X-ray Interferometry

X-ray Interferometry

For the astronomer, x-ray interferometry is the theory and practice of building dilute aperture telescopes for studying celestial x-ray sources. The short wavelengths and high surface brightness of x-ray sources will make the eventual scientific payoff very high, with direct imaging of the event horizons of black holes as the centerpiece. In this article we review the history of x-ray interfero...

X-ray Interferometry – Ultimate Imaging

X-ray Interferometry: Ultra High Resolution Astronomy

X-rays have tremendous potential for imaging at the highest angular resolution. The high surface brightness of many xray sources will reveal angular scales heretofore thought unreachable. The short wavelengths make instrumentation compact and baselines short. We discuss how practical x-ray interferometers can be built for astronomy using existing technology. We describe the Maxim Pathfinder and...

A practical system for X-ray Interferometry

X-ray interferometry has the potential to provide imaging at ultra high angular resolutions of 100 micro arc seconds or better. However, designing a practical interferometer which fits within a reasonable envelope and that has sufficient collecting area to deliver such a performance is a challenge. A simple system which can be built using current X-ray optics capabilities and existing detector ...

The MAXIM Pathfinder X-ray Interferometry Mission

The MAXIM Pathfinder (MP) mission is under study as a scientific and technical stepping stone for the full MAXIM X-ray interferometry mission. While full MAXIM will resolve the event horizons of black holes with 0.1 microarcsecond imaging, MP will address scientific and technical issues as a 100 microarcsecond imager with some capabilities to resolve microarcsecond structure. We will present th...