NASA's Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) is now close to launch. The X-ray optics of AXAF give as large a step in resolution as from ground-based optical telescopes to Hubble Space Telescope. This increase in power was driven initially by the quest to detect faint sources, some 10 times fainter than the deepest ROSAT surveys, with the hope of resolving the X-ray background - still ~30% unresolved. The precise (<0.5arcsec) positioning of AXAF will enable identifications of sources to be unambiguous. This will make it quite simple to find new classes of X-ray sources, of which we give some examples. Some prospects for even deeper surveys are also given.

Back to the programme
Main workshop page