Swift's Scientific Objectives
What are the progenitors of GRBs?- identify host galaxies uniquely by obtaining arcsec positions
- measure redshift distribution to determine energetics, cosmological evolution, and GRB luminosity function
- locate GRBs relative to host galaxies
- constrain burst environment using X-ray absorption and optical reddening
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- observe hundreds of GRBs and afterglows
- detect bursts shorter & longer than BATSE
- detect bursts 5 times fainter than BATSE
- directly determine distances to GRBs
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- perform detailed multiwavelength observations starting immediately after burst
- frequently monitor multiwavelength afterglow for days after the event with high time resolution to detect fluctuations
- search for X-ray line and edge features
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- use optical/X-ray afterglow as high redshift beacons
- measure Ly-alpha forest
- use X-ray absorption to probe intergalactic/cluster medium
- extend star formation rate observations to high redshift
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- survey the hard x-ray sky to a sensitivity of 0.6 mCrab at high galactic latitude and 2 mCrab along the galactic plane
- search for obscured Seyfert-2 type AGN, a category of active galaxies that is largely unstudied but may account for half of all AGN
- scan half of the sky every day to search for new transient sources
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