Large Observatory for x-ray Timing (LOFT-P): a Probe-class mission concept study
LOFT-P is a mission concept for a NASA Astrophysics Probe-Class (<$1B) X-ray timing mission, based on the LOFT M-class concept originally proposed to ESAs M3 and M4 calls. LOFT-P requires very large collecting area, high time resolution, good spectral resolution, broad-band spectral coverage (2-3...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
2017
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/109550 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8804-8946 |
| _version_ | 1810991332335812608 |
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| author | Chakrabarty, Deepto |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Chakrabarty, Deepto |
| author_sort | Chakrabarty, Deepto |
| collection | MIT |
| description | LOFT-P is a mission concept for a NASA Astrophysics Probe-Class (<$1B) X-ray timing mission, based on the LOFT M-class concept originally proposed to ESAs M3 and M4 calls. LOFT-P requires very large collecting area, high time resolution, good spectral resolution, broad-band spectral coverage (2-30 keV), highly flexible scheduling, and an ability to detect and respond promptly to time-critical targets of opportunity. It addresses science questions such as: What is the equation of state of ultra dense matter? What are the effects of strong gravity on matter spiraling into black holes? It would be optimized for sub-millisecond timing of bright Galactic X-ray sources including X-ray bursters, black hole binaries, and magnetars to study phenomena at the natural timescales of neutron star surfaces and black hole event horizons and to measure mass and spin of black holes. These measurements are synergistic to imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy instruments, addressing much smaller distance scales than are possible without very long baseline X-ray interferometry, and using complementary techniques to address the geometry and dynamics of emission regions. LOFT-P would have an effective area of >6 m[superscript 2], > 10x that of the highly successful Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). A sky monitor (2-50 keV) acts as a trigger for pointed observations, providing high duty cycle, high time resolution monitoring of the X-ray sky with ~20 times the sensitivity of the RXTE All-Sky Monitor, enabling multi-wavelength and multimessenger studies. A probe-class mission concept would employ lightweight collimator technology and large-area solid-state detectors, segmented into pixels or strips, technologies which have been recently greatly advanced during the ESA M3 Phase A study of LOFT. Given the large community interested in LOFT (>800 supporters*, the scientific productivity of this mission is expected to be very high, similar to or greater than RXTE (~ 2000 refereed publications). We describe the results of a study, recently completed by the MSFC Advanced Concepts Office, that demonstrates that such a mission is feasible within a NASA probe-class mission budget. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T12:52:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/109550 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T12:52:00Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1095502022-10-01T11:37:36Z Large Observatory for x-ray Timing (LOFT-P): a Probe-class mission concept study Chakrabarty, Deepto Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research Chakrabarty, Deepto LOFT-P is a mission concept for a NASA Astrophysics Probe-Class (<$1B) X-ray timing mission, based on the LOFT M-class concept originally proposed to ESAs M3 and M4 calls. LOFT-P requires very large collecting area, high time resolution, good spectral resolution, broad-band spectral coverage (2-30 keV), highly flexible scheduling, and an ability to detect and respond promptly to time-critical targets of opportunity. It addresses science questions such as: What is the equation of state of ultra dense matter? What are the effects of strong gravity on matter spiraling into black holes? It would be optimized for sub-millisecond timing of bright Galactic X-ray sources including X-ray bursters, black hole binaries, and magnetars to study phenomena at the natural timescales of neutron star surfaces and black hole event horizons and to measure mass and spin of black holes. These measurements are synergistic to imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy instruments, addressing much smaller distance scales than are possible without very long baseline X-ray interferometry, and using complementary techniques to address the geometry and dynamics of emission regions. LOFT-P would have an effective area of >6 m[superscript 2], > 10x that of the highly successful Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). A sky monitor (2-50 keV) acts as a trigger for pointed observations, providing high duty cycle, high time resolution monitoring of the X-ray sky with ~20 times the sensitivity of the RXTE All-Sky Monitor, enabling multi-wavelength and multimessenger studies. A probe-class mission concept would employ lightweight collimator technology and large-area solid-state detectors, segmented into pixels or strips, technologies which have been recently greatly advanced during the ESA M3 Phase A study of LOFT. Given the large community interested in LOFT (>800 supporters*, the scientific productivity of this mission is expected to be very high, similar to or greater than RXTE (~ 2000 refereed publications). We describe the results of a study, recently completed by the MSFC Advanced Concepts Office, that demonstrates that such a mission is feasible within a NASA probe-class mission budget. 2017-06-02T17:31:43Z 2017-06-02T17:31:43Z 2016-07 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/ConferencePaper 9781510601895 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/109550 Wilson-Hodge, Colleen A. et al. “Large Observatory for X-Ray Timing (LOFT-P): A Probe-Class Mission Concept Study.” SPIE 9905, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 26 June, 2016, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, SPIE, 2016. © 2016 SPIE https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8804-8946 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2232944 Proceedings of SPIE 9905, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) SPIE |
| spellingShingle | Chakrabarty, Deepto Large Observatory for x-ray Timing (LOFT-P): a Probe-class mission concept study |
| title | Large Observatory for x-ray Timing (LOFT-P): a Probe-class mission concept study |
| title_full | Large Observatory for x-ray Timing (LOFT-P): a Probe-class mission concept study |
| title_fullStr | Large Observatory for x-ray Timing (LOFT-P): a Probe-class mission concept study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Large Observatory for x-ray Timing (LOFT-P): a Probe-class mission concept study |
| title_short | Large Observatory for x-ray Timing (LOFT-P): a Probe-class mission concept study |
| title_sort | large observatory for x ray timing loft p a probe class mission concept study |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/109550 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8804-8946 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chakrabartydeepto largeobservatoryforxraytimingloftpaprobeclassmissionconceptstudy |