GLAST: Using scintillation fibers for both the tracker and the calorimeter

The Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is planned to be the next major NASA mission in gamma-ray astronomy. It will operate at energies above 20 MeV to study the most energetic objects in the Universe. While the baseline tracker detector for GLAST during the study phase is based on silicon strip detectors, we believe that scintillating fibers have considerable advantages for this purpose. Among the scientific advantages are: larger effective area and better angular resolution at low energies. Practical advantages include: lower cost, the use of a common technology for both the tracker and the calorimeter, lower power consumption, and a simplified thermal design. Several alternative readout methods for the fibers are under study. A set of recent references is provided to indicate the current status of scintillation fiber technology, applications of scintillating fiber systems and readout methods.