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Abstract

This chapter is concerned with devices used to turn information (energy), coming from astronomical sources, into signals which the astrophysicist can study. Such devices, called detectors, can be based on profoundly different physical principles, depending on which information carrier is involved. Electromagnetic radiation will clearly be the primary concern, occupying most of the chapter. However, detectors associated with the measurement of neutrinos and gravitational waves will also be examined, for these two areas represent a ‘new astronomy’, with a potential for discovery which, if not for the immediate future, is nonetheless considerable.

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© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Léna, P., Lebrun, F., Mignard, F. (1998). Detectors. In: Observational Astrophysics. Astronomy and Astrophysics Library. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03685-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03685-3_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-08336-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-03685-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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