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.
AGILE, an Italian Space Agency (ASI) mission dedicated to the exploration of the gamma-ray Universe, was successfully launched on April 23, 2007 from the Indian base of Sriharikota in an low-particle background equatorial orbit at 550 km height. AGILE gamma ray range cover the 30 MeV -50 GeV band with its detectors combined together in the GammaRay Imaging Detector (GRID). An X-ray imager (SuperAGILE) operates in the 18 -60 keV band. Some of the payload instruments are also operated to detect transient X and gamma events with the main target being the Gamma Ray Burst in the SuperAGILE band and above 300 keV. The GRID instrument consists of a Silicon-Tungsten Tracker, a Caesium Iodide MiniCalorimeter (MCAL), and a plastic-scintillator Anticoincidence system (ACS). The GRID achieves an angular resolution of about 15' for bright sources with an unprecedented large fieldof-view about 2.5 sr with a time resolution of few microsec and a very reduced dead-time (less than 200 microsec for a gamma detection). The hard X-ray imager (SuperAGILE) combines a tungsten coded mask with Si detector with a technology identical to the Si-Tracker. It is on top of the gamma-ray detector and has an optimal angular resolution (about 6 arcmin) with good sensitivity over about 1 sr field of view (10-15 mCrab on axis for a I-day integration). The burst monitoring combines the data from SuperAGILE and from MCAL which operates independently with a specific operative mode from 300 keV up to several tens of MeV. All the detector operations are mastered by the Payload Data Handling Unit (PDHU) that includes several operation for data selection and background rejection.AGILE has very innovative scientific payload for what concern both its detectors and its operative mode. After more than one year of in orbit operation the in-flight performances of the instruments as well as the operation of the background reducing algorithm are presented and the main scientific results achieved are discussed.
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