From November 11th to 15th, 2024, Prague will host the AXRO 2024 international conference, bringing together leading experts in the field of X-ray astronomy. The conference aims to discuss the latest technologies for future X-ray satellites.

The AXRO (International Workshop on Astronomical X–Ray Optics) conference is organized by the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague. The conference will be held at Villa Lanna in Prague. It will feature 47 experts from seven countries – Europe and the United States – and this year will also include a significant representation of scientists from China, who will present preliminary results from the highly successful Einstein Probe satellite mission launched this year. The scientists will deliver 37 oral presentations and present 7 posters.

A list of all participating experts can be found on the conference website: https://axro.cz/index.php/conference/participants/. The conference is intended for representatives of research organizations, as well as innovative companies. The connection between science and industry is one of the themes of the conference.

The conference will also discuss scientific missions of the European Space Agency (ESA), in some cases with the participation of teams from the Czech Republic, including the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, such as the planned ATHENA and THESEUS space missions. The detailed program is available on the conference website: https://axro.cz/. Abstracts of the individual presentations are available at: https://axro.cz/index.php/conference/list-of-abstracts/.

Expanding the observational window into space with the X-ray spectrum has yielded crucial insights into phenomena in the universe, particularly those where matter is subjected to extreme conditions, such as near massive black holes. Intense X-ray radiation is produced by systems in which matter flows towards a neutron star, a black hole, or a white dwarf. In the distant universe (i.e., in other galaxies), these are often objects where a so-called gamma-ray burst is occurring (a special type of supernova, or a collision of two compact objects). Another type of X-ray source is active galactic nuclei.

The development of X-ray space optics has a long tradition in the Czech Republic, and Czech scientists have achieved internationally recognized results in this field. The first Czech astronomical X-ray lens was manufactured in 1970 – it was an optical system with a diameter of 50 mm for imaging the Sun in X-rays from the Vertikal high-altitude rocket. The AXRO conference, held annually in Prague at the end of the year, has a long tradition; this year's edition is the fifteenth, and it is considered a highly respected event and a meeting of top experts in the field, demonstrating the international recognition and reputation of Czech scientists from the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences in the field of high-energy astrophysics.

(Source: gnews - RoZ)