An overview of the IXO Observatory

Jay Bookbinder

doi:10.1117/12.857363

29 July 2010 An overview of the IXO Observatory

Jay Bookbinder

Proceedings Volume 7732, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 77321B (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857363
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The International X-ray Observatory (IXO) project is the result of a merger between the NASA Con-X and ESA/JAXA XEUS mission concepts. A facility-class mission, IXO will address the leading astrophysical questions in the "hot universe" through its breakthrough optics with 20 times more collecting area at 1 keV than any previous X-ray observatory, its 3 m² collecting area with 5 arcsec angular resolution will be achieved using a 20m focal length deployable optical bench. To reduce risk, two independent optics technologies are currently under development in the U.S. and in Europe. Focal plane instruments will deliver a 100-fold increase in effective area for high-resolution spectroscopy, deep spectral imaging over a wide field of view, unprecedented polarimetric sensitivity, microsecond spectroscopic timing, and high count rate capability. IXO covers the 0.1-40 keV energy range, complementing the capabilities of the next generation observatories, such as ALMA, LSST, JWST, and 30-m ground-based telescopes. These capabilities will enable studies of a broad range of scientific questions such as what happens close to a black hole, how supermassive black holes grow, how large scale structure forms, and what are the connections between these processes? This paper presents an overview of the IXO mission science drivers, its optics and instrumental capabilities, the status of its technology development programs, and the mission implementation approach.

Citation Download Citation

Jay Bookbinder "An overview of the IXO Observatory", Proc. SPIE 7732, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 77321B (29 July 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857363

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