The X-IFU is a revolutionary X-ray spectrometer, one of the two instruments of the European Space Agency’s future space telescope, Athena. It will observe with X-ray eyes, the hot and energetic Universe, a world of clusters of galaxies, black holes, and exploding stars.
From the calcium in our bones to the iron in our blood, and oxygen we breathe, are largely the result of stellar processes, particularly supernovae. In the well known sentence “we are all made of stars,” we acknowledge our cosmic heritage and the role of these stellar explosions in making life possible.
L’événement a eu lieu le vendredi 4 octobre de 18h à minuit à la Cité de l’espace.
Massimo Cappi, Chair of the X-IFU Science Advisory Team (XSAT) and astrophysicist at INAF-OAS Bologna, looks back on his career and explains his role in the project.
"By improving spectral and angular resolutions, with such a large effective area, Athena X-IFU will represent a major step for X-ray astronomy."
Jiri Svoboda
Astronomer at the Astronomic Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences
"Every major leap in our observing capabilities in the past has led to unexpected discoveries, and I hope nature will not fail to surprise us also this time around."
Aurora Simionescu
Co-PI & Research Scientist at SRON, Netherlands
"Once Athena X-IFU will be launched, observation of the sky will be taken to a whole new level. The instrument should be able to reveal the origin of the universe!"
Teresa Mineo
Physicist at INAF, Italy
LinkedIn
X (ex-Twitter)
Youtube