High-sensitivity wide-band X-ray spectroscopy is the key feature of the Suzaku X-ray observatory, launched on 2005 July 10. This paper summarizes the spacecraft, in-orbit performance, operations, and data processing that are related to observations. The scientific instruments, the high-throughput X-ray telescopes, X-ray CCD cameras, non-imaging hard X-ray detector are also described.

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High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with Hitomi was expected to resolve the origin of the faint unidentified » E 3.5 keV emission line reported in several low-resolution studies of various massive systems, such as galaxies and clusters, including the Perseus cluster. We have analyzed the Hitomi first-light observation of the Perseus cluster. The emission line expected for Perseus based on the XMM-Newton signal from the large cluster sample under the dark matter decay scenario is too faint to be detectable in the Hitomi data. However, the previously reported 3.5 keV flux from Perseus was anomalously high compared to the sample-based prediction. We find no unidentified line at the reported high flux level. Taking into account the XMM measurement uncertainties for this region, the inconsistency with Hitomi is at a 99% significance for a broad dark matter line and at 99.7% for a narrow line from the gas. We do not find anomalously high fluxes of the nearby faint K line or the Ar satellite line that were proposed as explanations for the earlier 3.5 keV detections. We do find a hint of a broad excess near the energies of high-n transitions of S XVI (  E 3.44 keV rest-frame)-a possible signature of charge exchange in the molecular nebula and another proposed explanation for the unidentified line. While its energy is consistent with XMM pn detections, it is unlikely to explain the MOS signal. A confirmation of this interesting feature has to wait for a more sensitive observation with a future calorimeter experiment.

We present a hard X-ray spectrum of unprecedented quality of the Galactic supernova remnant W49B obtained with the Suzaku satellite. The spectrum exhibits an unusual structure consisting of a saw-edged bump above 8 keV. This bump cannot be explained by any combination of hightemperature plasmas in ionization equilibrium. We firmly conclude that this bump is caused by the strong radiative recombination continuum (RRC) of iron, detected for the first time in a supernova remnant. The electron temperature derived from the bremsstrahlung continuum shape and the slope of the RRC is ∼1.5 keV. On the other hand, the ionization temperature derived from the observed intensity ratios between the RRC and Kα lines of iron is ∼2.7 keV. These results indicate that the plasma is in a highly overionized state. Volume emission measures independently determined from the fluxes of the thermal and RRC components are consistent with each other, suggesting the same origin of these components.

We show that the expansion of ejecta in Tycho's supernova remnant (SNR) is consistent with a spherically symmetric shell, based on Suzaku measurements of the Doppler broadened X-ray emission lines. All the strong Kα line emission show broader widths at the center than at the rim, while the centroid energies are constant across the remnant (except for Ca). This is the pattern expected for Doppler broadening due to expansion of the SNR ejecta in a spherical shell. To determine the expansion velocities of the ejecta, we applied a model for each emission line feature having two Gaussian components separately representing red-and blue-shifted gas, and inferred the Doppler velocity difference between these two components directly from the fitted centroid energy difference. Taking into account the effect of projecting a three-dimensional shell to the plane of the detector, we derived average spherical expansion velocities independently

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The ⌳ 13 C hypernucleus was studied by measuring ␥ rays in coincidence with the 13 C(K Ϫ , Ϫ ) reaction. ␥ rays from the 1/2 Ϫ and 3/2 Ϫ states, which are the partners of the spin-orbit doublet states with a predominant configuration of ͓ 12 C g.s. (0 ϩ ) p ⌳ ͔, to the ground state were measured. The splitting of the states was found to be ⌬E(1/2 Ϫ Ϫ3/2 Ϫ )ϭϩ152Ϯ54(stat)Ϯ36(syst) keV. This value is 20-30 times smaller than that of single particle states in nuclei around this mass region. The j ⌳ ϭl ⌳ Ϫ1/2͓(p 1/2 ) ⌳ ͔ state appeared higher in energy, as in normal nuclei. The value gives new insight into the Y N interaction. The excitation energies of the 1/2 Ϫ and 3/2 Ϫ states were obtained as 10.982Ϯ0.031(stat)Ϯ0.056(syst) and 10.830Ϯ0.031(stat)Ϯ0.056(syst) MeV, respectively. We also observed ␥ rays from the 3/2 ϩ state, which has a ͓ 12 C(2 ϩ ) s ⌳ ͔ configuration, to the ground state in ⌳ 13 C. The excitation energy of the 3/2 ϩ state was obtained as 4.880Ϯ0.010(stat) Ϯ0.017(syst) MeV. Nuclear ␥ rays with energies of 4.438 and 15.100 MeV had similar yields, which suggests that a quasifree knockout of a ⌳ particle is dominant in highly excited regions.

The in-orbit performance and calibration of the Hard X-ray Detector (HXD) on board the X-ray astronomy satellite Suzaku are described. Its basic performances, including a wide energy bandpass of 10–600 keV, energy resolutions of $\sim 4 \,\mathrm{keV}$ (FWHM) at 40 keV and $\sim 11\%$ at 511 keV, and a high background rejection efficiency, have been confirmed by extensive in-orbit calibrations. The long-term gains of PIN-Si diodes have been stable within 1% for half a year, and those of scintillators have decreased by 5–20%. The residual non-X-ray background of the HXD is the lowest among past non-imaging hard X-ray instruments in energy ranges of 15–70 and 150–500 keV. We provide accurate calibrations of energy responses, angular responses, timing accuracy of the HXD, and relative normalizations to the X-ray CCD cameras using multiple observations of the Crab Nebula.