Related papers: Overview of EXIST mission science and implementati…
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) aims to spatially resolve the silhouette (or shadow) of the supermassive black holes in the Galactic Centre (Sgr A$^\star$) and M87. The primary scientific objectives are to test general relativity in the…
Observations of the gamma-ray sky reveal the most powerful sources and the most violent events in the Universe. While at lower wavebands the observed emission is generally dominated by thermal processes, the gamma-ray sky provides us with a…
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are unique probes of the cosmic star formation history and the state of the intergalactic medium up to the redshifts of the first stars. In particular, the ongoing {\it Swift} mission might be the first observatory…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are short and intense emission of soft gamma-rays, which have fascinated astronomers and astrophysicists since their unexpected discovery in 1960s. The X-ray/optical/radio afterglow observations confirm the…
We discuss the central role played by X-ray studies to reconstruct the past history of formation and evolution of supermassive Black Holes (BHs), and the role they played in shaping the properties of their host galaxies. We shortly review…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful transient objects in the Universe, and they are a primary target for the MAGIC Collaboration. Recognizing the challenges of observing these elusive objects with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov…
The International X-Ray Observatory (IXO) will address fundamental questions in astrophysics, including "When did the first SMBH form? How does large scale structure evolve? What happens close to a black hole? What is the connection between…
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) have remained a puzzle for many high-energy astrophysicists since their discovery in 1967. With the advent of the X-ray satellites BeppoSAX and RossiXTE, it has been possible to carry out deep multi-wavelength…
The recently launched Swift satellite is providing an unprecedented number of rapid and accurate Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) localizations, facilitating a flurry of follow-up observations by a large number of telescopes at many different…
Primordial black holes possibly formed in the early universe could provide a significant fraction of the dark matter and would be unique probes of inflation. A smoking gun for their discovery would be the detection of a subsolar mass…
This chapter describes the prospects for detecting the first black holes in our Universe, with a specific focus on instruments/telescopes that will come online within the next decade, including e.g. the SKA, WFIRST, EUCLID, JWST, and large…
We propose to perform a continuously scanning all-sky survey from 200 keV to 80 MeV achieving a sensitivity which is better by a factor of 40 or more compared to the previous missions in this energy range. The Gamma-Ray Imaging, Polarimetry…
We are now investigating and studying a small satellite mission HiZ-GUNDAM for future observation of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The mission concept is to probe "the end of dark ages and the dawn of formation of astronomical objects", i.e. the…
The X and Gamma-ray telescope ECLAIRs is foreseen to be launched on a low Earth orbit (h=630 km, i=30 degrees) aboard the SVOM satellite (Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor), a French-Chinese mission with Italian…
The energy density of the Cosmic X-ray background (XRB) peaks around 30 keV (see Figure 1), an energy not yet probed by focussing imaging instruments. The first hard X-ray telescope due to fly on a space mission will be that on board…
The International X-ray Observatory (IXO) is a joint NASA-ESA-JAXA effort. X-ray observations will resolve pressing astrophysical questions such as: What happens close to a black hole? How do supermassive black holes grow? How does large…
THESEUS is an ESA space based project, aiming to explore the early universe by unveiling a complete census of Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) population in the first billion years. This goal is expected to be achieved by combined observations of its…
ECLAIRs is the next space borne instrument that will be fully dedicated to multi-wavelength studies of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). It consists of a coded mask telescope with a wide (~2 sr) field of view, made of 6400 CdTe pixels (~1000 cm^2),…
The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), with a planned launch in 2015. The ASTRO-H mission is equipped with a…
Building on the success of the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) will make a major step in the study of such subjects as blazars,…