Science and Tech

NewAthena, an ambitious multi-messenger X-ray observatory to study the cosmos

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This new space observatory will combine data from light, gravitational waves and neutrinos to explore extreme phenomena in the universe.

NewAthena promises to revolutionize the observation of the cosmos. To do this, it will use multi-messenger astrophysics and will have two advanced instruments: a detector capable of mapping large areas of the sky in search of X-ray sources and an integral field unit, which will provide key data on the composition of cosmic objects.

The observatory, which is being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), has the participation, among other centers, of the Institute of Physics of Cantabria (IFCA, the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the University of Cantabria), and the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, of the CSIC), in Spain all these entities. The mission is expected to be officially adopted in 2027, with a launch projected around 2036-2037.

Now, a study carried out by an international team, led by Mike Cruise, from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, and which also includes, among others, Francisco Carrera, from the Cantabria Institute of Physics, and Nanda Rea, from the Institute of Space Sciences and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), defines the guidelines that this X-ray observatory must have to multiply the sensitivity and capabilities offered by current instruments.

“NewAthena is designed to revolutionize X-ray spectroscopy and mapping, allowing observations of cosmic phenomena with unprecedented precision,” says Francisco Carrera, who highlights the importance of this project “to answer some of the most fundamental questions in astrophysics.” modern.”

Artistic recreation of the space observatory with its preliminary design. (Image: ESA)

A leap towards multi-messenger astrophysics

The NewAthena mission will not only improve the study of According to Nanda Rea, this technology “will allow us to delve into topics such as the impact of stars on planetary habitability, the equation that governs matter in neutron stars, the production and distribution of metals in the cosmos, the mechanisms behind the cosmological evolution of baryons trapped in concentrations of dark matter, or the effects of supermassive black holes on galactic evolution.”

Among its technical features, NewAthena will have two advanced instruments: a wide-field detector capable of mapping large areas of the sky in search of X-ray sources, which will allow the physical properties of these regions to be studied efficiently; and an integral field unit, designed to obtain images and X-ray spectra at each point, providing key data on the composition and physical state of cosmic objects.

The NewAthena mission builds on decades of collaboration between international space agencies such as ESA, NASA in the United States and JAXA in Japan, as well as scientific and technical work from institutions around the world. For Silvia Martínez, manager of the Athena Community Office (ACO), “this joint effort promises to open a new era in astronomical observation, consolidating NewAthena as a key reference in the next generation of space missions.”

“For young people interested in space science, this is an opportunity to contribute to a project that will redefine our understanding of the universe,” Carrera concludes.

The study by Cruise, Carrera, Rea and their colleagues is titled “The NewAthena mission concept in the context of the next decade of X-ray astronomy.” And it has been published in the academic journal Nature Astronomy. (Source: IFCA / UC / ICE / CSIC)

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