* Astronomy

Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Home -> Astronomy News -> Space missions -> Large Observatory For X-ray Timing
Post Info TOPIC: Large Observatory For X-ray Timing
Blobrana


L

Posts: 131433
Date:
RE: Large Observatory For X-ray Timing
Permalink  
 

Title: The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing
Author: M. Feroci (1,1b), J.W. den Herder (2), E. Bozzo (3), D. Barret (8), S. Brandt (19), M. Hernanz (6), M. van der Klis (5), M. Pohl (25), A. Santangelo (17), L. Stella (27), A. Watts (5), J. Wilms (87), S. Zane (29), M. Ahangarianabhari (14), C. Albertus (137), M. Alford (139), A. Alpar (4), D. Altamirano (5), L. Alvarez (6), L. Amati (7), C. Amoros (8), N. Andersson (9), A. Antonelli (10), A. Argan (1), R. Artigue (8), B. Artigues (6), J.-L. Atteia (8), P. Azzarello (3), P. Bakala (86), G. Baldazzi (103), S. Balman (11), M. Barbera (12,106), C. van Baren (2), S. Bhattacharyya (132), A. Baykal (11), T. Belloni (13), F. Bernardini (111), G. Bertuccio (14), S. Bianchi (59), A. Bianchini (15), P. Binko (3), P. Blay (125), F. Bocchino (99), P. Bodin (114), I. Bombaci (117), J.-M. Bonnet Bidaud (16), et al. (669 additional authors not shown)

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 spectral resolution of its main instrument, LOFT will study the behaviour of matter under extreme conditions, such as the strong gravitational field in the innermost regions of accretion flows close to black holes and neutron stars, and the supra-nuclear densities in the interior of neutron stars. The science payload is based on a Large Area Detector (LAD, 10 m 2 effective area, 2-30 keV, 240 eV spectral resolution, 1 deg collimated field of view) and a WideField Monitor (WFM, 2-50 keV, 4 steradian field of view, 1 arcmin source location accuracy, 300 eV spectral resolution). The WFM is equipped with an on-board system for bright events (e.g. GRB) localization. The trigger time and position of these events are broadcast to the ground within 30 s from discovery. In this paper we present the status of the mission at the end of its Phase A study.

Read more (843kb, PDF)



__________________
Blobrana


L

Posts: 131433
Date:
Permalink  
 

Title: LOFT (Large Observatory For X-ray Timing): a candidate X-ray mission for the next decade
Authors: M. Hernanz (Institute of Space Sciences - ICE (CSIC-IEEC), Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain), on behalf of the LOFT collaboration

LOFT is one of the four medium mission candidates (M3), selected by ESA in the framework of the Cosmic Vision Programme (2015-2025), for feasibility study. If approved by ESA in 2014, its launch is foreseen in 2022-2024. LOFT is being designed to observe X-ray sources with excellent temporal resolution and very good spectral capability. Its main objectives are to directly probe the motion of matter in the very close vicinity of black holes (Strong Field Gravity), as well as to study the physics of ultra dense matter (Neutron Stars). The payload includes a Large Area Detector (LAD) and a Wide Field Monitor (WFM). The LAD is a collimated (< 1 degree field of view) experiment operating in the energy range 2-30 keV, with a 10 m2 peak effective area and an energy resolution of 260 eV at 6 keV. The WFM will operate in almost the same energy range than the LAD, 2-50 keV, enabling simultaneous monitoring of a few-steradian wide field of view, with an angular resolution of < 5 arcmin. In addition to its main scientific objectives, LOFT will also do a complete plan of observatory science, studying with unprecedented detail in the 2-80 keV range several transient phenomena, like accreting white dwarfs in cataclysmic variables, novae in outburst (internal and external shocks in the ejecta in classical novae, and shocks with the wind of the companion in symbiotic recurrent novae) and post-outburst novae (once accretion is re established).

Read more (375kb, PDF)



__________________
Blobrana


L

Posts: 131433
Date:
LOFT mission
Permalink  
 

Title: LOFT: the Large Observatory For X-ray Timing
Authors: Tomaso M. Belloni, Enrico Bozzo (on behalf of the LOFT Consortium)

LOFT, the large observatory for X-ray timing, is a new mission concept competing with other four candidates for a launch opportunity in 2022-2024. LOFT will be performing high-time resolution X-ray observations of compact objects, combining for the first time an unprecedented large collecting area for X-ray photons and a spectral resolution approaching that of CCD-based X-ray instruments (down to 200 eV FWHM at 6 keV). The operating energy range is 2-80 keV. The main science goals of LOFT are the measurement of the neutron stars equation of states and the test of General Relativity in the strong field regime. The breakthrough capabilities of the instruments on-board LOFT will permit to open also new discovery windows for a wide range of Galactic and extragalactic X-ray sources. In this contribution, we provide a general description of the mission concept and summarise its main scientific capabilities.

Read more (2928kb, PDF)



__________________
Blobrana


L

Posts: 131433
Date:
Permalink  
 

Title: LOFT: the Large Observatory For X-ray Timing
Authors: M. Feroci, J.W. den Herder, E. Bozzo, D. Barret, S. Brandt, M. Hernanz, M. van der Klis, M. Pohl, A. Santangelo, L. Stella, A. Watts, J. Wilms, S. Zane, M. Ahangarianabhari, A. Alpar, D. Altamirano, L. Alvarez, L. Amati, C. Amoros, N. Andersson, A. Antonelli, A. Argan, R. Artigue, P. Azzarello, G. Baldazzi, S. Balman, M. Barbera, T. Belloni, G. Bertuccio, S. Bianchi, A. Bianchini, P. Bodin, J.-M. Bonnet Bidaud, S. Boutloukos, J. Braga, E. Brown, N. Bucciantini, L. Burderi, M. Bursa, C. Budtz-Jørgensen, E. Cackett, F.R. Cadoux, P. Cais, G.A. Caliandro, R. Campana, S. Campana, P. Casella, D. Chakrabarty, J. Chenevez, J. Coker, R. Cole, A. Collura, T. Courvoisier, A. Cros, A. Cumming, G. Cusumano, A. D'Aì, V. D'Elia, E. Del Monte, D. De Martino, A. De Rosa, S. Di Cosimo, et al. (186 additional authors not shown)

The LOFT mission concept is one of four candidates selected by ESA for the M3 launch opportunity as Medium Size missions of the Cosmic Vision programme. The launch window is currently planned for between 2022 and 2024. LOFT is designed to exploit the diagnostics of rapid X-ray flux and spectral variability that directly probe the motion of matter down to distances very close to black holes and neutron stars, as well as the physical state of ultra-dense matter. These primary science goals will be addressed by a payload composed of a Large Area Detector (LAD) and a Wide Field Monitor (WFM). The LAD is a collimated (<1 degree field of view) experiment operating in the energy range 2-50 keV, with a 10 m² peak effective area and an energy resolution of 260 eV at 6 keV. The WFM will operate in the same energy range as the LAD, enabling simultaneous monitoring of a few-steradian wide field of view, with an angular resolution of <5 arcmin. The LAD and WFM experiments will allow us to investigate variability from submillisecond QPO's to year-long transient outbursts. In this paper we report the current status of the project.

Read more (590kb, PDF)



__________________
Blobrana


L

Posts: 131433
Date:
Large Observatory For X-ray Timing
Permalink  
 

Title: LOFT, the Large Observatory For X-ray Timing
Authors: E. Bozzo, J. W. den Herder, M. Feroci, L. Stella, on the behalf of the LOFT consortium

The Large Observatory For X-ray Timing, LOFT, was selected by the European Space Agency as one of the four Cosmic Vision M3 candidate missions to compete for a launch opportunity at the start of the 2020s. Thanks to an innovative design and the development of large-area monolithic silicon drift detectors, the Large Area Detector (LAD) on board LOFT will operate in the 2-30 keV range (up to 50 keV in expanded mode), and achieve an effective area of ~10 m² at 8 keV, a time resolution of ~10 {\mu}s, and a spectral resolution of ~260 eV (FWHM at 6 keV). These characteristics make LOFT a perfectly suited instrument to perform high-time-resolution X-ray observations of collapsed objects in our galaxy and brightest supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei. LOFT will yield unprecedented information on strongly curved spacetimes and matter under extreme conditions of pressure and magnetic field strength, thus addressing two of the fundamental questions of the Cosmic Vision Theme "Matter under extreme conditions": does matter orbiting close to the event horizon follow the predictions of general relativity? What is the equation of state of matter in neutron stars?

Read more (1677kb, PDF)



__________________
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.
Home -> Astronomy News -> Space missions -> Large Observatory For X-ray Timing


Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse 		Powered by ActiveBoard