Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT)




Scientific objective

The main scientific objectives of Insight-HXMT are:

To scan the Galactic Plane to find new transient sources and to monitor the known variable sources.

To observe X-ray binaries to study the dynamics and emission mechanism in strong gravitational or magnetic fields.

To find and study gamma-ray bursts with its anti-coincidence CsI detectors.


Fig. Illustration of Cyg X-1, the most famous black hole X-ray Binary, which is the main target of Insight-HXMT.


Fig. Illustration of pulsars, which are main targets of Insight-HXMT.


Fig. Illustration of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB), which are main targets of Insight-HXMT.





Payloads

Insight-HXMT consists of three main payloads: the High Energy X-ray telescope (HE, NaI/CsI, 20-250 keV, 5100 cm2), the Medium Energy X-ray telescope (ME, Si-PIN, 5-30 keV, 952 cm2), and the Low Energy X-ray telescope (LE, SCD, 1-15 keV, 384 cm2).

All these three telescopes employ slat collimator technique. Using the Direct Demodulation method and scanning observations, Insight-HXMT can localize celestial sources from X-rays to soft gamma-rays with high spatial resolution; meanwhile the large detection area of these telescopes also allows for pointed observations with high statistics and high Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR).

Insight-HXMT will discover a large number of new transient X-ray sources and will study the temporal and spectral properties of accreting black hole and neutron star systems in more details than the previous X-ray missions.