AGN Science with EXIST
Roger Blandford
KIPAC / Stanford Universtiy
rdb3@stanford.edu
Additional authors: AGN Science Working Group for the EXIST Mission
The Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST) proposes to conduct the first broad census of massive black holes in the nuclei of galaxies. Using the penetrating power of hard X-rays in combination with observations at infrared and optical wavelengths, it is proposed to measure the accretion luminosity density of the Universe and its cosmological evolution. It will also consider the manner in which massive black holes accrete, paying special attention to detecting the X-ray flares that are expected to be produced by tidally disrupted stars and the possible incidence of slow, Quasi-Periodic Oscilllations, similar in character to those seen from stellar black hole sources. The prospects for studying strong field gravity directly are under study. Trade studies that feed into the design of the mission, especially the energy range and the observing strategy, are under investigation.
