Wide band, tunable gamma-ray lenses

Abstract

A new concept for an astronomical telescope in the MeV energy band is presented. The concept builds on Bragg diffraction in crystals, which has been discussed in the past, but so far a design with good sensitivity over a wide energy range has seemed out of reach. In this paper we point out that if we find ways to adjust, in orbit, the individual tilt of all the crystals in the lens this would allow one single lens to cover with excellent efficiency the full range of energies from 200 keV to 2.5 MeV in a few observation steps. Secondly, we note that the use of lenses with double crystal layers will increase the photon collection significantly. In an accompanying paper we describe our overall lens design in more detail and present our first prototype tilt adjustment pedestal for use with the individual lens facets. Keyords: Gamma-ray astronomy, Telescope technology, Laue lenses