In a groundbreaking space mission, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has successfully launched a space satellite that demonstrates the increasing prowess of China's space capabilities.
Hunt for X-Ray Blasts
On January 9, the CAS spacecraft Einstein probe lifted off the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China aboard the Chang Zheng 2C rocket. The successful launch was confirmed by China's Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, which operates the country's Long March rockets.
Named after the famous German-born theoretical physicist, the spacecraft was built as a collaborative effort between the European Space Agency, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. The Probe was designed to explore the cosmos for bursts of X-ray, which can help unveil mysterious phenomena related to black holes and merging stars.
Spotting evidence of X-ray bursts can help experts develop a better understanding of high-energy processes in the universe, like neutron star collisions, supernova explosions, and black holes spewing matter after devouring magnetic fields.
According to astrophysicist Arne Rau, exploration of the transient sky in X-rays has been limited to the few brightest objects. With the design and sensitivity of the Einstein Probe, experts are looking forward to studying more events, such as the signatures of stars, which are unfortunate enough to be disrupted by the supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies.
Unlike the stars seen with the naked human eye, most cosmic objects shining in X-rays are highly variable. They brighten and dim continuously, even shining brightly briefly before completely disappearing.
Since the Einstein Probe can explore the sky with a high cadence, it is complementary to other X-ray missions like eROSITA. This research satellite plays a significant role by filling a wavelength gap in time-domain observations. Moreover, it can help experts advance their understanding of the sources that produce gravitational waves.
Lobster Eye-Inspired Optics
Einstein's Probe aims to discover new sources and monitor the variability of objects shining in X-rays all over the sky. To make this possible, the mission uses a new type of optics inspired by lobster eyes to enable a large field of view.
Einstein's Probe can observe almost the night sky in three orbits around Earth. This sets it apart from ESA's other missions, such as Athena and XRISM, which have a higher spatial and spectral resolution but a limited field of view.
To achieve its goals, the X-ray space telescope is equipped with two highly sensitive instruments: the Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT) and the Follow-up X-ray Telescope (FXT). These tools give the Probe the unique capability to observe almost one-tenth of the celestial sphere at a glance.
The WXT instrument is made of 12 modules which work together to create a view of 3600 square degrees. They are made up of parallel square pores arranged on a sphere, which reflect light toward a spherical center. The X-rays are guided to a CMOS light detector by hundreds of thousands of square tubes.
Meanwhile, the FXT instrument comprises two identical units with a smaller field of view but are equipped with higher sensitivity. It has a mirror module made of 54 gold-coated shells. Since FXT has a much larger light-collecting power and much higher resolution, it is a great tool to follow up X-ray flashes detected by the WXT quickly.
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