X-rays Studies of the Solar System

X-ray observatories contribute fundamental advances in Solar System studies by probing Sun-object interactions, developing planet and satellite surface composition maps, probing global magnetospheric dynamics, and tracking astrochemical reactions. Despite these crucial results, the technological limitations of current X-ray instruments hinder the overall scope and impact for broader scientific application of X-ray observations both now and in the coming decade. Implementation of modern advances in X-ray optics will provide improvements in effective area, spatial resolution, and spectral resolution for future instruments. These improvements will usher in a truly transformative era of Solar System science through the study of X-ray emission.Comment: White paper submitted to Astro2020, the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Surve

A new benchmark of soft X ray transition energies of Ne, CO2, and SF6 paving a pathway towards ppm accuracy

A key requirement for the correct interpretation of high resolution X ray spectra is that transition energies are known with high accuracy and precision. We investigate the K shell features of Ne, CO2, and SF6 gases, by measuring their photo ion yield spectra at the BESSY II synchrotron facility simultaneously with the 1s np fluorescence emission of He like ions produced in the Polar X EBIT. Accurate ab initio calculations of transitions in these ions provide the basis of the calibration. While the CO2 result agrees well with previous measurements, the SF6 spectrum appears shifted by amp; 8764;0.5 eV, about twice the uncertainty of the earlier results. Our result for Ne shows a large departure from earlier results, but may suffer from larger systematic effects than our other measurements. The molecular spectra agree well with our results of time dependent density functional theory. We find that the statistical uncertainty allows calibrations in the desired range of 1 10 meV, however, systematic contributions still limit the uncertainty to amp; 8764;40 100 meV, mainly due to the temporal stability of the monochromator energy scale. Combining our absolute calibration technique with a relative energy calibration technique such as photoelectron energy spectroscopy will be necessary to realize its full potential of achieving uncertainties as low as 1 10 me

High-Precision Determination of Oxygen K??Transition Energy Excludes Incongruent Motion of Interstellar Oxygen

We demonstrate a widely applicable technique to absolutely calibrate the energy scale of x-ray spectra with experimentally well-known and accurately calculable transitions of highly charged ions, allowing us to measure the K-shell Rydberg spectrum of molecular O-2 with 8 meV uncertainty. We reveal a systematic similar to 450 meV shift from previous literature values, and settle an extraordinary discrepancy between astrophysical and laboratory measurements of neutral atomic oxygen, the latter being calibrated against the aforementioned O-2 literature values. Because of the widespread use of such, now deprecated, references, our method impacts on many branches of x-ray absorption spectroscopy. Moreover, it potentially reduces absolute uncertainties there to below the meV level

X-rays Studies of the Solar System

X-ray observatories advance Solar System studies by probing Sun-object interactions, developing surface composition maps, probing magnetospheric dynamics, and tracking astrochemical reactions. Implementing modern X-ray optics in future instruments will foster a truly transformative era of Solar System science through the study of X-ray emission