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Session 16 - Studies of Black Holes & Future Survey Missions.
Oral session, Monday, June 09
North Main Hall A,

[16.05] A High Sensitivity Hard X-ray Imager Utilizing Nested, Replicated Mirrors

R. E. Rothschild, J. L. Matteson, M. R. Pelling (CASS/UCSD), M. P. Ulmer (NWU)

A key to understanding the hard x-ray sky is increased sensitivity with improved positional accuracy. A set of nested multilayer mirrors combined with position sensitive detectors is being studied by the Northwestern/UCSD team. This concept is a 2-4 meter focal length system with a CdZnTe focal plane array covering the range \sim5--\sim50 keV, and can be used in balloon or MidEx sized missions. With true imaging at 1' spatial resolution, the dramatically reduced background per resolution element allows investigation of objects at least an order of magnitude fainter than detected in hard x-ray surveys. X-ray transients in quiescence can be compared to predictions for black holes and neutron stars; detailed study of luminosity functions, emission geometry, and evolutionary effects in active galaxies will be possible to greater distances and lower luminosities; and faint sources in crowded regions, such as the galactic center, will be resolved for individual study.


Program listing for Monday