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C. B. Wunderer (MPE), G. Weidenspointner (GSFC/USRA), B. Cordier (CEA), R. Diehl (MPE), P. Jean (CESR), A. v. Kienlin (MPE), J. Knoedlseder (CESR), P. Leleux (Univ. of Louvain), G. Lichti (MPE), J.-P. Roques (CESR), S. Schanne (CEA), V. Schoenfelder (MPE), C. Shrader (GSFC), G. Skinner (CESR), A. Strong (MPE), S. Sturner (GSFC/USRA), B. Teegarden (GSFC), G. Vedrenne (CESR)
ESA's INTEGRAL observatory has been launched successfully on October 17, 2002. Since November 2002, the 19 Ge detectors comprising the camera of one of its main instruments, the Spectrometer SPI, have been recording data. They cover the energy range from ~ 20 keV to ~ 8 MeV. The spectrometer is particularly suited to the observations of gamma-ray line emission from astrophysical objects of interest. However, since many astrophysically interesting lines have energies very close to energies of some instrumental background lines, and since some astrophysically interesting radioactive isotopes are also produced within spacecraft and instrument materials by cosmic-ray activation, a detailed study of the gamma-ray background lines seen with the SPI Ge detectors is necessary.
We present the first steps taken towards understanding the line components of the gamma-ray background observed with SPI. This includes both isotope identification and preliminary studies of temporal variations. Emphasis is placed on the energy regions of particular interest to astrophysics, especially around the 60Fe and 26Al lines. Preliminary sensitivity estimates for some astrophysically interesting lines will also be presented.
This work has been supported by the DLR.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: CoW@mpe.mpg.de
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society,
35#2
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.