Astronomy and Astrophysics Seminars

New Avenues for the Indian X-ray Astronomy

by Prof. Santosh Vadawale (PRL, Ahmedabad)

Tuesday, October 20, 2020 from to (Asia/Kolkata)
at Zoom link: ( https://zoom.us/j/93366207125?pwd=NXpoVVpZNU9WdDYyT1V5TlEwbmExZz09 (Meeting ID: 933 6620 7125, Passcode: 826648) )
Meeting ID: 933 6620 7125 Passcode: 826648
Description
The Indian X-ray astronomy has come a long way in the last five decades, starting with the initial but path-breaking balloon born observations from the TIFR group. The AstroSat mission is the culmination of the ceaseless efforts of the TIFR group, where all primary X-ray instruments have been designed and developed at TIFR. The AstroSat is operating highly successfully for the past five years and has made a mark at the international level with many unprecedented observations. Some discussions have already been initiated to chart the course of Indian X-ray astronomy beyond AstroSat and I am one of the key members of the group discussing various future possibilities. In this talk, I will discuss my views on the new avenues of the X-ray astronomy, which have emerged from the additional capabilities of AstroSat, namely - hard X-ray polarimetry and X-ray transient monitoring. I will begin with a brief introduction to the field and discuss recent advances made with CZTI. I will then focus on the near-term and long-term directions of the Indian X-ray astronomy program, which can carry forward the legacy of AstroSat and enable India to make a definite mark on the international level.