New research grant for X-ray observatory to examine the Universe

OU researchers have been awarded £979,000 from the UK Space Agency to develop an X-ray observatory to get clearer images of the Universe.

The grant will allow the OU team led by Dr David Hall, Senior Lecturer in Physical Sciences, to continue their research into the European Space Agency Advanced Telescope for High-Energy Astrophysics (ATHENA), a large-scale mission to develop the next generation of X-ray observatory, which is due for launch in 2032.

The grant will run from April 2019 to March 2022 and address questions like:

• How does ordinary matter assemble into the large-scale structures we see today?
• How do black holes grow and shape the Universe?

“The funding will allow us to continue to develop the graded-Z radiation shielding for the Athena Wide Field Imager, contributing to the reduction in radiation background so that the instrument can achieve its science goals when subjected to the radiation environment in orbit,” said Dr Hall.

The OU team collaborated with Scherrer Institute, Switzerland on this project.

Read more about ATHENA

Read about OU research into Space Science