Spatial and spectral features of soft diffuse X-ray background seen by the Einstein Observatory.

The authors present the first systematic survey of the diffuse soft X-ray background as seen directly by the Einstein Observatory Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC). Using a source free region of the detector with a 1°×1° field of view they are able to view the background in the 0.16 - 3.5 keV spectral region with unprecedented spatial resolution. The data cover roughly 5% of the sky, with some bias in coverage towards the galactic plane. The moderate energy resolution of the IPC enables to characterize and produce maps of the background as a function of energy within the Einstein passband. The authors compare their results with previous observations of the diffuse X-ray background, and discuss implications for galactic structure and for the soft component of the extragalactic X-ray background.