| Abstract: | THESEUS is a space mission concept aimed at exploiting Gamma-Ray Bursts for
investigating the early Universe and at providing a substantial advancement of
multi-messenger and time-domain astrophysics. These goals will be achieved
through a unique combination of instruments allowing GRBs and X-ray transients
detection over a broad FOV (more than 1sr) with 0.5-1 arcmin localization, an
energy band extending from several MeVs down to 0.3 keV and high sensitivity to
transient sources in the soft X-ray domain, as well as on-board prompt (few
minutes) follow-up with a 0.7 m class IR telescope with both imaging and
spectroscopic capabilities. THESEUS will be perfectly suited for addressing the
main open issues in cosmology such as, e.g., star formation rate and
metallicity evolution of the inter-stellar and intra-galactic medium up to
redshift $sim$10, signatures of Pop III stars, sources and physics of
re-ionization, and the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function. In
addition, it will provide unprecedented capability to monitor the X-ray
variable sky, thus detecting, localizing, and identifying the electromagnetic
counterparts to sources of gravitational radiation, which may be routinely
detected in the late ’20s / early ’30s by next generation facilities like
aLIGO/ aVirgo, eLISA, KAGRA, and Einstein Telescope. THESEUS will also provide
powerful synergies with the next generation of multi-wavelength observatories
(e.g., LSST, ELT, SKA, CTA, ATHENA). |
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