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Session 34 - High Resolution X-ray Imaging & Spectroscopy with AXAF.
Oral session, Tuesday, June 10
North Main Hall F/G,

[34.05] High Resolution Spectroscopy from Stars to AGN

C. R. Canizares (ASC/MIT)

AXAF carries two sets of transmission gratings, the High Energy Transmission Gratings (HETG from MIT) and the Low Energy Transmission Gratings (LETG from Utrecht/MPE). When inserted in the converging beam behind the AXAF mirror assembly, the gratings disperse the X-rays, forming spectra that are read out with the appropriate imaging detector at the focal plane. Both gratings achieve resolving powers of 100 to 1000 for point sources and are optimized to cover the energy range of 0.4-8 keV (HETG) and 0.09-3 keV (LETG), with total effective areas ranging from diagnostics of a wide variety of sources, including stellar coronae, X-ray binaries, supernova remnants, AGN and quasars. The operation and capabilities of the HETG and LETG will be illustrated using data from the AXAF X-ray Calibration Facility and detailed simulations of on-orbit performance.


Program listing for Tuesday