LOFT: the Large Observatory For X-ray Timing

Abstract

LOFT, the large observatory for X-ray timing, is a new mission concept competing with other four candidates for a launch opportunity in 2022-2024. LOFT will be performing high-time resolution X-ray observations of compact objects, combining for the first time an unprecedented large collecting area for X-ray photons and a spectral resolution approaching that of CCD-based X-ray instruments (down to 200 eV FWHM at 6 keV). The operating energy range is 2-80 keV. The main science goals of LOFT are the measurement of the neutron stars equation of states and the test of General Relativity in the strong field regime. The breakthrough capabilities of the instruments on-board LOFT will permit to open also new discovery windows for a wide range of Galactic and extragalactic X-ray sources. In this contribution, we provide a general description of the mission concept and summarize its main scientific capabilities.

8 pages, 6 figures. Proceedings of the invited talk at: IAU Symposium No. 290, 2012, "Feeding compact objects: Accretion on all scales"

References in corpus (1)

• SuperAGILE: the hard X-ray Imager for the AGILE space mission

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Towards grounding nuclear physics in QCD
• Multiwavelength Astronomy and CTA: X-rays
• Mass-radius constraints for compact stars and a critical endpoint
• Observations of Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients with LOFT
• Implications for compact stars of a soft nuclear equation of state from heavy-ion data
• Multi-resonance orbital model applied to high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations observed in Sgr A*