Related papers: AXAF in Context: A Revolution
HEX-P will launch at a time when the sky is being routinely scanned for transient gravitational wave, electromagnetic and neutrino phenomena that will require the capabilities of a sensitive, broadband X-ray telescope for follow up studies.…
The High Energy X-ray Probe is a proposed NASA probe-class mission that combines the power of high angular resolution with a broad X-ray bandpass to provide the necessary leap in capabilities to address the important astrophysical questions…
X-ray transience is the most extreme form of variability observed in AGN or normal in-active galaxies. While factors of 2-3 on timescales of days to years are quite commen among AGN, X-ray transients appear only once and vanish from the…
This paper discusses the broad science case for obtaining milliarcsecond to microarcsecond astronomical imaging resolution in the soft to medium-energy X-ray band (~0.5 to ~8 keV). Astronomy across much of the electromagnetic spectrum has…
SIMBOL-X is a hard X-ray mission, operating in the 0.5-70 keV range, which is proposed by a consortium of European laboratories for a launch around 2010. Relying on two spacecraft in a formation flying configuration, SIMBOL-X uses a 30 m…
The transmission grating spectrometers on AXAF have sufficient sensitivity and energy resolution to detect resonance X-ray absorption lines in the spectra of distant quasars. Such lines would be produced in an ionized, and somewhat…
Star-forming regions have been the targets of X-ray observations since the dawn of satellite X-ray astronomy. The increase in sensitivity and/or spatial resolution offered by XMM-Newton and Chandra allows a dramatic improvement, both…
A concept for an all-sky monitor mission substantially more powerful than the RXTE ASM is presented in brief. It makes use of 31 Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) proportional counters to provide continuous monitoring of the entire x-ray sky,…
Over the last two decades, the discovery of exoplanets has fundamentally changed our perception of the universe and humanity's place within it. Recent work indicates that a solar system's X-ray and high energy particle environment is of…
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) has a very long tradition of conducting space astronomy experiments. Within a few years of the discovery of the first non-solar X-ray source in 1962, TIFR leveraged its expertise in balloon…
Previous generations of X-ray observatories revealed a group of massive binaries that were relatively bright X-ray emitters. This was attributed to emission of shock-heated plasma in the wind-wind interaction zone located between the stars.…
Astronomers knew early in the twentieth century that some galaxies have emission-line nuclei. However, even the systematic study by Seyfert (1943) was not enough to launch active galactic nuclei (AGN) as a major topic of astronomy. The…
In this paper we present the science potential of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for studies of strongly magnetized objects. We will focus on the physics and astrophysics of strongly magnetized objects, namely…
The cosmological star formation rate in the combined Chandra Deep Fields North and South is derived from our X-Ray Luminosity Function for Galaxies in these Deep Fields. Mild evolution is seen up to redshift order unity with SFR ~ (1 +…
The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) on-board the second large ESA mission ''Athena'' will be a high spatial (5'') and spectral (2.5eV) resolution X-ray imaging spectrometer, operating in the 0.2-12 keV energy band. It will address the…
In this White Paper we present the potential of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for studies related to Observatory Science targets. These include flaring stars, supernova remnants, accreting white dwarfs, low and…
LOFT, the Large Observatory for X-ray Timing, is a new space mission concept devoted to observations of Galactic and extra-Galactic sources in the X-ray domain with the main goals of probing gravity theory in the very strong field…
Since the birth of X-ray Astronomy, spectacular advances have been seen in the imaging, spectroscopic and timing studies of the hot and violent X-ray Universe, and further leaps forward are expected in the future. On the other hand,…
A non-proprietary Mission Concept available for presentation to NASA, providing High Area, High Resolution Imaging Spectroscopy and Timing with Arcmin Angular Resolution Submitted in response to NASA 2011 RFI NNH11ZDA018L 'Concepts for the…
The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing (LOFT) was studied within ESA M3 Cosmic Vision framework and participated in the final down-selection for a launch slot in 2022-2024. Thanks to the unprecedented combination of effective area and…