Matthew Baring, Peter Bloser, et al. “The LargE Area Burst Polarimeter (LEAP) a NASA Mission of Opportunity for the ISS.” UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXII 11821 (August 2021): 237–50. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2594737.

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© 2021 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited.

Subjects

Abstract

The LargE Area Burst Polarimeter (LEAP) will radically improve our understanding of some of the most energetic phenomena in our Universe by exposing the underlying physics that governs astrophysical jets and the extreme environment surrounding newborn compact objects. LEAP will do this by making the highest fidelity polarization measurements to date of the prompt gamma-ray emission from a large sample of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The science objectives are met with a single instrument deployed as an external payload on the ISS – a wide FOV Compton polarimeter that measures GRB polarization from 50–500 keV and GRB spectra from ~10 keV to 5 MeV. LEAP measures polarization using seven independent polarimeter modules, each with a 12x12 array of optically isolated high-Z and low-Z scintillation detectors readout by individual PMTs. LEAP is one of two NASA Missions of Opportunity proposals that are currently in a Phase A Concept Study, with a final selection due later this year.