A group of scientists led by Nicholas White of George Washington University has proposed creating an observatory that will scan the sky in search of gamma-ray bursts (GW) and use them to understand the early universe. The observatory will be called "Researcher Gamow", or simply "Gamow" in honor of the astrophysicist Georgy Gamow.

It is proposed to track GW in three stages. First, Gamow will scan the sky for gamma-ray bursts using the Lobster Eye X-ray Telescope (LEXT). This telescope allows you to capture most of the sky at one time, which helps to capture GRBs as quickly as possible. This is important because GWs are short-lived, and even “long-term” bursts can last for several seconds.

In addition to LEXT, Gamow will use the Photo-z Infra-Red Telescope (PIRT), which will respond to LEXT data. The PIRT will turn to any potential gamma ray burst within 100 seconds of being detected by LEXT and investigate the finding.

At this time, "Gamow" will coordinate with satellites connected to it in order to direct as much observational power as possible in the direction of the gamma-ray burst. Within 1000 seconds of detecting a new gamma-ray burst, the observatory will inform other powerful telescopes, including the James Webb Space Telescope, which is slated to launch.

The GWs that Gamow will look for are most likely caused by explosions of supermassive stars or the merging of extremely dense objects - neutron stars or black holes. The process of studying GWs is not over yet, and they remain one of the greatest mysteries of astrophysics. The speed of the new observatory could be a solution to this problem.

The team of scientists plans to propose the observatory concept through NASA's 2021 MIDEX teleconference, which is designed for medium-sized missions. If Gamow is accepted into the MIDEX program, it will go into space and begin work in 2028.

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