Concepedia

Publication | Open Access

The eROSITA X-ray telescope on SRG

797

Citations

35

References

2020

Year

TLDR

Count: 4 sentences. Let's aggregate content per label. Let's craft: "The paper aims to describe eROSITA’s design and performance and to present its primary science goal of detecting large samples of galaxy clusters beyond redshift 1 to study large‑scale structure and test cosmological models, while also anticipating millions of AGN detections and broader astrophysical insights." That covers purpose. Mechanism: lines with Mechanism labels: - [Mechanism] line: "After the commissioning of the instrument and a subsequent calibration and performance verification phase, eROSITA started a survey of the entire sky on December 13, 2019." - [Mechanism] line: "By the end of 2023, eight complete scans of the celestial sphere will have been performed, each lasting six months." - [Purpose, Mechanism] line: same as above: detection of galaxy clusters etc.

Abstract

eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) is the primary instrument on the Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission, which was successfully launched on July 13, 2019, from the Baikonour cosmodrome. After the commissioning of the instrument and a subsequent calibration and performance verification phase, eROSITA started a survey of the entire sky on December 13, 2019. By the end of 2023, eight complete scans of the celestial sphere will have been performed, each lasting six months. At the end of this program, the eROSITA all-sky survey in the soft X-ray band (0.2--2.3\,keV) will be about 25 times more sensitive than the ROSAT All-Sky Survey, while in the hard band (2.3--8\,keV) it will provide the first ever true imaging survey of the sky. The eROSITA design driving science is the detection of large samples of galaxy clusters up to redshifts $z>1$ in order to study the large-scale structure of the universe and test cosmological models including Dark Energy. In addition, eROSITA is expected to yield a sample of a few million AGNs, including obscured objects, revolutionizing our view of the evolution of supermassive black holes. The survey will also provide new insights into a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, including X-ray binaries, active stars, and diffuse emission within the Galaxy. Results from early observations, some of which are presented here, confirm that the performance of the instrument is able to fulfil its scientific promise. With this paper, we aim to give a concise description of the instrument, its performance as measured on ground, its operation in space, and also the first results from in-orbit measurements.

References

YearCitations

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