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"Constellation-X and JWST: Concurrent X-ray and Infrared Great Observatories"Great synergy has been enjoyed between NASA's current Great Observatories and we expect that this will continue in the next decade with the concurrent operation of both Constellation-X and JWST. The great increase in sensitivity offered by these two observatories, working in unison, will be required for a number of key science investigations, several of which we describe in this poster. For instance, although >SO% of the cosmic X-ray background is resolved at 2-8 keV in the deepest Chandra surveys, the peak of the cosmic X-ray background remains largely unexplained (at energies of 8-40 keV). There may be a significant population of obscured (perhaps Compton-thick) AGN that produce this part of the extragalactic background radiation, and Constellation-X's large collecting area and spectroscopic capabilities over the 1-40 keV bandpass will allow determination of the nature of the obscuring material. This obscured nuclear emission is expected to be re-emitted at longer wavelengths and hence mid-infrared (MIR) observations can be crucial to reveal obscured AGN emission. However, current photometric observations in the infrared are limited by contamination from star formation, and sensitive, moderate-to-high resolution IR spectroscopy (provided by JWST) will be required. In addition, the two observatories will make great advances in unraveling the nature of the highest redshift AGN (4 < z < 8; and possibly ~ 8dow)n to Seyfert luminosities and will probe the formation and evolution of galaxy groups and clusters (including important cosmological measurements). This poster describes these science areas and briefly touches upon the role of the various Con-X and JWST instruments in these science investigations.
Document ID
20080043902
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Hornschemeier, Ann
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
October 24, 2007
Subject Category
Astronomy
Meeting Information
Meeting: Astrophysics in the Next Decade
Location: Tucson, AZ
Country: United States
Start Date: October 24, 2007
End Date: October 27, 2007
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 390492.01.02
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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