Scientific Objectives of the Hot Universe Baryon Surveyor (HUBS) Mission

TL;DR

The HUBS mission aims to use high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy from space to study hot gas across cosmic structures, advancing understanding of galaxy evolution, baryon distribution, and various astrophysical phenomena.

Contribution

This paper outlines the scientific objectives of the proposed HUBS mission, emphasizing its potential to transform studies of hot gas and cosmic feedback processes.

Findings

HUBS will provide unprecedented spatially-resolved X-ray spectroscopy.

It will improve measurements of hot gas in various cosmic environments.

HUBS will address key questions in galaxy formation and baryon distribution.

Abstract

The Hot Universe Baryon Surveyor (HUBS) is a proposed space-based X-ray telescope for detecting X-ray emissions from the hot gas content in our universe. With its unprecedented spatially-resolved high-resolution spectroscopy and large field of view, the HUBS mission will be uniquely qualified to measure the physical and chemical properties of the hot gas in the interstellar medium, the circumgalactic medium, the intergalactic medium, and the intracluster medium. These measurements will be valuable for two key scientific goals of HUBS, namely to unravel the AGN and stellar feedback physics that governs the formation and evolution of galaxies, and to probe the baryon budget and multi-phase states from galactic to cosmological scales. In addition to these two goals, the HUBS mission will also help us solve some problems in the fields of galaxy clusters, AGNs, diffuse X-ray backgrounds, supernova remnants, and compact objects. This paper discusses the perspective of advancing these fields using the HUBS telescope.