GRID: A Student Project to Monitor the Transient Gamma-Ray Sky in the Multi-Messenger Astronomy Era

Authors

Jiaxing Wen, Tsinghua University
Xiangyun Long, Tsinghua University
Xutao Zheng, Tsinghua University
Yu An, Guangxi University
Zhengyang Cai, Tsinghua University
Jirong Cang, Tsinghua University
Yuepeng Che, Ningbo University of Technology
Changyu Chen, Tsinghua University
Liangjun Chen, Guangxi University
Qianjun Chen, Tsinghua University
Ziyun Chen, Shanghai Jiaotong University
Yingjie Chen, Nanjing University
Litao Deng, Guangxi University
Wei Deng, Guangxi University
Wenqing Deng, Guangxi University
Hangci Du, Tsinghua University
Lian Duan, Sichuan University
Quan Gan, Tsinghua University
Tai Gao, Sichuan University
Zhiying Gao, Sichuan University
Wenbin Han, Tsinghua University
Yiying Han, Sichuan University
Xinbo He, Sun Yet-Sen University
Xinhao He, Xiamen University
Long Huo, Sichuan University
Fan Hu, University of Science and Technology Beijing
Junling Hu, Guangxi University
Bo Huang, Guangxi University
Dongyang Huang, Tsinghua University
Xuefeng Huang, Guangxi University
Shihai Jia, Tsinghua University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-8-2019

Publication Title

Experimental Astronomy

Volume

48

Issue

1

First page number:

77

Last page number:

95

Abstract

The Gamma-Ray Integrated Detectors (GRID) is a space mission concept dedicated to monitoring the transient gamma-ray sky in the energy range from 10 keV to 2 MeV using scintillation detectors onboard CubeSats in low Earth orbits. The primary targets of GRID are the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the local universe. The scientific goal of GRID is, in synergy with ground-based gravitational wave (GW) detectors such as LIGO and VIRGO, to accumulate a sample of GRBs associated with the merger of two compact stars and study jets and related physics of those objects. It also involves observing and studying other gamma-ray transients such as long GRBs, soft gamma-ray repeaters, terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, and solar flares. With multiple CubeSats in various orbits, GRID is unaffected by the Earth occultation and serves as a full-time and all-sky monitor. Assuming a horizon of 200 Mpc for ground-based GW detectors, we expect to see a few associated GW-GRB events per year. With about 10 CubeSats in operation, GRID is capable of localizing a faint GRB like 170817A with a 90% error radius of about 10 degrees, through triangulation and flux modulation. GRID is proposed and developed by students, with considerable contribution from undergraduate students, and will remain operated as a student project in the future. The current GRID collaboration involves more than 20 institutes and keeps growing. On August 29th, the first GRID detector onboard a CubeSat was launched into a Sun-synchronous orbit and is currently under test.

Keywords

Gamma-ray bursts; Gravitational waves; Scintillation detector; SiPM CubeSat

Disciplines

Astrophysics and Astronomy | Cosmology, Relativity, and Gravity | Instrumentation

Language

English

Repository Citation

Wen, J., Long, X., Zheng, X., An, Y., Cai, Z., Cang, J., Che, Y., Chen, C., Chen, L., Chen, Q., Chen, Z., Chen, Y., Deng, L., Deng, W., Deng, W., Du, H., Duan, L., Gan, Q., Gao, T., Gao, Z., Han, W., Han, Y., He, X., He, X., Huo, L., Hu, F., Hu, J., Huang, B., Huang, D., Huang, X., Jia, S. (2019). GRID: A Student Project to Monitor the Transient Gamma-Ray Sky in the Multi-Messenger Astronomy Era. Experimental Astronomy, 48(1), 77-95.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10686-019-09636-w