The Large Area Telescope (LAT, 30 MeV < E < 300 GeV) aboard the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), scheduled to launch in late 2007, promises a factor of ~30 increase in sensitivity over its predecessor, EGRET. It is expected that the LAT will detect over a thousand blazars in its first year, enabling the first detailed population studies of these gamma-ray sources. The LAT’s sensitivity is sufficient to measure the time-resolved spectra of dozens of blazars in flaring states over its lifetime and to study the time-averaged properties of hundreds more in quiescence. In addition, the LAT’s large field of view (2.4 sr) and GLAST’s all-sky scanning mode together provide a uniform sky exposure and even, well-sampled light curves of every source. In short, the LAT is a sensitive probe of the parsec-scale jets of AGN and the physics of the jets’ gamma-ray emitting regions. We present an overview of the capabilities of the LAT for timing and spectral studies and a discussion of how these capabilities can constrain physical models of blazars. We also emphasize the important role of simultaneous observations at other wavelengths.

GLAST LAT

Proceedings of the 30th International Cosmic Ray Conference; Rogelio Caballero, Juan Carlos D'Olivo, Gustavo Medina-Tanco, Lukas Nellen, Federico A. Sánchez, José F. Valdés-Galicia (eds.); Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, 2008; Vol. 3 (OG part 2), pages 1077-1080