Einstein Probe: a lobster-eye telescope for monitoring the x-ray sky
Authors:
- 6 July 2018
- conference paper
- Published by SPIE-Intl Soc Optical Eng
- Vol. 10699, 1069925
Abstract
The Einstein Probe (EP) is a small satellite dedicated to time-domain astronomy to monitor the sky in the soft X-ray band. It is a mission led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and developed in its space science programme with international collaboration. Its wide-field imaging capability is achieved by using established technology of the micro-pore lobster-eye X-ray focusing optics. Complementary to this is deep X-ray follow-up capability enabled by a Wolter-I type X-ray telescope. EP is also capable of fast transient alerts triggering and downlink, aiming at multi-wavelength follow-up observations by the world-wide community. EP will enable systematic survey and characterisation of high-energy transients at unprecedented sensitivity, spatial resolution, grasp and monitoring cadence. Its scientific goals are mainly concerned with discovering new or rare types of transients, including tidal disruption events, supernova shock breakouts, high-redshift GRBs, and of particular interest, electromagnetic sources of gravitational wave events.Keywords
This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit:
- Tidal disruption of stars by supermassive black holes: Status of observationsJournal of High Energy Astrophysics, 2015
- How Swift is redefining time domain astronomyJournal of High Energy Astrophysics, 2015
- Ray tracing simulations for the wide-field x-ray telescope of the Einstein Probe mission based on Geant4 and XRTG42014
- A MILLIPARSEC SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE BINARY CANDIDATE IN THE GALAXY SDSS J120136.02+300305.5The Astrophysical Journal, 2014
- EARLY X-RAY AND OPTICAL AFTERGLOW OF GRAVITATIONAL WAVE BURSTS FROM MERGERS OF BINARY NEUTRON STARSThe Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2013
- Relativistic jet activity from the tidal disruption of a star by a massive black holeNature, 2011
- The MAXI Mission on the ISS: Science and Instruments for Monitoring All-Sky X-Ray ImagesPublications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, 2009
- Tidal disruption of stars by black holes of 106–108 solar masses in nearby galaxiesNature, 1988
- Determining the Hubble constant from gravitational wave observationsNature, 1986
- Lobster eyes as X-ray telescopesThe Astrophysical Journal, 1979