A focusing telescope for gamma-ray astronomy

With the development of the Laue Lens, gamma-ray astronomy is presently realizing the step that virtually all branches of astronomy have accomplished since Lippershey’s invention 400 years ago: the focusing telescope. In a Laue lens, gamma-rays interact coherently inside a crystal via Bragg-diffraction; a large number of diffraction crystals are oriented in a way to deviate incident photons onto a common focal spot. With its unprecedented sensitivity, angularand energy-resolution, a mission featuring a Laue lens addresses a wide range of fundamental astrophysical questions such as the life cycles of matter and the behavior of matter under extreme conditions.