Title:  Exploring the Gap in the High-Energy Universe with COSI

Abstract:  Astrophysical studies of the cosmos began with Galileo and optical telescopes, but within the last century we have built instruments to observe the sky using other bands in the electromagnetic spectrum. Each energy range, e.g. radio waves, infrared, or X-rays, reveals unique information about the source. As technology advanced over time and telescopes became more sensitive across the whole spectrum, there was one range that fell behind: gamma rays in the MeV regime. The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) is a soft gamma-ray telescope that was recently selected to be NASA’s next SMEX mission aiming to explore the MeV Gap. COSI is designed to uncover the source of Galactic positrons, image diffuse emission from stellar nucleosynthesis, and perform polarization studies of gamma-ray bursts and compact objects. With unprecedented sensitivity in the MeV range, COSI is expected to provide advances in multimessenger astrophysics and reveal other sources of gamma-ray emission. In this presentation we discuss prominent science topics in the high-energy universe and the technological progress towards exploring this gap with a next-generation gamma-ray telescope such as the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI).

Astro Colloquium and 'coffee & cookies' Department gathering (3:30-3:45pm)

Seminar held in Davey 538 or please click the link to join: https://psu.zoom.us/j/92637070419