The next gamma-ray satellite GLAST for BLAZAR observations

The next gamma-ray satellite GLAST will be launched in 2007, under the cooperation of the USA, Japan, Italy, France, Sweden, and so on. GLAST sensitivity is several tens times higher than the EGRET, thanks to good position determination, large effective area, and wide field of view. The key technology to achieve these capabilities is low-noise "silicon-strip-detector" (SSD), developed and designed by Hiroshima University and Hamamatsu Photonics. Most of the GLAST SSD has been produced, and found to be very high-quality devices with quite a low rate of dead channels of < 0.01%. The detector assembly has started, and soon one tower will become built for various environmental tests. GLAST will detect several thousands of BLAZARs, and thus enable us to probe the jet mechanisms and evolution of massive black holes. Good position accuracy will in addition increase an identification. The high-sensitivity, wide-energy-band, and continuous-long-time observations of BLAZARs with GLAST LAT will be hoped to open a new epoch of massive black-hole observations. Especially, the flare history is very important to consider the jet mechanims and particle acceleration.