Einstein Probe is a small mission dedicated to time-domain high-energyastrophysics. Its primary goals are to discover high-energy transients and tomonitor variable objects in the $0.5-4~$keV X-rays, at higher sensitivity byone order of magnitude than those of the ones currently in orbit. Itswide-field imaging capability, featuring a large instantaneous field-of-view($60^\circ \times60^\circ$, $\sim1.1$sr), is achieved by using establishedtechnology of micro-pore (MPO) lobster-eye optics, thereby offeringunprecedentedly high sensitivity and large Grasp. To complement this powerfulmonitoring ability, it also carries a narrow-field, sensitive follow-up X-raytelescope based on the same MPO technology to perform follow-up observations ofnewly-discovered transients. Public transient alerts will be downlinkedrapidly, so as to trigger multi-wavelength follow-up observations from theworld-wide community. Over three of its 97-minute orbits almost the entirenight sky will be sampled, with cadences ranging from 5 to 25 times per day.The scientific objectives of the mission are: to discover otherwise quiescentblack holes over all astrophysical mass scales by detecting their rare X-raytransient flares, particularly tidal disruption of stars by massive black holesat galactic centers; to detect and precisely locate the electromagnetic sourcesof gravitational-wave transients; to carry out systematic surveys of X-raytransients and characterize the variability of X-ray sources. Einstein Probehas been selected as a candidate mission of priority (no further selectionneeded) in the Space Science Programme of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,aiming for launch around 2020.
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