Proposed Mission Concept for the Astrophysical Plasma-dynamic Explorer (APEX): An EUV High-Resolution Spectroscopic SMEX
EUVE and the ROSAT WFC have left a tremendous legacy in astrophysics at EUV wavelengths. More recently, Chandra and XMM-Newton have demonstrated at X-ray wavelengths the power of high-resolution astronomical spectroscopy, which allows the identification of weak emission lines, the measurement of Doppler shifts and line profiles, and the detection of narrow absorption features. This leads to a complete understanding of the density, temperature, abundance, magnetic, and dynamic structure of astrophysical plasmas. However, the termination of the EUVE mission has left a gaping hole in spectral coverage at crucial EUV wavelengths ({approx}100-300 Angstroms), where hot (10{sup 5}-10{sup 8} K) plasmas radiate most strongly and produce critical spectral diagnostics. CHIPS will fill this hole only partially as it is optimized for diffuse emission and has only moderate resolution (R{approx}150). For discrete sources, we have successfully flown a follow-on instrument to the EUVE spectrometer (A{sub eff} {approx}1 cm{sup 2}, R {approx}400), the high-resolution spectrometer J-PEX (A{sub eff} {approx}3 cm{sup 2}, R {approx}3000). Here we build on the J-PEX prototype and present a strawman design for an orbiting spectroscopic observatory, APEX, a SMEX-class instrument containing a suite of 8 spectrometers that together achieve both high effective area (A{sub eff}>20 cm{sup 2}) and high spectral resolution (R{approx}10,000) over the range 100-300 Angstroms. We also discuss alternate configurations for shorter and longer wavelengths.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 15014456
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-JRNL-205262; TRN: US200807%%809
- Journal Information:
- Published in: SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering, vol. 5164, none, December 1, 1993, pp. 1-16, Vol. 5164
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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