Speaker
Description
The Galactic center (GC) is home to the largest known concentration of exotic X-ray sources ever identified in our Galaxy, including compact objects like cataclysmic variables (CVs) and low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), as well as thousands of faint X-ray sources whose nature is unclear. Recent studies indicate that the X-ray populations in the innermost region of our Galaxy vary over different spatial scales. However, to unambiguously classify those sources and their distributions, we need sensitive X-ray instruments whose capabilities include a combination of high angular and spectral resolution. The former is crucial for resolving compact sources in the crowded GC region and disentangling contamination from overlapping diffuse emission; the latter can allow us to differentiate between different source classes based on their emission line properties. NewAthena surveys will be capable of revolutionizing the study of Galactic center X-ray populations, and – by classifying an unprecedented number of X-ray point sources – exponentially increasing our knowledge of the different types of X-ray sources populating our Galaxy.
