X-ray grating spectroscopy as a mission enhancement
Abstract
We propose to add instruments to any potential future X-ray mission with focussing optics that is considered in NASA's ASTRA framework. Such an instrument is a necessity to study AGN wind outflows and feedback, find the missing baryons, study the intergalactic medium, and analyze abundances and chemical bonds in dust grains throughout the Milky Way. We conclude that those science goals can be achieved with a spectral resolving power > 3000 in the soft X-ray band (about 10-40 Ang) and an effective area a few times larger than current instruments. We describe a possible mission implementation for a soft X-ray grating spectrometer that can be folded in and out or be mounted permanently in the beam. Such an instrument can reach the requirements for a wide variety of host mission properties. A small UV imager and a UV spectrograph can be mounted on the same platform with independent optics. These added instruments vastly enhance the science capabilities of the host mission for a modest cost (100-200 million $) and with weight and power needs that can be easily accommodated in any major mission.
Related
- The future of high-resolution UV spectroscopy: Science with a UV Échelle spectrograph on the Habitable Worlds Observatory, or a dedicated mission
- Optimized Bragg Grating Liquid Crystal Solar Sail
- Proton acceleration at interplanetary shocks: A numerical study for the HENON mission
- Ensemble pulsational characteristics of eclipsing binaries containing β Cep stars observed by the TESS mission
- Exploring the faint limit of the ESA Plato space mission. A case study of extragalactic research with the self-lensing supermassive black hole binary candidate, Spikey
BibTeX
@misc{guenther2026xray,
title = {{X-ray grating spectroscopy as a mission enhancement}},
author = {Hans Moritz Guenther and Ehud Behar and Joel N. Bregman and Laura W. Brenneman and Alexander R. Bruccoleri and Lía Corrales and Elisa Costantini and Thomas Dauser and Casey T. DeRoo and Abraham D. Falcone and Adam R. Foster and Luigi Gallo and Catherine E. Grant and Sean J. Gunderson and Ralf K. Heilmann and David P. Huenemoerder and Maurice Leutenegger and Eric D. Miller and Michael Nowak and Frits Paerels and David A. Principe and Ioanna Psaradaki and Andrew Ptak and Agata Rozanska and Randall K. Smith and Pasquale Temi and Todd M. Tripp and Lynne Valencic and Joern Wilms and Scott J. Wolk},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2608.28804},
eprint = {2608.28804},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.28804},
note = {CC BY-SA 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - X-ray grating spectroscopy as a mission enhancement
AU - Hans Moritz Guenther
AU - Ehud Behar
AU - Joel N. Bregman
AU - Laura W. Brenneman
AU - Alexander R. Bruccoleri
AU - Lía Corrales
AU - Elisa Costantini
AU - Thomas Dauser
AU - Casey T. DeRoo
AU - Abraham D. Falcone
AU - Adam R. Foster
AU - Luigi Gallo
AU - Catherine E. Grant
AU - Sean J. Gunderson
AU - Ralf K. Heilmann
AU - David P. Huenemoerder
AU - Maurice Leutenegger
AU - Eric D. Miller
AU - Michael Nowak
AU - Frits Paerels
AU - David A. Principe
AU - Ioanna Psaradaki
AU - Andrew Ptak
AU - Agata Rozanska
AU - Randall K. Smith
AU - Pasquale Temi
AU - Todd M. Tripp
AU - Lynne Valencic
AU - Joern Wilms
AU - Scott J. Wolk
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/28
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2608.28804
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.28804
AB - We propose to add instruments to any potential future X-ray mission with focussing optics that is considered in NASA's ASTRA framework. Such an instrument is a necessity to study AGN wind outflows and feedback, find the missing baryons, study the intergalactic medium, and analyze abundances and chemical bonds in dust grains throughout the Milky Way. We conclude that those science goals can be achieved with a spectral resolving power > 3000 in the soft X-ray band (about 10-40 Ang) and an effective area a few times larger than current instruments. We describe a possible mission implementation for a soft X-ray grating spectrometer that can be folded in and out or be mounted permanently in the beam. Such an instrument can reach the requirements for a wide variety of host mission properties. A small UV imager and a UV spectrograph can be mounted on the same platform with independent optics. These added instruments vastly enhance the science capabilities of the host mission for a modest cost (100-200 million $) and with weight and power needs that can be easily accommodated in any major mission.
ER -