The ASTRO-H X-ray Astronomy Satellite

TL;DR

The ASTRO-H satellite is a highly advanced X-ray observatory with broad energy coverage and high spectral resolution, designed to explore fundamental questions in astrophysics such as dark matter, cosmic-ray acceleration, and the universe's large-scale structure.

Contribution

This paper introduces the ASTRO-H mission, highlighting its innovative instruments and capabilities that enable unprecedented X-ray observations across a wide energy range.

Findings

High energy resolution at E > 3 keV achieved

Broad energy coverage from soft X-rays to gamma-rays

Expected to produce breakthrough scientific results

Abstract

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), with a planned launch in 2015. The ASTRO-H mission is equipped with a suite of sensitive instruments with the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E > 3 keV and a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft X-rays to gamma-rays. The simultaneous broad band pass, coupled with the high spectral resolution of Delta E < 7 eV of the micro-calorimeter, will enable a wide variety of important science themes to be pursued. ASTRO-H is expected to provide breakthrough results in scientific areas as diverse as the large-scale structure of the Universe and its evolution, the behavior of matter in the gravitational strong field regime, the physical conditions in sites of cosmic-ray acceleration, and the distribution of dark matter in galaxy clusters at different redshifts.