Gamma-ray Astrophysics with AGILE

AGILE will explore the gamma‐ray Universe with a very innovative instrument combining for the first time a gamma‐ray imager and a hard X‐ray imager. AGILE will be operational in spring 2007 and it will provide crucial data for the study of Active Galactic Nuclei, Gamma‐Ray Bursts, unidentified gamma‐ray sources. Galactic compact objects, supernova remnants, TeV sources, and fundamental physics by microsecond timing. The AGILE instrument is designed to simultaneously detect and image photons in the 30 MeV – 50 GeV and 15 – 45 keV energy bands with excellent imaging and timing capabilities, and a large field of view covering ∼ 1/5 of the entire sky at energies above 30 MeV. A CsI calorimeter is capable of GRB triggering in the energy band 0.3–50 MeV AGILE is now (March 2007) undergoing launcher integration and testing. The PLSV launch is planned in spring 2007. AGILE is then foreseen to be fully operational during the summer of 2007.