We participate in several working groups aimed at preparing future ESA missions. These include:<\/p>\n
ATHENA<\/strong> \u2013 Advanced Telescope for High-ENergy Astrophysics<\/em> \u2013 will be an X-ray telescope designed to address the Cosmic Vision science theme ‘The Hot and Energetic Universe’. On \u00a02014, ATHENA was selected as the second L-class mission in ESA’s Cosmic Vision 2015\u201325 plan, with a launch foreseen in 2028. The mission has now entered the study phase; once the mission design and costing have been completed, it will eventually be proposed for ‘adoption’ around 2019, before the start of the construction phase.<\/p>\n XIPE<\/strong> \u2013 X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer<\/em> \u2013 is a new mission concept selected by ESA in June 2015 to undergo a 2 years-long assessment phase in the context of the Cosmic Vision M4 competition. The mission is devoted to the observation of celestial sources in X-rays via imaging X-ray polarimetry. It will study acceleration phenomena in supernovae, pulsar wind nebulae and jets, SPICA<\/strong> \u2013 Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0is a joint space mission of Japan and Europe which will be soon subnmitted to ESA in the framework of its Cosmic Vision M5 competition. The mission is optimized for mid- and far-infrared astronomy with a cryogenically cooled 2.5m telescope. Its high spatial resolution and unprecedented sensitivity in the mid- and far-infrared will enable us to address a number of key problems in present-day astronomy, ranging from the star-formation history of the universe to the formation of planets. Its main scientific goals include the study of the star-formation histroy across the Universe, the formation and evolution of AGN and their interaction\/impact on the host galaxy, and the study of the formation and evolution of planetary systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We participate in several working groups aimed at preparing future ESA missions. These include: ATHENA \u2013 Advanced Telescope for High-ENergy Astrophysics \u2013 will be an X-ray telescope designed to address the Cosmic Vision science theme ‘The Hot and Energetic Universe’. … Continue reading
\nX-ray emission in strong magnetic fields in cataclysmic variables, pulsars and magnetars as well as scattering in X-ray binaries and AGN, opening a new observational window for astrphysical sources of X-rays.<\/p>\n