Development of x-ray microcalorimeter imaging spectrometers for the X-ray Surveyor mission concept

Simon R. Bandler, Joseph S. Adams, James A. Chervenak, Aaron M. Datesman, Megan E. Eckart, Fred M. Finkbeiner, Richard L. Kelley, Caroline A. Kilbourne, Gabriele Betancourt-Martinez, Antoine R. Miniussi, Frederick S. Porter, John E. Sadleir, Kazuhiro Sakai, Stephen J. Smith, Thomas R. Stevenson, Nicholas A. Wakeham, Edward J. Wassell, Wonsik Yoon, Dan Becker, Douglas BennettWilliam B. Doriese, Joseph W. Fowler, Johnathan D. Gard, Gene C. Hilton, Benjamin Mates, Kelsey M. Morgan, Carl D. Reintsema, Daniel Swetz, Joel N. Ullom, Saptarshi Chaudhuri, Kent D. Irwin, Sang Jun Lee, Alexey Vikhlinin

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Four astrophysics missions are currently being studied by NASA as candidate large missions to be chosen in the 2020 astrophysics decadal survey.1 One of these missions is the "X-Ray Surveyor" (XRS), and possible configurations of this mission are currently under study by a science and technology definition team (STDT). One of the key instruments under study is an X-ray microcalorimeter, and the requirements for such an instrument are currently under discussion. In this paper we review some different detector options that exist for this instrument, and discuss what array formats might be possible. We have developed one design option that utilizes either transition-edge sensor (TES) or magnetically coupled calorimeters (MCC) in pixel array-sizes approaching 100 kilo-pixels. To reduce the number of sensors read out to a plausible scale, we have assumed detector geometries in which a thermal sensor such a TES or MCC can read out a sub-array of 20-25 individual 1" pixels. In this paper we describe the development status of these detectors, and also discuss the different options that exist for reading out the very large number of pixels.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016
Subtitle of host publicationUltraviolet to Gamma Ray
EditorsMarshall Bautz, Tadayuki Takahashi, Jan-Willem A. den Herder
PublisherSPIE
ISBN (Electronic)9781510601895
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016
Externally publishedYes
EventSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray - Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Duration: Jun 26 2016Jul 1 2016

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume9905
ISSN (Print)0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)1996-756X

Conference

ConferenceSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityEdinburgh
Period6/26/167/1/16

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Keywords

  • hydra
  • microcalorimeter
  • multiplexing
  • X-ray Surveyor

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Development of x-ray microcalorimeter imaging spectrometers for the X-ray Surveyor mission concept'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this