Speaker
Description
Dust is a minor constituent of our Galaxy but dominates our view of it. To understand its key role in the lifecycle and energy balance of interstellar matter, we must understand its properties and processing.
X-ray spectroscopy provides a unique tool to study the properties of interstellar dust. The X-ray band contains absorption edges of important components of interstellar dust, such as C, O, Mg, Si, S, Ca and Fe. X-ray absorption fine structures (XAFS) in the edges reveal a wealth of information about interstellar dust properties, e.g. chemical composition, crystallinity and grain size. X-ray binaries are used as background lights to analyse the intervening dust along several Galactic sightlines. XMM Newton and Chandra opened a new window to study interstellar dust using X-ray spectroscopy, allowing to study the Fe L, O K, Mg K and Si K edges. Observations of Galactic X-ray binaries and the development of an X-ray dust database [Costantini 2013] facilitated the exploration of dust in the central part of the Galaxy [e.g. Zeegers 2019, Rogantini 2020], as well as several diffuse sightlines [e.g. Psaradaki 2020, 2023].
XRISM (launched in 2023) and the upcoming NewAthena observatory (2037) allow us to observe the XAFS features at higher energies in the edges of S K, Ca K and Fe K in unprecedented detail. This talk gives an overview of current and future explorations of dust features with XRISM and NewAthena. I will present new dust models that contain different size distributions [Vaia et al. submitted 2026] and new laboratory measurements [Zeegers, Chu et al. in prep.]. Furthermore, I will summarize the impact of X-ray spectroscopy on our knowledge of interstellar dust.
| Talk category | NOVA Network 2 |
|---|---|
| Second preference | Splinter 2: Supporting Europe's astronomical future |
