EROSITA on SRG

Abstract

eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) is the core instrument on the Russian–German Spectrum‐Roentgen‐Gamma (SRG) mission, which is currently scheduled for launch in late 2017. eROSITA will perform a deep survey of the entire X‐ray sky. In the soft band (0.5–2 keV), it will be about 30 times more sensitive than ROSAT, while in the hard band (2–8 keV) it will provide the first ever true imaging survey of the sky. The design driving science is the detection of large samples of galaxy clusters up to redshifts z > 1 in order to study the large‐scale structure in the universe and test cosmological models including dark energy. In addition, eROSITA is expected to yield a sample of a few million active galactic nuclei, including obscured objects, revolutionizing our view of the evolution of supermassive black holes. The survey will also provide new insights into a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, including X‐ray binaries, active stars, and diffuse emission within the galaxy. The eROSITA flight model has passed calibration and integration and is currently (September 2016) in end‐to‐end testing just prior to its shipment to Russia.