This volume is the first of its kind on focusing gamma-ray telescopes. Forty-eight refereed papers provide a comprehensive overview of the scientific potential and technical challenges of this nascent tool for nuclear astrophysics. The book features articles dealing with pivotal technologies such as grazing incident mirrors, multilayer coatings, Laue- and Fresnel-lenses - and even an optic using the curvature of space-time.

The proceedings of MG16 give a broad view of all aspects of gravitational physics and astrophysics, from mathematical issues to recent observations and experiments. The scientific program of the meeting included 46 plenary presentations, 3 public lectures, 5 round tables and 81 parallel sessions arranged during the intense six-day online meeting. All talks were recorded and are available on the ICRANet YouTube channel at the following link: www.icranet.org/video_mg16.These proceedings are a representative sample of the very many contributions made at the meeting. They contain 383 papers, among which 14 come from the plenary sessions.The material represented in these proceedings cover the following topics: accretion, active galactic nuclei, alternative theories of gravity, black holes (theory, observations and experiments), binaries, boson stars, cosmic microwave background, cosmic strings, dark energy and large scale structure, dark matter, education, exact solutions, early universe, fundamental interactions and stellar evolution, fast transients, gravitational waves, high energy physics, history of relativity, neutron stars, precision tests, quantum gravity, strong fields, and white dwarf; all of them represented by a large number of contributions.The online e-proceedings are published in an open access format.

After three decades of intense research in X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, the time was ripe to summarize basic knowledge on X-ray and gamma-ray spectroscopy for interested students and researchers ready to become involved in new high-energy missions. This volume exposes both the scientific basics and modern methods of high-energy spectroscopic astrophysics. The emphasis is on physical principles and observing methods rather than a discussion of particular classes of high-energy objects, but many examples and new results are included in the three chapters as well.

Integrating aspects of engineering, application physics, and medical science, Solid-State Radiation Detectors: Technology and Applications offers a comprehensive review of new and emerging solid-state materials-based technologies for radiation detection. Each chapter is structured to address the current advantages and challenges of each material and technology presented, as well as to discuss novel research and applications. Featuring contributions from leading experts in industry and academia, this authoritative text: Covers modern semiconductors used for radiation monitoring Examines CdZnTe and CdTe technology for imaging applications including three-dimensional capability detectors Highlights interconnect technology for current pixel detectors Describes hybrid pixel detectors and their characterizations Tackles the integrated analog signal processing read-out front ends for particle detectors Considers new organic materials with direct bandgap for direct energy detection Summarizes recent developments involving lanthanum halide and cerium bromide scintillators Analyzes the potential of recent progress in the field of crystallogenesis, quantum dots, and photonics crystals toward a new concept of x- and gamma-ray detectors based on metamaterials Explores position-sensitivity photomultipliers and silicon photomultipliers for scintillation crystals Solid-State Radiation Detectors: Technology and Applications provides a valuable reference for engineers and scientists looking to enhance the performance of radiation detector technology for medical imaging and other applications.