0000000001153412
AUTHOR
J. Reeves
The Voyage of Metals in the Universe from Cosmological to Planetary Scales: the need for a Very High-Resolution, High Throughput Soft X-ray Spectrometer
Metals form an essential part of the Universe at all scales. Without metals we would not exist, and the Cosmos would look completely different. Metals are primarily born through nuclear processes in stars. They leave their cradles through winds or explosions, and then start their journey through space. This can lead them in and out of astronomical objects on all scales, ranging from comets, planets, stars, entire galaxies, groups and clusters of galaxies to the largest structures of the Universe. Their wanderings are fundamental in determining how these objects, and the entire universe, evolve. In addition, their bare presence can be used to trace what these structures look like. The scope …
The NHXM observatory
Exploration of the X-ray sky has established X-ray astronomy as a fundamental astrophysical discipline. While our knowledge of the sky below 10 keV has increased dramatically (∼8 orders of magnitude) by use of grazing incidence optics, we still await a similar improvement above 10 keV, where to date only collimated instruments have been used. Also ripe for exploration is the field of X-ray polarimetry, an unused fundamental tool to understand the physics and morphology of X-ray sources. Here we present a novel mission, the New Hard X-ray Mission (NHXM) that brings together for the first time simultaneous high-sensitivity, hard-X-ray imaging, broadband spectroscopy and polarimetry. NHXM will…
The flaring afterglow of GRB 050730
We present a detailed spectral and temporal analysis of Swift and XMM-Newton observations of GRB 050730. The X-ray afterglow of GRB 050730 was found to decline with time with intense flaring activity superimposed. Evidence of flaring activity in the early UVOT optical afterglow, simultaneous with that observed in the X-ray band, was found. Strong spectral evolution in the X-ray energy band during the flaring activity was present.
Association Between Tumor Egfr and Kras Mutation Status and Clinical Outcomes in Nsclc Patients Randomized to Sorafenib Plus Best Supportive Care (BSC) or Bsc Alone: Subanalysis of the Phase III Mission Trial
ABSTRACT Background Tumor EGFR and KRas mutations are both predictive and prognostic biomarkers in patients with advanced NSCLC. We analyzed the correlation between these biomarkers and treatment outcomes in a phase III trial of 3rd/4th line sorafenib in patients with NSCLC. Methods The global, randomized, placebo-controlled MISSION trial enrolled 703 patients with advanced relapsed/refractory NSCLC of predominantly non-squamous histology. The primary study endpoint was overall survival (OS). EGFR and KRas mutations were analyzed in archival tumor samples and in circulating tumor DNA isolated from plasma. Results Tumor and/or plasma mutation data were available from 347 patients (49%). EGFR…
The European Photon Imaging Camera on XMM-Newton: The MOS Cameras
The EPIC focal plane imaging spectrometers on XMM-Newton use CCDs to record the images and spectra of celestial X-ray sources focused by the three X-ray mirrors. There is one camera at the focus of each mirror; two of the cameras contain seven MOS CCDs, while the third uses twelve PN CCDs, defining a circular field of view of 30 arcmin diameter in each case. The CCDs were specially developed for EPIC, and combine high quality imaging with spectral resolution close to the Fano limit. A filter wheel carrying three kinds of X-ray transparent light blocking filter, a fully closed, and a fully open position, is fitted to each EPIC instrument. The CCDs are cooled passively and are under full clos…