Le X-IFU est un spectromètre à rayons X révolutionnaire. Il est l'un des deux instruments du futur télescope spatial de l'Agence spatiale européenne, NewAthena (Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics). Avec ses détecteurs à rayons X, le X-IFU observera l'Univers chaud et énergétique, un monde d'amas de galaxies, de trous noirs et d'étoiles en explosion.
A recent paper by Smith et al., “Transition-edge sensor characteristics in a modified bias circuit for multiplexed readout,”has been accepted […]
A major milestone has been reached beginning of October 2025 in the development of the Warm Front-End Electronics (WFEE) for […]
Image above : The CryoAC demonstration prototype integrated in the detectors flange of the Focal Plane Assembly Demonstration Model 1.1. […]
"En améliorant les résolutions spectrale et angulaire, avec une surface effective aussi grande, NewAthena X-IFU représentera une étape majeure pour l'astronomie des rayons X."
Jiri Svoboda
Astronome à l'Institut astronomique de l'Académie des sciences tchèque
« Chaque avancée majeure dans nos capacités d'observation par le passé a conduit à des découvertes inattendues, et j'espère que la nature ne manquera pas de nous surprendre à nouveau cette fois-ci."
Aurora Simionescu
Co-PI et Chercheuse au SRON, Pays-Bas
"Une fois que NewAthena X-IFU sera lancée, l'observation du ciel atteindra un tout nouveau niveau. L'instrument devrait être en mesure de révéler l'origine de l'Univers !"
Teresa Mineo
Physicienne à l'INAF, Italie
"X‑IFU will let us listen to the heartbeat of the hot Universe and will turn the high‑energy Universe into a resolved, interpretable landscape—revealing what was once invisible."
Maria Teresa Ceballos
Co-I & CSIC Researcher, Astrophysicist, Instituto de Física de Cantabria (IFCA)
"X‑IFU delivers ultra‑clear X‑ray vision and detailed spectra in every pixel, revealing how galaxies, clusters, and black holes evolve. Powered by cryogenic detectors and Athena's large telescope, it's made possible by a tightly integrated, global collaboration driving the future of X‑ray astronomy."
Pourya Khosropanah
Co-I & XIFU/NL Project Manager, Instrument Science Group SRON Netherlands Institutes for Space Research
"It's been more than 10 years since Athena was approved, gray hairs, but still the same enthusiasm in promoting the performance of X-IFU to deliver great science."
Marco Barbera
Co-I & Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Università degli Studi di Palermo, INAF, Italy
"The fun fact about the Hot Universe is that we need very cold instruments to observe it. But when it comes to building them, the fun starts to get a little tricky."
Yann Parot
Co-I X-IFU instrument, DRE system engineer, IRAP, Toulouse
"Thanks to X-IFU the understanding of the evolution of the balck holes and galaxies will get to another level. As a cryogenic guy, being the coldest point of the universe once it is launched is quite exciting."
Sylvain Martin
Co-I X-IFU instrument, Sub-Kelvin cooler provider, CEA-DSBT, Grenoble
"Since the beginning of Athena X-IFU, developing the WFEE is an exciting challenge at the intersection of cryogenic instrumentation, low-noise electronics, and astrophysics. These technologies will help reveal a new view of the hot and energetic Universe."
Damien Prêle
Co-I X-IFU instrument & WFEE Project Leader at APC CNRS, Université Paris Cité
"New Athena and its X-IFU will allow us to dream of new discoveries on the extreme Universe. Its unprecedented energy resolution and sensitivity will reveal the finest details of the most interesting regions in our Galaxy and on AGNs. It has been already a long time since the beginnings with Xeus, but now it's becoming a reality."
J. Miguel Mas Hesse
Co-I & Astrophysicist at Spanish Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA)
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