|The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) is a collimated hard X-ray (20-200 keV) telescope
with the highest sensitivity and spatial resolution power in the world. It will perform an all-sky hard X-ray survey,
in which about 1000 new hard X-ray sources will be discovered, and sensitive pointed observations of important cosmic
X-ray sources including black holes and neutron stars.
HXMT is based on the direct demodulation (DD) method and the well developed NaI(Ti)/CsI(Na) phoswich
detecting techniques. The Phase A study of the HXMT mission has been jointly supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology
of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Tsinghua University since 2000. So far, all the key technical difficulties of
the telescope have been overcome, the ground prototype of HXMT has been constructed, and the balloon borne flight testing
has been finished. The platform HXMT will use is that of "Ziyuan II" (Earth Resource II) satellite series. This long-time
tested platform meets the requirements of HXMT very well, and there is no key technical difficulty that needs to be surmounted.
Therefore, HXMT is ready for develop and launch.