Overview and Goals of FIG SAG and its Broad Ties to Astronomy and Physics

Gamma-ray astronomy has played a critical role in understanding a broad set of astrophysical phenomena. Gamma rays are produced by the most extreme objects and events in the Universe. They are closely linked to sources of gravitational waves, neutrinos, and cosmic rays. In turn, gamma-ray observations play a pivotal role in constructing a comprehensive multi-messenger picture of both transient and steady high-energy emission in the Universe. Since the launch of the Vela satellites in the 1960s, gamma-ray astronomy has benefitted from a continuous set of missions capable of studying a broad range of astrophysical objects including persistent and transient phenomena. These missions have made a number of remarkable discoveries that have revolutionized astrophysics. However, many of the current major missions are reaching the end of their extended operational phases and, at this time, only few comparable future missions have found support. The combined wealth of recent discoveries and the need to identify next-generation missions places the gamma-ray astronomy community in an ideal position to reassess its future priorities. To that end, the Future Innovations in Gamma rays Science Analysis Group (FIG SAG) has been formed to galvanize the community to identify future science drivers, necessary capabilities, and priorities for the future of gamma-ray astronomy. I will provide an overview of the FIG SAG and discuss the broad ties of gamma-ray astronomy to the physics community.