Super-agile-The X-ray detector for the gamma-ray mission agile

The gamma-ray observatory AGILE, the first ASI Small Mission, is planned to operate in 2002–2005. We present here Super-AGILE, an X-ray detector added on top of the gamma-ray tracker. Super-AGILE will have a large field of view, providing hard X-ray imaging and moderate spectroscopy together with the gamma-ray detector. Super-AGILE is composed by Si-microstrip detectors, equipped with a low-noise electronics allowing a sensitive range of 10–40 keV, and coupled with a set of mutually orthogonal one-dimensional coded masks. A bi-dimensional source location capability is obtained by dividing the total 1444 cm2 geometric area of the detectors in two orthogonal directions.