biology

LOFT

LOFT is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand LOFT rather than just read about it. In short: The Large Observatory for X-ray Timing (LOFT) is a proposed ESA space mission originally slated to launch around 2022, and now proposed to launch around 2025. The mission will be devoted to the study of neutron stars, black holes and other compact objects by means of their very rapid X-ray variability.

Key takeaways

LOFT belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect LOFT to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of LOFT from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Large Observatory for X-ray Timing (LOFT) is a proposed ESA space mission originally slated to launch around 2022, and now proposed to launch around 2025. The mission will be devoted to the study of neutron stars, black holes and other compact objects by means of their very rapid X-ray variability. LOFT is supported by a large international collaboration, led by researchers spread over most of the European countries, including Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Spain, and with contributions from Brazil, Canada, Israel, United States and Turkey. SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research acts as principal investigator. The mission was submitted to the ESA Cosmic Vision M3 call for proposals, and was selected, together with other three missions, for an initial Assessment Phase. On February 19, 2014, the PLATO mission was selected in favour of the other candidates in the programme, including LOFT. In spite of this, LOFT has been submitted to the Cosmic Vision M4 call for proposals for a planned launch date of 2025, if selected.

Mission architecture The Large Observatory for X-ray Timing mission comprises two instruments.

Large Area Detector (LAD), a 10 m2 collimated X-ray detector Wide Field Monitor (WFM), a coded-mask wide field X-ray monitor The Large Area Detector (LAD) achieves an effective area of ~10 m2 (more than an order of magnitude larger than current spaceborne X-ray detectors, e.g. RXTE) in the 2-50 keV range, yet still fitting a conventional platform and small/medium-class launcher, thanks to the monolithic design of its large area Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD). The Wide Field Monitor (WFM) is a coded mask X-ray monitor with a large field of view (observing about 50% of the sky available to the LAD at any time), and is also based on the Silicon Drift Detector technology. Its operating energy range is the same of the LAD, i.e. 2-50 keV.

Objectives The main scientific objectives of LOFT are:

the determination of the neutron star structure and its equation of state the study of the physics in strong gravitational fields, e.g. in the accretion disks around black holes the direct measurements of black hole mass and spin Besides these topics, LOFT will in general study the X-ray spectra and variability for a wide range of astrophysical sources, e.g. magnetars, active galactic nuclei, cataclysmic variables, X-ray transients and gamma-ray bursts. The capabilities of LOFT it possibly able to provide new breakthroughs in a wide range of Astrophysical research areas.

See also EChO MarcoPolo-R STE-QUEST List of proposed space observatories

References

External links Four candidates selected for the next medium-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision Official website LOFT Supporters Newsletter Archived 2013-01-05 at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with LOFT

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what LOFT claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to LOFT before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about LOFT ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of LOFT

In research: LOFT appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses LOFT in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: LOFT is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cancelled satellites, Cancelled space telescopes, Cosmic Vision, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for LOFT outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study LOFT in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what LOFT means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain LOFT out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is LOFT in simple terms?

Why does LOFT matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study LOFT?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on LOFT.