LOFT - a Large Observatory For x-ray Timing
M. Feroci, L. Stella, A. Vacchi, C. Labanti, M. Rapisarda, P., Attin\`a, T. Belloni, R. Campana, S. Campana, E. Costa, E. Del Monte, I., Donnarumma, Y. Evangelista, G.L. Israel, F. Muleri, P. Porta, A. Rashevsky,, G. Zampa, N. Zampa, G. Baldazzi, G. Bertuccio, V. Bonvicini

TL;DR
LOFT is a proposed large-area X-ray observatory utilizing silicon drift detectors to enable high time resolution observations, aiming to advance fundamental physics studies such as black hole characterization and dense matter equations of state.
Contribution
The paper presents a realistic concept for a large-area X-ray timing mission using silicon drift detectors, achieving effective areas of 10-15 m² with modest resources.
Findings
Silicon drift detectors offer high time and energy resolution at room temperature.
A feasible mission concept with 10-15 m² effective area using small-medium class spacecraft.
Potential to significantly improve X-ray timing observations for fundamental physics.
Abstract
The high time resolution observations of the X-ray sky hold the key to a number of diagnostics of fundamental physics, some of which are unaccessible to other types of investigations, such as those based on imaging and spectroscopy. Revealing strong gravitational field effects, measuring the mass and spin of black holes and the equation of state of ultradense matter are among the goals of such observations. At present prospects for future, non-focused X-ray timing experiments following the exciting age of RXTE/PCA are uncertain. Technological limitations are unavoidably faced in the conception and development of experiments with effective area of several square meters, as needed in order to meet the scientific requirements. We are developing large-area monolithic Silicon Drift Detectors offering high time and energy resolution at room temperature, which require modest resources and…
Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
