XEUS - the X-ray evolving universe spectroscopy mission

XEUS is under study by ESA as part of the Horizon 2000+ program to utilize the International Space Station (ISS) for astronomical applications. XEUS will be a long-term X-ray observatory with an initial mirror area of 6 m2 at 1 keV that will be grown to 30 m2 following a visit to the ISS. The 1 keV spatial resolution is expected to be 2–5″ HEW. XEUS will consist of separate detector and mirror spacecraft aligned by active control to provide a focal length of 50 m. A new detector spacecraft, complete with the next generation of instruments, will also be added after visiting the ISS. The limiting sensitivity will then be ∼4×10−18 erg cm−2 s−1 around 250 times better than XMM. The properties of a 350 eV (rest-frame) equivalent width Fe line from a 1044 erg s−1 AGN will be measurable out to z=10, paving the way for detailed spectroscopic X-ray studies of some of the earliest known objects.XEUS is under study by ESA as part of the Horizon 2000+ program to utilize the International Space Station (ISS) for astronomical applications. XEUS will be a long-term X-ray observatory with an initial mirror area of 6 m2 at 1 keV that will be grown to 30 m2 following a visit to the ISS. The 1 keV spatial resolution is expected to be 2–5″ HEW. XEUS will consist of separate detector and mirror spacecraft aligned by active control to provide a focal length of 50 m. A new detector spacecraft, complete with the next generation of instruments, will also be added after visiting the ISS. The limiting sensitivity will then be ∼4×10−18 erg cm−2 s−1 around 250 times better than XMM. The properties of a 350 eV (rest-frame) equivalent width Fe line from a 1044 erg s−1 AGN will be measurable out to z=10, paving the way for detailed spectroscopic X-ray studies of some of the earliest known objects.