In flight performance and first results of FREGATE

J-L. Atteia (1) , M. Boer (1) , F. Cotin (1) , J. Couteret (1) , J-P. Dezalay (1) , M. Ehanno (1) , J. Evrard (1) , Denis Lagrange (1) , M. Niel (1) , J-F Olive (1) , G. Rouaix (1) , P. Souleille (1) , G. Vedrenne (1) , K. Hurley , G. Ricker , R. Vanderspek , G. Crew , J. Doty , N. Butler

1 CESR - Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements

The gamma-ray detector of HETE-2, called FREGATE, has been designed to detect gamma-ray bursts in the energy range [6-400] keV. Its main task is to alert the other instruments of the occurrence of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) and to provide the spectral coverage of the GRB prompt emission in hard X-rays and soft gamma-rays. FREGATE was switched on on October 16, 2000, one week after the successful launch of HETE-2, and has been continuously working since then. We describe here the main characteristics of the instrument, its in-flight performance and we briefly discuss the first GRB observations.

Domaines: Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]

J-L. Atteia, M. Boer, F. Cotin, J. Couteret, J-P. Dezalay, et al.. In flight performance and first results of FREGATE. Gamma-ray burst and afterglow astronomy, 2003, Woods Hole, United States. pp.17-24. ⟨hal-00008392⟩