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Science with IXO

Science with IXO

Overview

NOTE: In March 2011 ESA announced a new way forward for the L-class candidate missions: IXO, EJSM-Laplace and LISA.
At this time the IXO concept ceased to be a candidate and ESA, along with the scientific community, is now investigating to what extent a European-led mission could preserve the original science case of IXO. The new study is called ATHENA (Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics).

The ATHENA assessment study report (Yellow Book) is now available.

The International X-ray Observatory (IXO) is a next-generation facility designed to address some of the most fundamental questions in contemporary astrophysics and cosmology. Building on the accumulated knowledge acquired by the current (and previous) X-ray facilities IXO will address these primary goals:

  • Black holes and matter under extreme conditions
  • Formation and evolution of galaxies, clusters and large scale structure
  • Life cycles of matter and energy

IXO will provide the advances in X-ray imaging, timing and spectroscopy needed to address these goals.

The IXO optics will have 20 times more collecting area at 1 keV than any previous X-ray telescope. The focal plane instruments will deliver up to 100-fold increase in effective area for high resolution spectroscopy from 0.3-10 keV, deep spectral imaging from 0.2-40 keV over a wide field of view, unprecedented polarimetric sensitivity, and microsecond spectroscopic timing with high count rate capability.

 

IXO White Papers

A number of white papers have been prepared for the NASA Astro 2010 Decadal Review. The papers listed below are of particular relevance to IXO.

IXO White Papers
 
Supermassive Black Hole Growth
Fundamental Accretion and Ejection Astrophysics J. Miller et al. pdf
Stellar-Mass Black Holes and Their Progenitors J. Miller et al. pdf
The Growth of Supermassive Black Holes Over Cosmic Time K. Nandra et al. pdf
 
Matter Orbiting a Black Hole
Spin and Relativistic Phenomena around Black Holes L. Brenneman et al. pdf
Stellar-Mass Black Holes and Their Progenitors J. Miller et al. pdf
 
Neutron Star Equation of State
The Behavior of Matter Under Extreme Conditions F. Paerels et al. pdf
 
Nature of Dark Matter and Dark Energy
Cosmological Studies with a Large-Area X-ray Telescope A. Vikhlinin et al. pdf
 
Cosmic Feedback
Cosmic Feedback from Massive Black Holes A. Fabian et al. pdf
 
Missing Baryons
The Evolution of Galaxy Clusters Across Cosmic Time M. Arnaud et al. pdf
The Cosmic Web of Baryons J. Bregman et al. pdf
The Missing Baryons in the Milky Way and Local Group J. Bregman et al. pdf
 
Origin and Dispersion of Elements
Formation of the Elements J. Hughes et al. pdf
Measuring the Gas and Dust Composition of the Galactic ISM and Beyond J. Lee et al. pdf
 
Particle Acceleration
Starburst Galaxies: Outflows of Metals and Energy into the IGM D. Strickland et al. pdf
 
Planet Formation
X-ray Studies of Planetary Systems E. Feigelson et al. pdf
 
Stellar Magnetic Fields
Mass-Loss and Magnetic Fields as Revealed Through Stellar X-ray Spectroscopy R. Osten et al. pdf

Last Update: 1 September 2019
19-Mar-2024 10:44 UT

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