The Athena space X‐ray observatory and the astrophysics of hot plasma - Archive ouverte HAL
Article Dans Une Revue Astronomical Notes / Astronomische Nachrichten Année : 2020

The Athena space X‐ray observatory and the astrophysics of hot plasma

Résumé

The properties (temperature, density, chemical composition, velocity) of hot astrophysical plasma and the physical processes affecting them (heating/cooling, turbulence, shocks, acceleration) can be probed by high resolution X-ray spectroscopy, to be complemented by high spatial resolution imaging. The paper presents a status of the ESA's Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (Athena) mission, particularly focusing on the science performance of its two focal plane instruments for the studies of extended X-ray sources: the Wide Field Imager (WFI) and the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU). This paper then provides a brief summary of the breakthroughs expected with Athena on the astrophysics of hot plasma, building on the vast heritage of the discoveries and revolutionary results obtained by Chandra and XMM-Newton in this field. As of November 12th, 2019, Athena successfully concluded its feasibility study, and has since then moved into the definition phase, with a launch date scheduled in the early 2030s.
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Dates et versions

hal-02458721 , version 1 (05-01-2025)

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Didier Barret, Anne Decourchelle, Andy Fabian, Matteo Guainazzi, Kirpal Nandra, et al.. The Athena space X‐ray observatory and the astrophysics of hot plasma. Astronomical Notes / Astronomische Nachrichten, 2020, 341 (2), pp.133-235. ⟨10.1002/asna.202023782⟩. ⟨hal-02458721⟩
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