Science of High Resolution X-ray Imaging
Abstract
This report summarizes potential studies of the Hi-ReX Science Analysis Group for an Ultra-High Angular Resolution X-ray Observatory. Many potential science cases are presented, spanning a range of astrophysical topics from solar system planets and exoplanets to supermassive black holes and cosmology. These cases demonstrate the value of X-ray imaging beyond current capabilities with an aim toward milli-arcsecond and micro-arcsecond angular scales. There is an imaging gap between the current capability of the best X-ray imaging telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, compared to that of instruments across the electromagnetic spectrum. Next-generation, ultra-high angular resolution X-ray imaging will close this gap and transform our understanding of the universe and fundamental physics.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2606.28138,
title = {Science of High Resolution X-ray Imaging},
author = {H. L. Marshall and K. Weaver and M. Schattenburg and B. Binder and H. M. Günther and S. J. Wolk and K. G. Stassun and S. J. Gunderson and R. Pandey and L. Valencic and P. Draghis and J. Hare and M. Balakrishnan and T. Boztepe and P. Gandhi and T. Holland-Ashford and T. Maccarone and M. Reynolds and M. Sobolewska and R. Tanner and J. Cann and P. Chakraborty and B. Coleman and S. DiKerby and R. Gamble and J. Irwin and P. Maksym and J. McKaig and E. Perlman and D. Pooley and S. Randall and H. Russell and A. Sarkar and S. Turriziani and K. -W. Wong and K. Whalen and D. Haggard},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2606.28138},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
This is a report generated in response to a call by the X-ray Science Interest Group of the NASA Physics of the Cosmos Program Analysis Group (PhysPAG). The report summarizes the reports of 5 working groups, which will provide more details of each science case and be published independently. Links will be provided when available