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MAXI: Monitor of All-Sky X-Ray Image

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Handbook of X-ray and Gamma-ray Astrophysics

Abstract

Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) is the X-ray all-sky monitor on the International Space Station (ISS).

It has been continuously scanning almost the entire sky in every ISS orbit (92 minutes) since August, 2009.

MAXI has two instruments; Gas Slit Camera (GSC) and Solid-state Slit Camera (SSC).

Both utilize slit-camera optics.

For the one-dimensional position sensitive X-ray detector, GSC uses gas proportional counters while SSC uses CCDs.

The 3-σ detection limit in 3-10 keV for one GSC scan and for one day are 60-100 mCrab and 12–15 mCrab, respectively.

The MAXI/GSC Nova-Alert System is used for the automated nova search.

MAXI detected X-ray time variabilities from a variety of objects from flaring stars to extragalactic objects.

As of September, 2022, MAXI has discovered 31 new X-ray objects including 14 black-hole binaries, 13 neutron-star binaries, and one white-dwarf binary.

The 7-year GSC catalog (3MAXI), 4-year SSC catalog (1MAXIS) and CCD diffuse X-ray map were compiled.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. RIKEN, Wako, Saitama, Japan

    Tatehiro Mihara

  2. Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan

    Hiroshi Tsunemi

  3. Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan

    Hitoshi Negoro

Authors
  1. Tatehiro Mihara
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  2. Hiroshi Tsunemi
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  3. Hitoshi Negoro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tatehiro Mihara .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Cosimo Bambi

  2. Inst. for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Andrea Santangelo

Section Editor information

  1. Former staff, European Space Agency, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

    Arvind Parmar

  2. IAAT, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany

    Andrea Santangelo

  3. IHEP/CAS, Beijing, China

    Shuang Nan Zhang

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Mihara, T., Tsunemi, H., Negoro, H. (2022). MAXI: Monitor of All-Sky X-Ray Image. In: Bambi, C., Santangelo, A. (eds) Handbook of X-ray and Gamma-ray Astrophysics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4544-0_38-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4544-0_38-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-4544-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-16-4544-0

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