Institute of research into the fundamental laws of the Universe

On 12th July 2001, a révolutionary camera was delivered to Milano (Italy) by the Service d'Astrophysique of CEA to be integrated in the IBIS telescope. IBIS is one of the two main instruments of the INTEGRAL gamma-rays observatory. This European Space Agency (E.S.A.) satellite will be launched on October 2002 from Baikonour (Kazakhstan). The camera, called ISGRI, is able to produce images of the gamma-ray sky with a precision never attained before. Composed of a mosaic of 16 000 micro-detectors covering 2600 cm2, it is also the first gamma camera in the world employing semiconductors operating at room temperature. The spectacular first image, obtained in laboratory, has demonstrated the fantastic quality of this advanced detector which will be a key instrument in the observing program of the INTEGRAL satellite.