David L. Band

Astrophysics Science Division
NASA/GSFC
Code 661, Astroparticle Physics Laboratory
Greenbelt, MD 20771

tel: 301-286-5439
fax: 301-286-1682
e-mail: David.L.Band @ nasa.gov

Present Position

Research Scientist, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
GLAST Science Support Center

Brief Biography

2001-Present: University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
Research Scientist: GLAST Science Support Center
1999-2001: X-2, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
Technical Staff Member: Nuclear weapons and gamma-ray bursts.
1990-1999: CASS , UC San Diego
Research Physicist: Gamma-ray burst spectra from BATSE on CGRO.
1988-1990: UC Berkeley Astronomy Department and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Postdoctoral Fellow: Applied a new radiative transfer code to the study of spectral line formation in AGN.
1985-1988: IGPP-Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Postdoctoral Fellow: Astrophysical research on AGN, supernova expansion, and SS 433.
1981-1985: Harvard University
Thesis Research: Worked with Dr. J. Grindlay analyzing X-ray observations of SS 433, nonthermal modeling of SS 433 and AGN.
1976-1979: MIT
Undergraduate Research: Analysis of Pioneer Venus orbit to map the gravity field of Venus, lunar seismology.

Educational Background

Ph.D. Physics, Harvard University, 1985
M.A. Physics, Harvard University, 1980
B.S. Physics, MIT, 1979

Research Interests

My primary area of research is gamma-ray bursts. As part of the BATSE team I focused on burst spectroscopy; I inadvertently introduced a simple parameterization of the burst continuum ('the Band function') that has been wildly successful in modeling spectra at the spectral resolution of most burst detectors. My colleagues and I also searched in vain for spectral lines. We were more successful in characterizing the spectral evolution.

I have since become interested in the global properties of the burst population, and the ability of detectors to study these properties. In particular, I have been testing some of the proposed empirical relations between burst properties. I have developed methods to compare the burst detection capabilities of different detectors, and the consequences of these capabilities for the detected burst populations. This line of research is motivated in part by my involvement with Swift (a gamma-ray burst mission that was launched in 11/04), GLAST (a gamma-ray mission to be launched in 8/07) and EXIST (an Einstein Probe to be launched sometimes in the future).

Finally, I am also interested in the jet-producing binary system SS 433, and in active galactic nuclei.

Current Projects

I am supported to develop the user support services within the GLAST Science Support Center. Therefore, many of my projects are related to GLAST. The following lists some of my projects:

Software to support the GLAST guest investigator program
Analysis software for GLAST, particularly for analyzing gamma-ray bursts
The burst sensitivity of Swift, GLAST and EXIST
Simulations of observations by the GLAST Burst Monitor
Validity of empirical gamma-ray burst relationships
Neutrinos from bursts (with Mike Stamatikos)

Selected Publications

Band, D. L. and Preece, R. D. 2005, "Testing the Gamma-Ray Burst Energy Relationships", Ap.J., 627, 319 [astro-ph/0501559].

Band, D. L., Norris, J. P. and Bonnell, J. T. 2004, "Gamma-Ray Burst Intensity Distributions", Ap.J., 613, 484-491 [astro-ph/0403220].

Band, D. 2003, "Comparison of the Gamma-Ray Burst Sensitivity of Different Detectors", Ap.J., 588, 945 [astro-ph/0212452].

Band, D. 2002, "A Gamma-Ray Burst Trigger Toolkit", Ap.J., 578, 806 [astro-ph/0205548].

Band, D. 2001, "The Energy Distribution of Gamma-Ray Bursts", Ap.J., 563, 582 [astro-ph/0105259], LA-UR-01-2584.

Ford, L. A., Band, D. L., Matteson, J. L., et al. 1995, "BATSE Observations of Gamma-Ray Burst Spectra: II. Peak Energy Evolution in Bright, Long Bursts", Ap.J., 439, 307 [astro-ph/9407090].

Band, D., Matteson, J., Schaefer, B., et al. 1993, "BATSE Observations of Gamma-Ray Burst Spectra: I. Spectral Diversity", Ap.J., 413, 281-292.

My full publication list is posted elsewhere.