AMEGO-X: MeV gamma-ray Astronomy in the Multimessenger Era

TL;DR

AMEGO-X is a new MeV gamma-ray observatory designed to enhance multi-messenger astronomy by providing sensitive sky surveys in the 100 keV to 1 GeV range, bridging a key observational gap.

Contribution

The paper introduces AMEGO-X, a novel gamma-ray instrument that improves sensitivity and coverage in the MeV range, enabling new multi-messenger astrophysics studies.

Findings

AMEGO-X will detect gamma-ray photons via Compton and pair production.

It will survey the sky with unprecedented sensitivity in the MeV range.

The observatory will study high-redshift blazars and gamma-ray bursts.

Abstract

Recent detections of gravitational wave signals and neutrinos from gamma-ray sources have ushered in the era of multi-messenger astronomy, while highlighting the importance of gamma-ray observations for this emerging field. AMEGO-X, the All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-Ray Observatory eXplorer, is an MeV gamma-ray instrument that will survey the sky in the energy range from hundreds of keV to one GeV with unprecedented sensitivity. AMEGO-X will detect gamma-ray photons both via Compton interactions and pair production processes, bridging the "sensitivity gap" between hard X-rays and high-energy gamma rays. AMEGO-X will provide important contributions to multi-messenger science and time-domain gamma-ray astronomy, studying e.g. high-redshift blazars, which are probable sources of astrophysical neutrinos, and gamma-ray bursts. I will present an overview of the instrument and science program.