The Gamow Explorer: A gamma-ray burst observatory to study the high redshift universe and enable multi-messenger astrophysics

Abstract

The Gamow Explorer will use Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) to: 1) probe the high redshift universe (z > 6) when the first stars were born, galaxies formed and Hydrogen was reionized; and 2) enable multi-messenger astrophysics by rapidly identifying Electro-Magnetic (IR/Optical/X-ray) counterparts to Gravitational Wave (GW) events. GRBs have been detected out to z ~ 9 and their afterglows are a bright beacon lasting a few days that can be used to observe the spectral fingerprints of the host galaxy and intergalactic medium to map the period of reionization and early metal enrichment. Gamow Explorer is optimized to quickly identify high-z events to trigger follow-up observations with JWST and large ground-based telescopes. A wide field of view Lobster Eye X-ray Telescope (LEXT) will search for GRBs and locate them with arc-minute precision. When a GRB is detected, the rapidly slewing spacecraft will point the 5 photometric channel Photo-z Infra-Red Telescope (PIRT) to identify high redshift (z > 6) long GRBs within 100s and send an alert within 1000s of the GRB trigger. An L2 orbit provides > 95% observing efficiency with pointing optimized for follow up by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and ground observatories. The predicted Gamow Explorer high-z rate is >10 times that of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The instrument and mission capabilities also enable rapid identification of short GRBs and their afterglows associated with GW events. The Gamow Explorer will be proposed to the 2021 NASA MIDEX call and if approved, launched in 2028.

14 pages, 8 Figures

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Cited by in corpus (11)

• GRB 221009A, The BOAT
• The peculiar short-duration GRB 200826A and its supernova
• Cosmological Fast Optical Transients with the Zwicky Transient Facility: A Search for Dirty Fireballs
• Multi-messenger-Athena Synergy White Paper
• Properties of High-Redshift GRBs
• Multiple measurements of gravitational waves acting as standard probes: model-independent constraints on the cosmic curvature with DECIGO
• Observational prospects of double neutrons star mergers and their multi-messenger afterglows: LIGO discovery power, event rates and diversity
• Galaxy Formation and Symbiotic Evolution with the Inter-Galactic Medium in the Age of ELT-ANDES
• LEXT: a lobster eye optic for Gamow
• The Photo-z Infrared Telescope (PIRT) -- a space instrument for rapid follow up of high-redshift gamma-ray bursts and electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave events
• Gamma-ray Bursts