A&A 502, 995-1013 (2009)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/200810527

The AGILE Mission

M. Tavani^{1, 2, 3}, G. Barbiellini^{3, 4, 5}, A. Argan¹, F. Boffelli⁶, A. Bulgarelli⁷, P. Caraveo⁸, P. W. Cattaneo⁶, A. W. Chen^{3, 8}, V. Cocco², E. Costa¹, F. D'Ammando^{1, 2}, E. Del Monte¹, G. De Paris¹, G. Di Cocco⁷, G. Di Persio¹, I. Donnarumma¹, Y. Evangelista¹, M. Feroci¹, A. Ferrari^{3, 9}, M. Fiorini⁸, F. Fornari⁸, F. Fuschino⁷, T. Froysland^{3, 10}, M. Frutti¹, M. Galli¹¹, F. Gianotti⁷, A. Giuliani^{3, 8}, C. Labanti⁷, I. Lapshov^{1, 12}, F. Lazzarotto¹, F. Liello⁵, P. Lipari^{13, 14}, F. Longo^{4, 5}, E. Mattaini⁸, M. Marisaldi⁷, M. Mastropietro¹⁵, A. Mauri⁷, F. Mauri⁶, S. Mereghetti⁸, E. Morelli⁷, A. Morselli¹⁰, L. Pacciani¹, A. Pellizzoni⁸, F. Perotti⁸, G. Piano¹, P. Picozza^{2, 10}, C. Pontoni^{3, 5}, G. Porrovecchio¹, M. Prest⁵, G. Pucella¹, M. Rapisarda¹⁶, A. Rappoldi⁶, E. Rossi⁷, A. Rubini¹, P. Soffitta¹, A. Traci⁷, M. Trifoglio⁷, A. Trois¹, E. Vallazza⁵, S. Vercellone⁸, V. Vittorini^{1, 3}, A. Zambra^{3, 8}, D. Zanello^{13, 14}, C. Pittori¹⁷, B. Preger¹⁷, P. Santolamazza¹⁷, F. Verrecchia¹⁷, P. Giommi¹⁷, S. Colafrancesco¹⁷, A. Antonelli¹⁸, S. Cutini¹⁷, D. Gasparrini¹⁷, S. Stellato¹⁷, G. Fanari¹⁷, R. Primavera¹⁷, F. Tamburelli¹⁷, F. Viola¹⁹, G. Guarrera¹⁹, L. Salotti¹⁹, F. D'Amico¹⁹, E. Marchetti¹⁹, M. Crisconio¹⁹, P. Sabatini²⁰, G. Annoni²⁰, S. Alia²⁰, A. Longoni²⁰, R. Sanquerin²⁰, M. Battilana²⁰, P. Concari²⁰, E. Dessimone²⁰, R. Grossi²⁰, A. Parise²⁰, F. Monzani²¹, E. Artina²¹, R. Pavesi²¹, G. Marseguerra²¹, L. Nicolini²¹, L. Scandelli²¹, L. Soli²¹, V. Vettorello²¹, E. Zardetto²¹, A. Bonati²¹, L. Maltecca²¹, E. D'Alba²¹, M. Patané²¹, G. Babini²², F. Onorati²², L. Acquaroli²², M. Angelucci²², B. Morelli²², C. Agostara²², M. Cerone²³, A. Michetti²³, P. Tempesta²³, S. D'Eramo²³, F. Rocca²³, F. Giannini²³, G. Borghi²⁴, B. Garavelli²⁵, M. Conte²¹, M. Balasini²¹, I. Ferrario²⁵, M. Vanotti²⁵, E. Collavo²⁵, and M. Giacomazzo<sup>25

1</sup>  INAF – IASF Roma, via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
    e-mail: tavani@iasf-roma.inaf.it
²  Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá Tor Vergata, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
³  Consorzio Interuniversitario Fisica Spaziale (CIFS), villa Gualino, v.le Settimio Severo 63, 10133 Torino, Italy
⁴  Dip. Fisica, Università di Trieste, via A. Valerio 2, 34127 Trieste, Italy
⁵  INFN Trieste, Padriciano 99, 34012 Trieste, Italy
⁶  INFN Pavia, via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
⁷  INAF – IASF Bologna, via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
⁸  INAF – IASF Milano, via E. Bassini 15, 20133 Milano, Italy
⁹  Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitaá di Torino, Torino, Italy
¹⁰  INFN Roma Tor Vergata, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
¹¹  ENEA Bologna, via don Fiammelli 2, 40128 Bologna, Italy
¹²  IKI, Moscow, Russia
¹³  INFN Roma 1, p.le Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy
¹⁴  Dip. Fisica, Università La Sapienza, p.le Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy
¹⁵  CNR, IMIP, Montelibretti (Roma), Italy
¹⁶  ENEA Frascati, via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati(RM), Italy
¹⁷  ASI Science Data Center, ESRIN, 00044 Frascati(RM), Italy
¹⁸  Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Monte Porzio Catone, Italy
¹⁹  Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, viale Liegi 26, 00198 Roma, Italy
²⁰  Carlo Gavazzi Space, via Gallarate 139, 20151 Milano, Italy
²¹  Thales Alenia Space (formerly Laben), S.S. Padana Superiore 290, 20090 Vimodrone, Milano, Italy
²²  Rheinmetall Italia S.p.A. B.U. Spazio – Contraves, via Affile 102, 00131 Roma, Italy
²³  Telespazio, via Tiburtina 965, Roma, Italy
²⁴  Media Lario Technologies, Pascolo, 23842 Bosisio Parini (Lecco), Italy
²⁵  formerly at Carlo Gavazzi Space

Received 4 July 2008 / Accepted 27 November 2008

Abstract
Context. AGILE is an Italian Space Agency mission dedicated to observing the gamma-ray Universe. The AGILE's very innovative instrumentation for the first time combines a gamma-ray imager (sensitive in the energy range 30 MeV–50 GeV), a hard X-ray imager (sensitive in the range 18–60 keV), a calorimeter (sensitive in the range 350 keV–100 MeV), and an anticoincidence system. AGILE was successfully launched on 2007 April 23 from the Indian base of Sriharikota and was inserted in an equatorial orbit with very low particle background.
Aims. AGILE provides crucial data for the study of active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursts, pulsars, unidentified gamma-ray sources, galactic compact objects, supernova remnants, TeV sources, and fundamental physics by microsecond timing.
Methods. An optimal sky angular positioning (reaching 0.1 degrees in gamma-rays and 1–2 arcmin in hard X-rays) and very large fields of view (2.5 sr and 1 sr, respectively) are obtained by the use of Silicon detectors integrated in a very compact instrument.
Results. AGILE surveyed the gamma-ray sky and detected many Galactic and extragalactic sources during the first months of observations. Particular emphasis is given to multifrequency observation programs of extragalactic and galactic objects.
Conclusions. AGILE is a successful high-energy gamma-ray mission that reached its nominal scientific performance. The AGILE Cycle-1 pointing program started on 2007 December 1, and is open to the international community through a Guest Observer Program.

Key words: instrumentation: detectors -- techniques: high angular resolution -- techniques: image processing -- gamma rays: observations -- X-rays: general

© ESO 2009

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