XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer

Abstract

The past two decades have witnessed the rapid growth of our knowledge of the X-ray Universe thanks to flagship X-ray space observatories like XMM-Newton and Chandra. A significant portion of discoveries would have been impossible without the X-ray diffractive grating spectrometers aboard these two space observatories. We briefly overview the physical principles of diffractive grating spectrometers as the background to the beginning of a new era with the next-generation (diffractive and non-diffractive) high-resolution X-ray spectrometers. This chapter focuses on the Reflection Grating Spectrometer aboard XMM-Newton, which provides high-quality high-resolution spectra in the soft X-ray band. Its performance and excellent calibration quality have allowed breakthrough advancements in a wide range of astrophysical topics. For the benefit of new learners, we illustrate how to reduce RGS imaging, timing, and spectral data.