The Mission Comparison Table:
How to choose the right mission for your research
The GOF has assembled the table below in order to help students and scientists who might want to propose for time, but are unfamiliar with all the available (or soon-to-be available) high-energy missions. XMM instruments and their specifications, when relevant to the researcher's interests, are in blue. Other missions and their relevant specifications are in orange. Links to potentially useful webpages are given.
Please note that this is intended as a general pointer, and potential PIs should first carefully consider their science and each missions' strengths and weaknesses before making any decisions. Chandra, in particular, offers many instruments and configurations, and potential users are urged to familiarize themselves with exactly what is available.
| I want to do... | I should look at... | Energy range | Timing Resolution | Spectral Resolving Power (E/ΔE or λ/Δλ) | Angular Resolution | Field of View | All Sky Monitoring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| imaging in a large field of view, in soft-medium energy X-rays, with moderate spectral resolution (no gratings/calorimeters) | eROSITA | 0.2-10 keV | ~50 ms | 5-60 | ~18-26'' | 1.03 deg x 1.03 deg | no |
| XRISM/Xtend | 0.4-12 keV | ... | ~30 at 6 keV | ≤1.7' (Half Power Diameter) | ≥30'x30' | no | |
| Chandra/ACIS-I | 0.2-10 keV | 0.2-10.0 s (3.2 s nominal) | 10-20 | 0.5'' | 16.9'x16.9' | no | |
| XMM/EPIC | 0.3-12 keV | ≤ 2.6 s | ~ 20-50 | 4.1'' | 33'x33' | no | |
| imaging in a large field of view, in hard energy X-rays, with moderate spectral resolution (no gratings/calorimeters) | NuSTAR | 3-79 keV | ~1 ms | 25-76 | 18'' | ≤ 10' | no |
| ART-XC | 4-30 keV | 23 μs | 10 at 14 keV | 53'' | 36'x36' | no | |
| imaging, in medium energy X-rays, with high angular resolution | Chandra/ACIS-S | 0.2-10 keV | 0.2-10.0 s (3.2 s nominal) | 15-40 | 0.5'' | 8.3'x8.3' | no |
| optical/UV photometry | Neil Gehrels Swift UVOT | 1800 - 6000 Å | 0.5 s | < 150 | ~1'' | ~17' | no |
| XMM/OM | 1800 - 6000 Å | 0.5 s | ~ 180 | ~1'' | ~17' | no | |
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| spectroscopy, in soft energy X-rays, with high spectral resolution | Chandra/LETG-HRC-S | 0.07-10 keV | ~10 ms in default mode; 16μs in HRC-S Imaging mode, center segment only | ≥1000 for λ=50-160 Å, ~20xλ=3-50 Å | ... | 3.4'x99' | no |
| XMM/RGS | 0.33-2.5 keV | 2.6 s | 100-500 | ... | 5' | no | |
| spectroscopy, in medium energy X-rays, with high spectral resolution | Chandra/HETG-ACIS-S | 0.4-10 keV | 3.2 s | 65-1070 | ... | 8.3'x50.6' | no |
| XRISM/Resolve | 0.3-12 keV | ≤ 1 ms | ~1200 at 6 keV | ≤ 1.7' (Half Power Diameter) | 2.9'x2.9' | no | |
| XMM/RGS | 0.33-2.5 keV | 2.6 s | 100-500 | ... | 5' | no | |
| optical/UV spectroscopy | Neil Gehrels Swift UVOT | 1800 - 6000 Å | 0.5 s | < 150 | ~1'' | ~17' | no |
| XMM/OM | 1800 - 6000 Å | 0.5 s | ~ 180 | ~1'' | ~17' | no | |
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| X-ray timing studies | NICER | 0.2-12 keV | 300 ns | ~100-400 | 5' | 30'x30' | no |
| XMM/EPIC | 0.3-12 keV | 0.03 ms, up to 0.007 ms | ~20-50 | 4.1'' | 33'x33' | no | |
| a search for γ-ray transients | Fermi | 8 keV - 300 GeV | 2 μs | ~10-20 | < 3 degrees | <9.5 steradians | yes |
| a search for X-ray transients | Neil Gehrels Swift | 0.2 - 10 keV | 2.2 ms | ~50 | 18'' | 23.6'x23.6' | yes |
If you have any questions concerning XMM-Newton send email to xmmhelp@athena.gsfc.nasa.gov
