AXIS
Advanced X-Ray Imaging Satellite
X-Ray Skies with High-Res Eyes -- Imaging the Cosmos with Axis
AXIS YouTube Channel and Seminar Series
Previous talks may be viewed on the AXIS youtube channel, where other recorded public presentations, such as those made at 20th Meeting of the High Energy Astrophysics Division of the AAS may be found.
Science Goals
Galaxies Over Cosmic Time
Galaxies are complex systems that evolve dramatically over cosmic time. Their critical constituents – stars, gas and dust, supermassive black holes and dark matter – are strongly coupled to one another and all have critical parameters that can only be studied in the X-ray band. A detailed study of them to high redshifts requires both high angular resolution and high sensitivity.
Feedback in Galaxies
Theoretical models of galaxy formation require physics beyond just gravity and hydrodynamics. This is called “feedback”: the influence of the objects themselves on their formation. For massive galaxies, it is thought that the main cause of feedback is the influence of the supermassive black hole on star formation, either expelling gas from the galaxy or preventing it from falling in.
Black Hole Strong Gravity
Dual AGN
The High-Redshift Universe
Observatory Science
Instrumentation
Optics
The X-ray mirror combines large throughput with high angular resolution throughout the field-of-view. Thin shell mirror technology is being developed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and provides the needed combination of properties at a reasonable mass and cost.
Learn more here.
Detector
Learn more here.
Instrumentation
Detector. The focal plane detector will include an array of CCDs or related devices covering a field-of-view of 15’ field or larger. Small pixels and fast readout will allow for the sampling of the point-spread function and significantly reduces pile-up from bright point sources. Learn more here.
Mission Overview
Presentations
All presentations on specific science topics are available at our Presentations Page.
The AXIS Team
PI: Chris Reynolds
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Our first team meeting at the University of Maryland, College Park. June 14-15, 2017.
List of Attendees (left to right): Mike Loewenstein, Andy Ptak (Associate PI), Randall Smith, Lynne Valencic, George Chartas, Will Zhang (Mirror Lead), Maxim Markevitch, Probe Study PI Richard Mushotzky (Senior Advisory Board Chair), Brian Morsony, Francesco Tombesi, Rob Petre, Eric Miller, Helen Russell, Chris Reynolds and Erin Kara (Deputy PI).
Not Pictured: David Burrows, Lia Corrales, Andy Fabian, Catherine Grant, Edmund Hodges-Kluck (Associate PI), Mike Koss, Jon Miller, John Mulchaey, Stephen Walker, and Hiroya Yamaguchi.