X-ray interferometry: ultra-high-resolution astronomy

Webster C. Cash; Ann F. Shipley; Randall Lee McEntaffer

doi:10.1117/12.450952

20 December 2001 X-ray interferometry: ultra-high-resolution astronomy

Webster C. Cash, Ann F. Shipley, Randall Lee McEntaffer

Proceedings Volume 4506, Soft X-Ray and EUV Imaging Systems II; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.450952
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2001, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

X-rays have tremendous potential for imaging at the highest angular resolution. The high surface brightness of many x-ray sources will reveal angular scales heretofore thought unreachable. The short wavelengths make instrumentation compact and baselines short. We discuss how practical x-ray interferometers can be built for astronomy using existing technology. We describe the Maxim Pathfinder and Maxim missions which will achieve 100 and 0.1 micro-arcsecond imaging respectively. The science to be tackled with resolution of up to one million times that of HST will be outlined, with emphasis on eventually imaging the event horizon of a black hole.

Citation Download Citation

Webster C. Cash, Ann F. Shipley, and Randall Lee McEntaffer "X-ray interferometry: ultra-high-resolution astronomy", Proc. SPIE 4506, Soft X-Ray and EUV Imaging Systems II, (20 December 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.450952

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