2024.01.10
News
Professor Yohko Tsuboi and Assistant Professor Tomokage Yoneyama: Releasing XRISM's First Light -- Launching the Project to Discover Unknown X-ray Sources Using the Soft X-ray Imager Xtend (XTS) --
On January 5, 2024, JAXA released first light observation data obtained with the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), which boards advanced instruments.
XRISM is international mission for X-ray observation which developed among Japan, the United States, and Europe. It was launched from JAXA's Tanegashima Space Center at 8:42:11 a.m. on September 7, 2023 (Japan Standard Time). After about four months of initial operations, including the start-up of onboard equipment and performance verification, the high spectral performance of the soft X-ray spectrometer (Resolve) has been demonstrated in this first light observation data (see the JAXA Web site).
The Tsuboi Laboratory of the Faculty of Science and Engineering of Chuo University has been participating in the XRISM project since its development phase. As a member of the XRISM Science Team, they will study stars and neutron stars from early phase of the XRISM observations.
XRISM is also equipped with Xtend, a soft X-ray imaging camera that covers a field of view of 38 arcmin squared, which is wider than the full moon. X-ray images obtained with this camera can be seen on the same JAXA Web site.
Professor Yohko Tsuboi proposed and is leading the Xtend Transient Search (XTS), an XRISM project to discover unknown X-ray sources using Xtend's wide field of view. XTS project is starting. Please look forward to XRISM's future achievements and the never-before-seen universe.
Figure 1: Galaxy cluster Abell 2319 is a system where two clusters of galaxies collide about 770 million light-years away in the northern constellation Cygnus. The image was acquired with XRISM/Xtend. Observations were made from October 14 to October 24, 2023. (Credit: JAXA)
Figure 2: X-ray spectrum of supernova remnant N132D in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy around 163,000 light-years away. The observations were made from December 4 to December 11, 2023. The background image is N132D, obtained with XRISM/Xtend. (Credit: JAXA)
For more information on XRISM's first light and operational status, please see JAXA's press release dated January 5, 2024.
Also visit the following site.
• - Tsuboi Laboratory, Astrophysics Laboratory, Department of Physics, School of Science and Engineering (Japanese only)
• - Fun! Fun! JAXA! XRISM/SLIM Special Web Site (Japanese only)
• - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) XRISM special Web site
• - European Space Agency (ESA) XRISM special Web site
