Highly Resolved X-ray Spectra from Galactic Objects with Chandra
Abstract
The High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETGS) onboard the Chandra X- ray Observatory has so far produced a large number of high resolution X-ray spectra providing us with unprecedented spectroscopic details. Spectra of bright X-ray sources reveal plasmas with a wide range of properties. Through the measurements of blue- and redshifts the complex dynamics of these plasmas is revealed. X-ray absorption edges reveal structure of high complexity and the determination of their peculiar shapes do not only improve spectral models but also allow to draw conclusions on the chemical composition of the absorbing medium. Line diagnostic tools and more accurate atomic data bases now also allow to model the properties of various plasmas in detail and to constrain their spatial distribution and dynamics. In various examples, i.e. plasmas from accretion disks, winds, stationary clouds as well as the ISM, the power of highly resolved X-ray spectra is demonstrated.
- Publication:
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X-ray Binaries in the Chandra and XMM-Newton Era (with an emphasis on Targets of Opportunity)
- Pub Date:
- November 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002xrb..confE..37S
- Keywords:
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- High Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy;
- Plasma Diagnostics