2023-07-26 14:15:32
A new astronomical satellite called XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) will aim to break down high-energy light into its “colors” (in the X-ray range of the electromagnetic spectrum) and analyze each “color” of this “rainbow.” ”.
The mission will be led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
XRISM is scheduled to lift off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center on August 25, 2023 (or August 26 depending on the time zone).
Much of the work of XRISM will be based on a tool called Resolve. It is an X-ray microcalorimeter spectrometer resulting from the collaboration between NASA (US space agency) and JAXA.
Resolve measures the minute changes in temperature that occur when an X-ray strikes its 6-by-6-pixel detector. To measure that minuscule rise and determine the energy of the X-rays, the detector needs to be almost 273 degrees Celsius below zero, just a fraction of a degree above absolute zero. Absolute zero is the coldest temperature that the laws of physics allow.
Resolve’s cooling is achieved by a system based on liquid helium.
Artist’s impression of the XRISM astronomical satellite. (Image: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab)
By capturing thousands or even millions of X-rays from a cosmic source, Resolve can measure high-resolution spectra of the object. Spectra are measurements of the intensity of light over a range of energies. Prisms split visible light into its different energies, which we know better as the colors of the rainbow. In early spectrometers, prisms were used to search for spectral lines, which are produced when atoms or molecules absorb or emit energy.
Currently, astronomers use spectrometers, tuned to all kinds of light, to learn about the physical states, motions, and compositions of cosmic objects. Resolve will perform X-ray spectroscopy with energies between 400 and 12,000 electron volts. For comparison, the energies of visible light range from 2 to 3 electron volts.
Resolve will provide new insight into some of the most energetic astronomical objects in the universe.
XRISM is a collaborative mission between JAXA and NASA, with the participation of the ESA (European Space Agency) and other entities. (Source: NCYT from Amazings)
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