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Zhang, C.; Ling, Z. X.; Sun, X. J.; Sun, S. L.; Liu, Y.; Li, Z. D.; Xue, Y. L.; Chen, Y. F.; Dai, Y. F.; Jia, Z. Q.; Liu, H. Y.; Zhang, X. F.; Zhang, Y. H.; Zhang, S. N.; Chen, F. S.; Cheng, Z. W.; Fu, W.; Han, Y. X.; Li, H.; Li, J. F.; Li, Y.; Liu, P. R.; Ma, X. H.; Tang, Y. J.; Wang, C. B.; Xie, R. J.; Yan, A. L.; Zhang, Q.; Jiang, B. W.; Jin, G.; Li, L. H.; Qiu, X. B.; Su, D. T.; Sun, J. N.; Xu, Z.; Zhang, S. K.; Zhang, Z.; Zhang, N.; Bi, X. Z.; Cai, Z. M.; He, J. W.; Liu, H. Q.; Zhu, X. C.; Cheng, H. Q.; Cui, C. Z.; Fan, D. W.; Hu, H. B.; Huang, M. H.; Jin, C. C.; Li, D. Y.; Pan, H. W.; Wang, W. X.; Xu, Y. F.; Yang, X.; Zhang, B.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, W. D.; Zhao, D. H.; Bai, M.; Ji, Z.; Liu, Y. R.; Ma, F. L.; Su, J.; Tong, J. Z.; Wang, Y. S.; Zhao, Z. J.; Feldman, C.; O’Brien, P.; Osborne, J. P.; Willingale, R.; Burwitz, V.; Hartner, G.; Langmeier, A.; Müller, T.; Rukdee, S.; Schmidt, T.; Kuulkers, E.; Yuan, W.
Astrophysical journal. Letters, 12/2022, Volume: 941, Issue: 1Journal Article
Abstract As a novel X-ray focusing technology, lobster-eye micropore optics (MPO) feature both a wide observing field of view and true imaging capability, promising sky monitoring with significantly improved sensitivity and spatial resolution in soft X-rays. Since first proposed by Angel, the optics have been extensively studied, developed and trialed over the past decades. In this Letter, we report on the first-light results from a flight experiment of the Lobster Eye Imager for Astronomy, a pathfinder of the wide-field X-ray telescope of the Einstein Probe mission. The piggyback imager, launched in 2022 July, has a mostly unvignetted field of view of 18.°6 × 18.°6. Its spatial resolution is in the range of 4′–7′ in FWHM and the focal spot effective area is 2–3 cm 2 , both showing only mild fluctuations across the field of view. We present images of the Galactic center region, Sco X-1, and the diffuse Cygnus Loop nebular taken in snapshot observations over 0.5–4 keV. These are truly wide-field X-ray images of celestial bodies observed, for the first time, by a focusing imaging telescope. Initial analyses of the in-flight data show excellent agreement between the observed images and the on-ground calibration and simulations. The instrument and its characterization are briefly described, as well as the flight experiment. The results provide a solid basis for the development of the present and proposed wide-field X-ray missions using lobster-eye MPO.
