The Voyage of Metals in the Universe from Cosmological to Planetary Scales: the need for a Very High-Resolution, High Throughput Soft X-ray Spectrometer

TL;DR

This paper emphasizes the critical role of metals in the universe's evolution and advocates for a high-resolution soft X-ray spectrometer to study their physical, kinematical, and chemical properties across cosmic scales.

Contribution

It highlights the need for a very high-resolution, high throughput soft X-ray spectrometer to address key open problems related to metals in the universe.

Findings

Metals are essential for understanding cosmic evolution.

High-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy is crucial for studying metals.

A new spectrometer would enable breakthroughs in astrophysics.

Abstract

Metals form an essential part of the Universe at all scales. Without metals we would not exist, and the Cosmos would look completely different. Metals are primarily born through nuclear processes in stars. They leave their cradles through winds or explosions, and then start their journey through space. This can lead them in and out of astronomical objects on all scales, ranging from comets, planets, stars, entire galaxies, groups and clusters of galaxies to the largest structures of the Universe. Their wanderings are fundamental in determining how these objects, and the entire universe, evolve. In addition, their bare presence can be used to trace what these structures look like. The scope of this paper is to highlight the most important open astrophysical problems that will be central in the next decades and for which a deep understanding of the Universe-wandering metals, their physical and kinematical states and their chemical composition represents the only viable solution. The majority of these studies can only be efficiently performed through High Resolution Spectroscopy in the soft X-ray band.