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The Future of X-Ray Time-Domain Surveys

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2012

Daryl Haggard
Affiliation:
Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, ILUSA email: dhaggard@northwestern.edu
Gregory R. Sivakoff
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Abstract

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Modern X-ray observatories yield unique insight into the astrophysical time domain. Each X-ray photon can be assigned an arrival time, an energy and a sky position, yielding sensitive, energy-dependent light curves and enabling time-resolved spectra down to millisecond time-scales. Combining those with multiple views of the same patch of sky (e.g., in the Chandra and XMM-Newton deep fields) so as to extend variability studies over longer baselines, the spectral timing capacity of X-ray observatories then stretch over 10 orders of magnitude at spatial resolutions of arcseconds, and 13 orders of magnitude at spatial resolutions of a degree. A wealth of high-energy time-domain data already exists, and indicates variability on timescales ranging from microseconds to years in a wide variety of objects, including numerous classes of AGN, high-energy phenomena at the Galactic centre, Galactic and extra-Galactic X-ray binaries, supernovæ, gamma-ray bursts, stellar flares, tidal disruption flares, and as-yet unknown X-ray variables. This workshop explored the potential of strategic X-ray surveys to probe a broad range of astrophysical sources and phenomena. Here we present the highlights, with an emphasis on the science topics and mission designs that will drive future discovery in the X-ray time domain.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2012