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Fast Facts

Performance Requirements

Parameter	Requirement	Science Drivers	Instruments
Mirror Effective Area	3 m² @1.25 keV 0.65 m² @ 6 keV 0.015 m² @ 30 keV	Black Hole Evolution Strong gravity Strong gravity
Spectral Resolution (FWHM), FOV, bandpass	ΔE = 2.5 eV, 2 arcmin, 0.3 – 7 keV ΔE = 10 eV, 5 arcmin, 0.3 – 7 keV ΔE =150 eV, 18 arcmin, 0.1– 15 keV E/ΔE = 3000, point src, 0.3 – 1 keV	Galaxy Cluster Evolution Cosmic Feedback Black Hole Evolution Cosmic Web	XMS XMS WFI/HXI XGS
Angular Resolution	5 arcsec HPD, 0.3 – 7 keV 5 arcsec HPD, 0.3 – 7 keV 30 arcsec HPD, 7.0 – 40 keV	Cosmic feedback, Black Hole Evolution Strong Gravity	XMS WFI/HXI WFI/HXI
Count Rate	10⁶ cps with < 10% deadtime	Neutron Star Equation of State	HTRS
Polarimetry	1% MDP, 100 ksec, 5×10^-12 cgs (2–6 keV)	Strong Gravity	XPOL

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Science Themes

Effective Area Plot & Resolution Plot

Plot of the effective area of the IXO mirror and focal plane instruments compared to those of current X-ray observatories, showing the large improvement at all energies. Credit: NASA/GSFC. Click the image for a larger view

Plot of the spectral resolution of the IXO calorimeter and grating (lower limit) compared to current X-ray observatories. The bottom panel shows the emission lines of the various elements in the energy range 0.1-3.0 keV (color) and their sum (black). Credit: NASA/GSFC. Click the image for a larger view

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Mission Overview

IXO will orbit 800,000 km around the L2 libration point
The IXO satellite will launch on either an Atlas V or Ariane 5 rocket
The IXO focal length will be 20 m
IXO has a 5 year lifetime requirement, but will carry a 10-year supply of consumables in anticipation of a longer lifetime
IXO is targeted to launch in 2021

IXO Quick Reference Guide »

Science Payload

The X-ray optics on IXO will be grazing incidence optics, with two possibilities (segmented glass and silicon pore optics)
IXO has following instruments under study:
1. X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (XMS)
2. Wide Field Imager (WFI)
3. Hard X-ray Imager (HXI)
4. X-ray Grating Spectrometer (XGS)
5. High Resolution Timing Spectrometer (HTRS)
6. X-ray Polarimeter (XPOL)

IXO Astro2010 Decadal submissions

Available from here »