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N.S. Schulz (MIT), A.M. Juett (University of Virginia), C.R. Canizares (MIT)
High resolution X-ray spectra obtained with the Chandra X-ray Observatory demonstrated the feasibility to study chemistry, abundance and ionization fraction of various phases of the interstellar medium (ISM). These include the cold, warm, and hot ISM phases. The measurements allow the determination of the optical depths of the photoelectric absorption edges specifically from O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, and Fe as well as equivalent widths of resonance absorption lines from atoms, ions, and molecules. While Chandra is limited to observations of the brightest continuum sources within the galactic plane and bulge as well as less than half a dozen of extragalactic sources, Constellation-X will provide the survey capacity we need to study interstellar media, galactic and extragalactic, with the necessary sensitivity and resolution. In the poster we present current results from Chandra. We also lay out future survey strategies with Constellation-X.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #4
© 2005. The American Astronomical Soceity.