9603347 Ricker This award supports a three year collaborative research project between Professor George Ricker, Center for Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Professor Katsuji Koyama of the Department of Physics at Kyoto University in Japan. The joint research project focuses on scientific preparations for the Astro-E mission, a Japan/USA orbiting observatory scheduled for launch by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) in Japan during February, 2000. The project will provide powerful X- ray spectroscopic capability through both a narrow-field high spectral resolution microcalorimeter instrument (the X- ray Spectrometer, XRS) and a wide-field, moderate resolution, imaging spectrometer (the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer, or XIS). This project places emphasis on development of the XIS. The scientific objectives of the XIS are two-fold: (1) it will provide wide field imaging and spatially resolved spectroscopy in support of observations with the microcalorimeter-based XRS, which is limited in lifetime by its cryogenics, and (2) it will expand upon the broad range of moderate resolution spectroscopic observations initiated by the Solid-State Imaging Spectrometer (SIS) successfully flown on the Astro-D mission. This award supports the non-hardware tasks associated with the experiment, which will be carried out with scientists in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. These tasks include XIS instrument calibration and testing efforts. As a result of the greater telescope area and improved angular telescope resolution for Astro-E, greatly improved sensitivity for the XIS is expected. Thus spectroscopic observations of fainter objects, or exploration of more members of a given class can be expected. The power of the XIS, as a unique observational tool, will be widely available to the entire US and Japanese astronomical community. Graduate students and young postdoctoral scientists will participate in all phases of the scientifi c and technical enterprise. It is anticipated that a number of publications will result from the collaboration. Through the exchange of ideas and technology, this project will broaden our base of knowledge and promote international understanding and cooperation. ***
