Abstract

Transients and variable sources pervade the X-ray universe, as spectacular outbursts. The study of high-energy transients has greatly advanced our understanding of the dynamic Universe. In recent years new phenomena continue to be discovered and appeal for observations on a large scale for characterisation, while others are highly expected and await discovery. I will discuss the key science questions presented by these new developments in wide-field time-domain high-energy astrophysics, as well as the novel micro-pore optics (MPO) technology that enables sensitive, wide-field monitoring of the X-ray sky. Last, I will introduce the Chinese initiative, the proposed Einstein Probe mission, and how it would expand the new frontiers in this exciting field.

  ( Dr. Weimin Yuan is a research scientist at Space Science Division, National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC). He received his PhD from Technology University of Munich (TUM)/Max-Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), Germany. Afterwards he worked at Tsukuba Space Center of JAXA, Japan, as a STA Postdoctoral Fellow, for the development of the MAXI mission (X-ray all-sky monitor currently operating on the International Space Station). He then moved to IoA, University of Cambridge, UK as a postdoctoral research associate. In 2004 He became a staff member at Yunnan Observatory, NAOC, CAS, and since 2010, he has been at NAOC headquarter in Beijing. His research has primarily focused on observational studies of black holes, accretion and jets in active galactic nuclei using mainly X-ray astronomical satellites. In recent years he has been interested in development of instrumentation in X-ray astronomy, and has been devoted to promoting Chinese space missions in time-domain high-energy astrophysics. )