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arXiv · 2209.09763

The Einstein Probe Mission

Weimin Yuan·Chen Zhang·Yong Chen·Zhixing Ling
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Abstract

The Einstein Probe (EP) is a mission designed to monitor the sky in the soft X-ray band. It will perform systematic surveys and characterisation of high-energy transients and monitoring of variable objects at unprecedented sensitivity and monitoring cadences. It has a large instantaneous field-of-view (3,600 sq. deg.), that is realised via the lobster-eye micro-pore X-ray focusing optics. EP also carries a conventional X-ray focusing telescope with a larger effective area to perform followup observations and precise positioning of newly-discovered transients. Alerts for transient objects will be issued publicly and timely. The scientific goals of EP are concerned with discovering faint, distant or rare types of high-energy transients and variable sources. Within the confines of a modest-sized mission, EP will cover a wide range of scientific topics, from the nearby to high-redshift Universe. The Einstein Probe is a mission of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and also an international collaborative project. This paper presents the background, scientific objectives, and the mission design including the micro-pore optics and CMOS technologies adopted, the instruments and their expected performance, and the mission profile. The development status of the project is also presented.

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Weimin Yuan, Chen Zhang, Yong Chen, Zhixing Ling. 2022-09-20. The Einstein Probe Mission. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4544-0_151-1

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