Lobster telescope has an eye for x-rays (Forwarded)

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EMBARGOED FOR 00:01 BST, TUESDAY, 4 APRIL 2006 (23:01 GMT, MONDAY
3 APRIL)

Ref.: PN 06/16 (NAM 9)

LOBSTER TELESCOPE HAS AN EYE FOR X-RAYS

UK astronomers have been at the forefront of designing a
revolutionary new X-ray telescope that is based on the eyes of
a lobster. By replicating the crustacean's ability to observe
objects all around it without turning its head, scientists are
confident that the Lobster instrument will enable a major
breakthrough in X-ray astronomy.

The sky viewed at X-ray wavelengths is a violent and
unpredictable place. Many sources brighten without warning,
then vanish just as suddenly. Others vary cyclically over a
period that can range from minutes to years.

The ideal X-ray telescope, therefore, would observe "all the
sky, all of the time" -- an ideal which might seem unattainable,
but which is approached by the Lobster concept, to be described
by Dr. Nigel Bannister (University of Leicester) at the RAS
National Astronomy Meeting, University of Leicester, on 4 April.

"The great advantage of the Lobster design is an almost unlimited
field of view," said Dr. Bannister. "This makes it ideal for use
as an all-sky X-ray monitor."

In the 1970s, lobsters and some other crustacea were found to
view the world through remarkable eyes which focus light over a
very wide field of view by means of reflection, rather than by
refraction or bending of light, as in the human eye.

The lobster eye -- essentially an array of tube-like channels
with a square cross-section -- was proposed as the basis of an
X-ray "all-sky monitor" by Roger Angel of the University of
Arizona in 1977. However, it has taken almost 30 years -- and
nearly 15 years from the first successful X-ray measurements
with such structures in 1992 -- to perfect the optic technology.

Only now is it possible to consider the space missions described
by Nigel Bannister as practical propositions, with the Lobster
All-Sky X-ray Monitor successfully completing a detailed European
Space Agency (ESA) Phase-A study in 2005.

"The studies of Lobster conducted with ESA since 2001 suggest
that the instrument will have an impact on almost every area of
astrophysics," said Professor George Fraser, Director of the
University of Leicester Space Research Centre and leader of
the international team which has been studying Lobster.

"Originally, these studies concentrated on mounting the Lobster
telescope modules on the International Space Station (ISS), but
more recently we've been looking at a free-flying satellite
platform provided by the Russians."

Fraser points out that it has not been easy as a British
scientist leading a study for an ISS attached payload, since
the UK does not contribute to the ISS programme. There has
also been some scepticism regarding a collaboration with Russia
since the failure of the Russian Spectrum X-Gamma project in
the 1980s and 1990s.

"Nevertheless, I am confident that the Lobster concept will
eventually make its impact on astrophysics," he said.

"The scientific impact of Lobster will span all of astronomy --
from studies of the X-ray emission of comets to stars and
quasars, from regular X-ray binaries to the catastrophic
events of supernovæ and the enigmatic gamma-ray bursts.

"Through frequent re-observation of each point in the sky
during the lifetime of the mission, Lobster offers the
opportunity to perform deep, sensitive surveys of both
galactic and extra-galactic sources.

"This will lead to the collation of a "Lobster All-Sky
Catalogue" containing hundreds of thousands of sources,
including a significant population of objects for which
photometry on approximately 1 day timescales will be available.

"Such a rich catalogue of sources offers an unprecedented
opportunity to study the large-scale distribution of matter
in the Universe, probing possible links between supercluster
filamentary structures and the purported existence of dark
matter in the cosmos."

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The 2006 RAS National Astronomy Meeting is hosted by the
University of Leicester. It is sponsored by the Royal
Astronomical Society, the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy
Research Council (PPARC), the University of Leicester and
the National Space Centre, Leicester.

CONTACTS

Professor George Fraser
Director, University of Leicester Space Research Centre
Tel: +44 (0)116-252-3542

Prof. Fraser can be contacted via the NAM press office (see
above) on 5-7 April.

Dr. Nigel Bannister
University of Leicester
Tel: +44 (0)116-223-1043 (direct line) 252-3491 (secretary)

From 4 to 7 April, Dr. Bannister can be contacted via the NAM
press office (see above).

FURTHER INFORMATION AND IMAGES

Lobster web site at Univ. of Leicester:
http://www.src.le.ac.uk/projects/lobster