Summary

After over 13 years of tremendously productive operation, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) is scheduled for termination in 2009/2010. RXTE revealed a wealth of rapid variability phenomena at the natural time scales of neutron star surfaces and black hole event horizons, all of which probe the physics of ultradense matter, strongly curved spacetimes, and intense magnetic fields. However, it lacks the sensitivity to fully exploit these phenomena for fundamental physics. This splinter meeting will explore near-term prospects for X-ray timing after RXTE and will examine the longer-term science and technical case for proposed follow-on mission and instrument concepts including AXTAR, NICE, and IXO/HTRS.