Exploring transient detection with WFI onboard Athena
Abstract
X-ray transients are among the most enigmatic objects in the cosmic sky. The unpredictability of their transient behaviour has been a study of much interest in the recent years. While significant progress has been made in this direction, a more complete understanding of such events is often hampered by the delay in the rapid follow-up of any transient event. An efficient way to mitigate this constraint would be to devise a way for onboard detection of such transient phenomenon. The Wide Field Imager (WFI), which is a part of the upcoming X-ray mission Athena, with its 40' X 40' field of view can add some valuable contribution to this In this work, we aim to discuss an algorithm for the on-board detection of X-ray transients with WFI. We will also present a few test cases for the feasibility test of that algorithm on Swift-XRT data. Finally, we discuss what type of X-ray transients are best suited for onboard detection from WFI, their probability of detections and the useful science that can follow.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #231
- Pub Date:
- January 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AAS...23144705P