First Results from The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) Mission
Abstract
The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission, launched on June 13, 2012, is the first space-based focusing high-energy X-ray telescope. NuSTAR operates in the band from 3 -- 7 keV, extending the sensitivity of focusing far beyond the ~10 keV high energy cutoff achieved by any previous X-ray telescope. Using its unprecedented combination of sensitivity, spatial and spectral resolution, NuSTAR will pursue five primary scientific objectives: 1) probing obscured AGN activity in the nearby (z<2) universe by surveying selected regions of the sky, 2) studying the population of hard X-ray emitting compact objects in the Galaxy by mapping the central regions of the Milky Way, 3) studying the non-thermal radiation in young supernova remnants both in hard X-ray continuum and emission from the radioactive element 44Ti, 4) observing blazars contemporaneously with ground-based radio, optical and TeV telescopes, as well as with Fermi to constrain the structure of AGN jets, and 5) observing line and continuum emission from core collapse supernovae in the local group, and from nearby Typ 1a events to constrain explosion models. During its baseline two-year mission, NuSTAR will also undertake a broad program of targeted observations that includes Ultraluminous X-ray sources, known AGN and Galactic Binaries, magnetars, starburst galaxies, and even our Sun. In this talk we present the mission design, in-flight performance, and present first results from the science program.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #221
- Pub Date:
- January 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AAS...22120901H