Optical Monitoring Camera (OMC)
Principal Investigator:
Miguel Mas-Hesse, LAEFF-INTA, Madrid
with collaborating scientific institutes in Spain (INTA/LAEFF Madrid,
U Valencia, u Barcelona), Ireland (UC Dublin), Belgium (U Liege), United
Kingdom (MSSL Dorking), Czech Republic (Astroph. Institute)
The Optical Monitoring Camera OMC consists of a passively cooled CCD
(2055 x 1056 pixels, imaging area: 1024 x 1024 pixels) working in frame
transfer mode. The CCD is located in the focal plane of a 50 mm (diameter)
lens including a Johnson V-filter to cover the 500 - 600 nm (CCD: 850 nm)
wavelength range. The OMC will be mounted close to the top of the payload
module structure.
Further details of the current design can be accessed here:
In addition, try the latest version of the OMC Simulator designed by the Czech INTEGRAL team.
Scientific topics to be addressed by OMC:
The OMC will observe the optical emission from the prime targets
of the Integral main gamma-ray instruments with the support of the X-Ray
Monitor JEM-X. The OMC offers the first opportunity to make long observations
in the optical band simultaneously with those at X-rays and gamma-rays.
This capability will provide invaluable diagnostic information on the nature
and the physics of the sources over a broad wavelength range. Multi-wavelength
observations are particularly important in high-energy astrophysics where
variability is typically rapid. The wide band observing opportunity offered
by Integral is of unique importance in providing for the first time simultaneous
observations over seven orders of magnitude in photon energy for some of
the most energetic objects in the Universe, including AGN, Supernova explosions,
active binary systems, black hole candidates, high energy transients, serendipitous
sources and gamma-ray bursts.
Optical Monitoring Camera OMC WWW home page INTA Madrid, Spain
Back to the Integral Payload page
