Exploring rapid transient detection with the Athena Wide Field Imager

TL;DR

This paper proposes and tests a simple algorithm for rapid detection of X-ray transients using Athena's Wide Field Imager, aiming to enable near real-time identification of transient events in space observations.

Contribution

It introduces a feasible, efficient algorithm for real-time detection of X-ray transients with Athena/WFI, validated through simulations.

Findings

The algorithm effectively detects transient sources in simulated data.

A simple detection method can be sufficient for near real-time transient identification.

Feasibility demonstrated for on-board and ground-based implementation.

Abstract

X-ray transients are among the most enigmatic objects in the cosmic sky. The unpredictability and underlying nature of their transient behavior has prompted much study in recent years. While significant progress has been made in this field, a more complete understanding of such events is often hampered by the delay in the rapid follow-up of any transient event. An efficient way to mitigate this constraint would be to devise a way for near real time detection of such transient phenomena. The Athena/Wide Field Imager (WFI), with its $40' \times 40'$ field of view and large effective area, will detect a large number of X-ray variable or transient objects daily. In this work, we discuss an algorithm for the rapid on-board or ground-based detection of X-ray transients with WFI. We present a feasibility test of the algorithm using simulated Athena/WFI data and show that a fairly simple algorithm can effectively detect transient and variable sources in typical Athena/WFI observations.