Monitoring the hard X-ray sky with SuperAGILE

TL;DR

SuperAGILE, an X-ray monitor on the AGILE satellite, has successfully observed cosmic sources, detected bright transients, and monitored Galactic objects with high angular resolution over its first two years in orbit.

Contribution

This paper presents the design, capabilities, and initial scientific results of SuperAGILE, a novel hard X-ray imaging instrument on the AGILE mission.

Findings

Detected multiple cosmic X-ray sources.

Monitored bright transients and Galactic objects.

Achieved 6 arcmin angular resolution.

Abstract

SuperAGILE is the hard X-ray monitor of the AGILE gamma ray mission, in orbit since 23$^{rd}$ April 2007. It is an imaging experiment based on a set of four independent silicon strip detectors, equipped with one-dimensional coded masks, operating in the nominal energy range 18-60 keV. The main goal of SuperAGILE is the observation of cosmic sources simultaneously with the main gamma-ray AGILE experiment, the Gamma Ray Imaging Detector (GRID). Given its $\sim$steradian-wide field of view and its $\sim$15 mCrab day-sensitivity, SuperAGILE is also well suited for the long-term monitoring of Galactic compact objects and the detection of bright transients. The SuperAGILE detector properties and design allow for a 6 arcmin angular resolution in each of the two independent orthogonal projections of the celestial coordinates. Photon by photon data are continuously available by the experiment telemetry, and are used to derive images and fluxes of individual sources, with integration times depending on the source intensity and position in the field of view. In this paper we report on the main scientific results achieved by SuperAGILE over its first two years in orbit, until April 2009.