The Scientific Impact of High Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy

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A new era of high resolution X-ray spectroscopy began with the launches of Chandra and XMM-Newton in 1999. In the same way Chandra represents a factor of 100 improvement in spatial resolution compared to ASCA, the High and Low Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometers (HETGS/LETGS) aboard Chandra and the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) aboard XMM-Netwon represent factors of 5-400 improvement in X-ray spectral resolution. This overview talk for a special session on high resolution X-ray spectroscopy will discuss the dramatic science impact made possible by this advancement in capability.
We will briefly discuss the technical capabilities of these instruments, and specifically address how for certain science goals, gratings observations actually are "less expensive" than comparable signal-to-noise CCD observations. More importantly, we will discuss those kinds of measurements that are only achievable with high resolution spectroscopy. These include line-of-sight velocities (as small as 30 km s^{-1}!), velocity widths, detailed plasma diagnostics via line strengths and ratios, and detection of weak absorption lines. These have allowed sensitive studies of astrophysical plasmas in a wide variety of contexts: magnetically confined winds in stars, accretion flows and outflows in binaries and active galactic nuclei, and even studies of the inter-stellar and inter-galactic media. Doppler velocities have been used to make three-dimensional images of supernova remnants. More detailed discussions of the impact of gratings studies in these and other science areas will be the focus of the remainder of this special session.

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