The High Energy Astronomy Observatory X-ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, R.; Austin, G.; Koch, D.; Jagoda, N.; Kirchner, T.; Dias, R.

1978-01-01

The High Energy Astronomy Observatory-Mission B (HEAO-B) is a satellite observatory for the purpose of performing a detailed X-ray survey of the celestial sphere. Measurements will be made of stellar radiation in the range 0.2 through 20 keV. The primary viewing requirement is to provide final aspect solution and internal alignment information to correlate an observed X-ray image with the celestial sphere to within one-and-one-half arc seconds. The Observatory consists of the HEAO Spacecraft together with the X-ray Telescope. The Spacecraft provides the required attitude control and determination system, data telemetry system, space solar power system, and interface with the launch vehicle. The X-ray Telescope includes a high resolution mirror assembly, optical bench metering structure, X-ray detectors, detector positioning system, detector electronics and aspect sensing system.

A normal incidence X-ray telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, Leon

1987-01-01

The postflight performance evaluation of the X-ray telescope was summarized. All payload systems and subsystems performed well within acceptable limits, with the sole exception of the light-blocking prefilters. Launch, flight and recovery were performed in a fully satisfactory manner. The payload was recovered in a timely manner and in excellent condition. The prefilter performance analysis showed that no X-ray images were detected on the processed flight film. Recommendations for improved performance are listed.

Multilayer X-ray imaging systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shealy, D. L.; Hoover, R. B.; Gabardi, D. R.

1986-01-01

An assessment of the imaging properties of multilayer X-ray imaging systems with spherical surfaces has been made. A ray trace analysis was performed to investigate the effects of using spherical substrates (rather than the conventional paraboloidal/hyperboloidal contours) for doubly reflecting Cassegrain telescopes. These investigations were carried out for mirrors designed to operate at selected soft X-ray/XUV wavelengths that are of significance for studies of the solar corona/transition region from the Stanford/MSFC Rocket X-Ray Telescope. The effects of changes in separation of the primary and secondary elements were also investigated. These theoretical results are presented as well as the results of ray trace studies to establish the resolution and vignetting effects as a function of field angle and system parameters.

The Imaging Properties of a Silicon Wafer X-Ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joy, M. K.; Kolodziejczak, J. J.; Weisskopf, M. C.; Fair, S.; Ramsey, B. D.

1994-01-01

Silicon wafers have excellent optical properties --- low microroughness and good medium-scale flatness --- which Make them suitable candidates for inexpensive flat-plate grazing-incidence x-ray mirrors. On short spatial scales (less than 3 mm) the surface quality of silicon wafers rivals that expected of the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) high-resolution optics. On larger spatial scales, however, performance may be degraded by the departure from flatness of the wafer and by distortions induced by the mounting scheme. In order to investigate such effects, we designed and constructed a prototype silicon-wafer x-ray telescope. The device was then tested in both visible light and x rays. The telescope module consists of 94 150-mm-diameter wafers, densely packed into the first stage of a Kirkpatrick-Baez configuration. X-ray tests at three energies (4.5, 6.4, and 8.0 keV) showed an energy-independent line spread function with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 150 arcseconds, dominated by deviations from large-scale flatness.

Sub-arcsec X-Ray Telescope for Imaging The Solar Corona In the 0.25 - 1.2 keV Band

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallagher, Dennis; Cash, Webster; Jelsma, Schuyler; Farmer, Jason

1996-01-01

We have developed an X-ray telescope that uses a new technique for focusing X-rays with grazing incidence optics. The telescope was built with spherical optics for all of its components, utilizing the high quality surfaces obtainable when polishing spherical (as opposed to aspherical) optics. We tested the prototype X-ray telescope in the 300 meter vacuum pipe at White Sands Missile Range, NM. The telescope features 2 degee graze angles with tungsten coatings, yielding a bandpass of 0.25-1.5 keV with a peak effective area of 0.8 sq cm at 0.83 keV. Results from X-ray testing at energies of 0.25 keV and 0.93 keV (C-K and Cu-L) verify 0.5 arcsecond performance at 0.93 keV. Results from modeling the X-ray telescope's response to the Sun show that the current design would be capable of recording 10 half arcsecond images of a solar active region during a 300 second NASA sounding rocket flight.

X ray imaging microscope for cancer research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B.; Shealy, David L.; Brinkley, B. R.; Baker, Phillip C.; Barbee, Troy W., Jr.; Walker, Arthur B. C., Jr.

1991-01-01

The NASA technology employed during the Stanford MSFC LLNL Rocket X Ray Spectroheliograph flight established that doubly reflecting, normal incidence multilayer optics can be designed, fabricated, and used for high resolution x ray imaging of the Sun. Technology developed as part of the MSFC X Ray Microscope program, showed that high quality, high resolution multilayer x ray imaging microscopes are feasible. Using technology developed at Stanford University and at the DOE Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Troy W. Barbee, Jr. has fabricated multilayer coatings with near theoretical reflectivities and perfect bandpass matching for a new rocket borne solar observatory, the Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array (MSSTA). Advanced Flow Polishing has provided multilayer mirror substrates with sub-angstrom (rms) smoothnesss for the astronomical x ray telescopes and x ray microscopes. The combination of these important technological advancements has paved the way for the development of a Water Window Imaging X Ray Microscope for cancer research.

A Preliminary Research on the Development of the Hard X-Ray Imaging Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, C. X.; Cai, M. S.; Hu, Y. M.; Huang, Y. Y.; Gong, Y. Z.

2014-03-01

Since the 1860s, astronomers have explored a new field with the discovery of X-ray. Instead of the conventional imaging technique by using mirrors or lens, which can not work in the high-energy bands, direct imaging, coded aperture, and Fourier transform are used for the high-energy imaging. It can be implemented in various hardware configurations, among which the spatial modulation collimator are widely used. We adopt the grating collimator based on Fourier transform that is discussed in detail. This paper makes an investigation on the fabrication process of grating. The key components of the hard X-ray telescope based on the spatial modulation are developed, which contains 8 CsI-detector modules, 8-channel shaping amplifiers, and data acquisition system. The preliminary test results of readout electronics system are obtained.

The Extended Range X-Ray Telescope center director's discretionary fund report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, R. B.; Cumings, N. P.; Hildner, E.; Moore, R. L.; Tandberg-Hanssen, E. A.

1985-01-01

An Extended Range X-Ray Telescope (ERXRT) of high sensitivity and spatial resolution capable of functioning over a broad region of the X-ray/XUV portion of the spectrum has been designed and analyzed. This system has been configured around the glancing-incidence Wolter Type I X-ray mirror system which was flown on the Skylab Apollo Telescope Mount as ATM Experiment S-056. Enhanced sensitivity over a vastly broader spectral range can be realized by the utilization of a thinned, back-illuminated, buried-channel Charge Coupled Device (CCD) as the X-ray/XUV detector rather than photographic film. However, to maintain the high spatial resolution inherent in the X-ray optics when a CCD of 30 micron pixel size is used, it is necessary to increase the telescope plate scale. This can be accomplished by use of a glancing-incidence X-ray microscope to enlarge and re-focus the primary image onto the focal surface of the CCD.

The SWIFT Gamma-Ray Burst X-Ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, J. E.; Burrows, D. N.; Nousek, J. A.; Wells, A.; Chincarini, G.; Abbey, A. F.; Angelini, L.; Beardmore, A.; Brauninger, H. W.; Chang, W.

2006-01-01

The Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer is designed to make prompt multi-wavelength observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts and GRB afterglows. The X-ray Telescope enables Swift to determine GRB positions with a few arcseconds accuracy within 100 seconds of the burst onset. The XRT utilizes a mirror set built for JET-X and an XMM-Newton/ EPIC MOS CCD detector to provide a sensitive broad-band (0.2-10 keV) X-ray imager with an effective area of more than 120 sq cm at 1.5 keV, a field of view of 23.6 x 23.6 arcminutes, and an angular resolution of 18 arcseconds (HPD). The detection sensitivity is 2x10(exp 14) erg/sq cm/s in 10(exp 4) seconds. The instrument provides automated source detection and position reporting within 5 seconds of target acquisition. It can also measure the redshifts of GRBs with Iron line emission or other spectral features. The XRT operates in an auto-exposure mode, adjusting the CCD readout mode automatically to optimize the science return as the source intensity fades. The XRT measures spectra and lightcurves of the GRB afterglow beginning about a minute after the burst and follows each burst for days or weeks. We provide an overview of the X-ray Telescope scientific background from which the systems engineering requirements were derived, with specific emphasis on the design and qualification aspects from conception through to launch. We describe the impact on cleanliness and vacuum requirements for the instrument low energy response and to maintain the high sensitivity to the fading signal of the Gamma-ray Bursts.

Composite Image of the Cat's Eye From Chandra X-Ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Left image: The x-ray data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO) has revealed a bright central star surrounded by a cloud of multimillion-degree gas in the planetary nebula known as the Cat's Eye. This CXO image, where the intensity of the x-ray emission is correlated to the brightness of the orange coloring, captures the expulsion of material from a star that is expected to collapse into a white dwarf in a few million years. The intensity of x-rays from the central star was unexpected, and it is the first time astronomers have seen such x-ray emission from the central star of a planetary nebula. Right image: An image of Cat's Eye taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). By comparing the CXO data with that from the HST, researchers are able to see where the hotter, x-ray emitting gas appears in relation to the cooler material seen in optical wavelengths by the HST. The CXO team found that the chemical abundance in the region of hot gas (its x-ray intensity is shown in purple) was not like those in the wind from the central star and different from the outer cooler material (the red and green structures.) Although still incredibly energetic and hot enough to radiate x-rays, CXO shows the hot gas to be somewhat cooler than scientists would have expected for such a system. CXO image credit: (NASA/UIUC/Y. Chu et al.) HST image credit: (NASA/HST)

Application of X-ray imaging techniques to auroral monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, D. M.; Burstein, P.

1981-01-01

The precipitation of energetic particles into the ionosphere produces bremsstrahlung X-rays and K-alpha line emission from excited oxygen and nitrogen. If viewed from a spacecraft in a highly elliptical polar orbit, this soft (0.3 - 3.0 keV) X-radiation will provide an almost uninterrupted record of dayside and nightside auroras. A grazing incidence X-ray telescope especially designed for such auroral monitoring is described. High photon collection efficiency will permit exposure times of approximately 100 seconds during substorms. Spectrophotometry will allow users to derive the energy spectrum of the precipitating particles. If placed in a 15 earth-radius orbit, the telescope can produce auroral X-ray images with 30 km resolution. Absolute position of X-ray auroras can be established with a small optical telescope co-aligned with the X-ray telescope. Comparison of X-ray and optical images will establish the height and global distribution of X-ray aurorae, relative to well-known optical auroras, thus melding the new X-ray results with knowledge of optical auroras.

Design and mathematical analysis of a three-mirror X-ray telescope based on ATM S-056 X-ray telescope hardware

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foreman, J. W., Jr.; Cardone, J. M.

1973-01-01

The mathematical design of the aspheric third mirror for the three-mirror X-ray telescope (TMXRT) is presented, along with the imaging characteristics of the telescope obtained by a ray trace analysis. The present design effort has been directed entirely toward obtaining an aspheric third mirror which will be compatible with existing S-056 paraboloidal-hyperboloidal mirrors. This compatability will facilitate the construction of a prototype model of the TMXRT, since it will only be necessary to fabricate one new mirror in order to obtain a working model.

Hard X-Ray And Wide Focusing Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorenstein, Paul; Johnson, William B. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The development of a hard X-ray telescope requires new technology for both substrates and coatings. Our activities in these two areas were carried out virtually in parallel during most of the past few years. They are converging on the production of our first integral conical, substrate electroformed mirror that will be coated with a graded d-spacing multilayer. Its imaging properties and effective area will be measured in hard X-ray beams. We discuss each of these activities separately in the following two sections.

Variable magnification variable dispersion glancing incidence imaging x-ray spectroscopic telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A variable magnification variable dispersion glancing incidence x-ray spectroscopic telescope capable of multiple high spatial revolution imaging at precise spectral lines of solar and stellar x-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation sources includes a pirmary optical system which focuses the incoming radiation to a primary focus. Two or more rotatable carries each providing a different magnification are positioned behind the primary focus at an inclination to the optical axis, each carrier carrying a series of ellipsoidal diffraction grating mirrors each having a concave surface on which the gratings are ruled and coated with a mutlilayer coating to reflect by diffraction a different desired wavelength. The diffraction grating mirrors of both carriers are segments of ellipsoids having a common first focus coincident with the primary focus. A contoured detector such as an x-ray sensitive photogrpahic film is positioned at the second respective focus of each diffraction grating so that each grating may reflect the image at the first focus to the detector at the second focus. The carriers are selectively rotated to position a selected mirror for receiving radiation from the primary optical system, and at least the first carrier may be withdrawn from the path of the radiation to permit a selected grating on the second carrier to receive radiation.

Variable magnification variable dispersion glancing incidence imaging x ray spectroscopic telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard (Inventor)

1990-01-01

A variable magnification variable dispersion glancing incidence x ray spectroscopic telescope capable of multiple high spatial revolution imaging at precise spectral lines of solar and stellar x ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation sources includes a primary optical system which focuses the incoming radiation to a primary focus. Two or more rotatable carriers each providing a different magnification are positioned behind the primary focus at an inclination to the optical axis, each carrier carrying a series of ellipsoidal diffraction grating mirrors each having a concave surface on which the gratings are ruled and coated with a multilayer coating to reflect by diffraction a different desired wavelength. The diffraction grating mirrors of both carriers are segments of ellipsoids having a common first focus coincident with the primary focus. A contoured detector such as an x ray sensitive photographic film is positioned at the second respective focus of each diffraction grating so that each grating may reflect the image at the first focus to the detector at the second focus. The carriers are selectively rotated to position a selected mirror for receiving radiation from the primary optical system, and at least the first carrier may be withdrawn from the path of the radiation to permit a selected grating on the second carrier to receive radiation.

X ray microscope/telescope test and alignment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Arthur B. C.; Hoover, Richard B.

1991-01-01

The tasks performed by the Center for Applied Optics (CAO) in support of the Normal Incidence Multilayer X-Ray Optics Program are detailed. The Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array (MSSTA) was launched on a Terrier-boosted Black Brant sounding rocket from White Sands Missile Range on 13 May 1991. High resolution images of the sun in the soft x ray to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) regime were obtained with normal-incidence Cassegrain, Ritchey-Chretien, and Herschelian telescopes mounted in the sounding rocket. MSSTA represents the first use of multilayer optics to study a very broad range of x ray and EUV solar emissions. Energy-selective properties of multilayer-coated optics allow distinct groups of emission lines to be isolated in the solar corona and transition region. Features of the near and far coronal structures including magnetic loops of plasmas, coronal plumes, coronal holes, faint structures, and cool prominences are visible in these images. MSSTA successfully obtained unprecedented information regarding the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere in the temperature range of 10(exp 4)-10(exp 7) K. The performance of the MSSTA has demonstrated a unique combination of ultra-high spatial resolution and spectral differentiation by use of multilayer optics.

Toward Large-Area Sub-Arcsecond X-Ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, Stephen L.; Aldcroft, Thomas L.; Allured, Ryan; Atkins, Carolyn; Burrows, David N.; Cao, Jian; Chalifoux, Brandon D.; Chan, Kai-Wing; Cotroneo, Vincenzo; Elsner, Ronald F.;

Diffractive X-Ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skinner, Gerald K.

2010-01-01

Diffractive X-ray telescopes, using zone plates, phase Fresnel lenses, or related optical elements have the potential to provide astronomers with true imaging capability with resolution many orders of magnitude better than available in any other waveband. Lenses that would be relatively easy to fabricate could have an angular resolution of the order of micro-arc-seconds or even better, that would allow, for example, imaging of the distorted spacetime in the immediate vicinity of the super-massive black holes in the center of active galaxies. What then is precluding their immediate adoption? Extremely long focal lengths, very limited bandwidth, and difficulty stabilizing the image are the main problems. The history, and status of the development of such lenses is reviewed here and the prospects for managing the challenges that they present are discussed.

Imaging the sun in hard x rays using Fourier telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, J. W.

1993-01-01

For several years, solar flares have been observed with a variety of instruments confirming that tremendous amounts of energy are locally stored in the solar magnetic field and then rapidly released during the life of the flare. In concert with observations, theorists have attempted to describe the means by which these energetic events occur and evolve. Two competing theories have emerged and have stood the test of time. One theory describes the flare in terms of nonthermal, electron beam injection into a thick target while the other uses a thermal approach. Both theories provide results which are reasonably consistent with current observations; but to date, none have been able to provide conclusive evidence as to the validity of either model. Imaging on short time scales (1 s) and/or small size scales (1 arc s) should give definitive answers to these questions. In order to test whether a realistic telescope can indeed discriminate between models, we construct model sources based upon the thermal and the nonthermal models and calculate the emission as a function of time and energy in the range from 10 to 100 keV. In addition, we construct model telescopes representing both the spatial modulation collimator (SMC) and the rotating modulation collimator (RMC) techniques of observation using random photon counting statistics. With these two types of telescopes we numerically simulate the instrument response to the above two model flares to see if there are distinct x-ray signatures which may be discernable. We find that theoretical descriptions of the primary models of solar flares do indeed predict different hard x-ray signatures for 1 sec time scales and at 1-5 arc sec spatial resolution. However, these distinguishing signatures can best be observed early in the impulsive phase and from a position perpendicular to the plane of the loop. Furthermore, we find that Fourier telescopes with reasonable and currently attainable design characteristics can image these

Innovative space x-ray telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudec, R.; Inneman, A.; Pina, L.; Sveda, L.; Ticha, H.; Brozek, V.

2017-11-01

We report on the progress in innovative X-ray mirror development with focus on requirements of future X-ray astronomy space projects. Various future projects in X-ray astronomy and astrophysics will require large lightweight but highly accurate segments with multiple thin shells or foils. The large Wolter 1 grazing incidence multiple mirror arrays, the Kirkpatrick-Baez modules, as well as the large Lobster-Eye X-ray telescope modules in Schmidt arrangement may serve as examples. All these space projects will require high quality and light segmented shells (shaped, bent or flat foils) with high X-ray reflectivity and excellent mechanical stability.

Active x-ray optics for high resolution space telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doel, Peter; Atkins, Carolyn; Brooks, D.; Feldman, Charlotte; Willingale, Richard; Button, Tim; Rodriguez Sanmartin, Daniel; Meggs, Carl; James, Ady; Willis, Graham; Smith, Andy

2017-11-01

The Smart X-ray Optics (SXO) Basic Technology project started in April 2006 and will end in October 2010. The aim is to develop new technologies in the field of X-ray focusing, in particular the application of active and adaptive optics. While very major advances have been made in active/adaptive astronomical optics for visible light, little was previously achieved for X-ray optics where the technological challenges differ because of the much shorter wavelengths involved. The field of X-ray astronomy has been characterized by the development and launch of ever larger observatories with the culmination in the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton and NASA's Chandra missions which are currently operational. XMM-Newton uses a multi-nested structure to provide modest angular resolution ( 10 arcsec) but large effective area, while Chandra sacrifices effective area to achieve the optical stability necessary to provide sub-arc second resolution. Currently the European Space Agency (ESA) is engaged in studies of the next generation of X-ray space observatories, with the aim of producing telescopes with increased sensitivity and resolution. To achieve these aims several telescopes have been proposed, for example ESA and NASA's combined International X-ray Observatory (IXO), aimed at spectroscopy, and NASA's Generation-X. In the field of X-ray astronomy sub 0.2 arcsecond resolution with high efficiency would be very exciting. Such resolution is unlikely to be achieved by anything other than an active system. The benefits of a such a high resolution would be important for a range of astrophysics subjects, for example the potential angular resolution offered by active X-ray optics could provide unprecedented structural imaging detail of the Solar Wind bowshock interaction of comets, planets and similar objects and auroral phenomena throughout the Solar system using an observing platform in low Earth orbit. A major aim of the SXO project was to investigate the production of thin

The STAR-X X-Ray Telescope Assembly (XTA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McClelland, Ryan S.; Bautz, Mark W.; Bonafede, Joseph A.; Miller, Eric D.; Saha, Timo T.; Solly, Peter M.; Zhang, William W.

2017-01-01

The Survey and Time-domain Astrophysical Research eXplorer (STAR-X) science goals are to discover what powers the most violent explosions in the Universe, understand how black holes grow across cosmic time and mass scale, and measure how structure formation heats the majority of baryons in the Universe. To achieve these goals, STAR-X requires a powerful X-ray telescope with a large field of view, large collecting area, and excellent point spread function. The STAR-X instrument, the X-Ray Telescope Assembly (XTA), meets these requirements using a powerful X-ray mirror technology based on precision-polished single crystal silicon and a mature CCD detector technology. The XTA is composed of three major subsystems: an X-ray Mirror Assembly (MA) of high resolution, lightweight mirror segments fabricated out of single crystal silicon; a Focal Plane Assembly (FPA) made of back-illuminated CCD's capable of detecting X-rays with excellent quantum efficiency; and a composite Telescope Tube that structurally links the MA and FPA. The MA consists of 5,972 silicon mirror segments mounted into five subassemblies called meta-shells. A meta-shell is constructed from an annular central structural shell covered with interlocking layers of mirror segments. This paper describes the requirements, design, and analysis of the XTA subsystems with particular focus on the MA.

The STAR-X X-Ray Telescope Assembly (XTA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McClelland, Ryan S.

2017-08-01

The Survey and Time-domain Astrophysical Research eXplorer (STAR-X) science goals are to discover what powers the most violent explosions in the Universe, understand how black holes grow across cosmic time and mass scale, and measure how structure formation heats the majority of baryons in the Universe. To achieve these goals, STAR-X requires a powerful X-ray telescope with a large field of view, large collecting area, and excellent point spread function. The STAR-X instrument, the X-Ray Telescope Assembly (XTA), meets these requirements using a powerful X-ray mirror technology based on precision-polished single crystal silicon and a mature CCD detector technology. The XTA is composed of three major subsystems: an X-ray Mirror Assembly (MA) of high resolution, lightweight mirror segments fabricated out of single crystal silicon; a Focal Plane Assembly (FPA) made of back-illuminated CCDs capable of detecting X-rays with excellent quantum efficiency; and a composite Telescope Tube that structurally links the MA and FPA. The MA consists of 5,972 silicon mirror segments mounted into five subassemblies called metashells. A meta-shell is constructed from an annular central structural shell covered with interlocking layers of mirror segments. This paper describes the requirements, design, and analysis of the XTA subsystems with particular focus on the MA.

High Resolution Energetic X-ray Imager (HREXI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grindlay, Jonathan

We propose to design and build the first imaging hard X-ray detector system that incorporates 3D stacking of closely packed detector readouts in finely-spaced imaging arrays with their required data processing and control electronics. In virtually all imaging astronomical detectors, detector readout is done with flex connectors or connections that are not vertical but rather horizontal , requiring loss of focal plane area. For high resolution pixel detectors needed for high speed event-based X-ray imaging, from low energy applications (CMOS) with focusing X-ray telescopes, to hard X-ray applications with pixelated CZT for large area coded aperture telescopes, this new detector development offers great promise. We propose to extend our previous and current APRA supported ProtoEXIST program that has developed the first large area imaging CZT detectors and demonstrated their astrophysical capabilities on two successful balloon flight to a next generation High Resolution Energetic X-ray Imager (HREXI), which would incorporate microvia technology for the first time to connect the readout ASIC on each CZT crystal directly to its control and data processing system. This 3-dimensional stacking of detector and readout/control system means that large area (>2m2) imaging detector planes for a High Resolution Wide-field hard X-ray telescope can be built with initially greatly reduced detector gaps and ultimately with no gaps. This increases detector area, efficiency, and simplicity of detector integration. Thus higher sensitivity wide-field imagers will be possible at lower cost. HREXI will enable a post-Swift NASA mission such as the EREXS concept proposed to PCOS to be conducted as a future MIDEX mission. This mission would conduct a high resolution (<2 arcmin) , broad band (5 200 keV) hard X-ray survey of black holes on all scales with ~10X higher sensitivity than Swift. In the current era of Time Domain Astrophysics, such a survey capability, in conjunction with a n

Multispectral variable magnification glancing incidence x ray telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A multispectral, variable magnification, glancing incidence, x-ray telescope capable of broadband, high resolution imaging of solar and stellar x-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation sources is discussed. The telescope includes a primary optical system which focuses the incoming radiation to a primary focus. Two or more rotatable mirror carriers, each providing a different magnification, are positioned behind the primary focus at an inclination to the optical axis. Each carrier has a series of ellipsoidal mirrors, and each mirror has a concave surface covered with a multilayer (layered synthetic microstructure) coating to reflect a different desired wavelength. The mirrors of both carriers are segments of ellipsoids having a common first focus coincident with the primary focus. A detector such as an x-ray sensitive photographic film is positioned at the second respective focus of each mirror so that each mirror may reflect the image at the first focus to the detector at the second focus. The carriers are selectively rotated to position a selected mirror for receiving radiation from the primary optical system, and at least the first carrier may be withdrawn from the path of the radiation to permit a selected mirror on the second carrier to receive the radiation.

Pixel detectors for x-ray imaging spectroscopy in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treis, J.; Andritschke, R.; Hartmann, R.; Herrmann, S.; Holl, P.; Lauf, T.; Lechner, P.; Lutz, G.; Meidinger, N.; Porro, M.; Richter, R. H.; Schopper, F.; Soltau, H.; Strüder, L.

2009-03-01

Pixelated semiconductor detectors for X-ray imaging spectroscopy are foreseen as key components of the payload of various future space missions exploring the x-ray sky. Located on the platform of the new Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma satellite, the eROSITA (extended Roentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) instrument will perform an imaging all-sky survey up to an X-ray energy of 10 keV with unprecedented spectral and angular resolution. The instrument will consist of seven parallel oriented mirror modules each having its own pnCCD camera in the focus. The satellite born X-ray observatory SIMBOL-X will be the first mission to use formation-flying techniques to implement an X-ray telescope with an unprecedented focal length of around 20 m. The detector instrumentation consists of separate high- and low energy detectors, a monolithic 128 × 128 DEPFET macropixel array and a pixellated CdZTe detector respectively, making energy band between 0.5 to 80 keV accessible. A similar concept is proposed for the next generation X-ray observatory IXO. Finally, the MIXS (Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer) instrument on the European Mercury exploration mission BepiColombo will use DEPFET macropixel arrays together with a small X-ray telescope to perform a spatially resolved planetary XRF analysis of Mercury's crust. Here, the mission concepts and their scientific targets are briefly discussed, and the resulting requirements on the detector devices together with the implementation strategies are shown.

Optical Design for a Survey X-Ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saha, Timo T.; Zhang, William W.; McClelland, Ryan S.

2014-01-01

Optical design trades are underway at the Goddard Space Flight Center to define a telescope for an x-ray survey mission. Top-level science objectives of the mission include the study of x-ray transients, surveying and long-term monitoring of compact objects in nearby galaxies, as well as both deep and wide-field x-ray surveys. In this paper we consider Wolter, Wolter-Schwarzschild, and modified Wolter-Schwarzschild telescope designs as basic building blocks for the tightly nested survey telescope. Design principles and dominating aberrations of individual telescopes and nested telescopes are discussed and we compare the off-axis optical performance at 1.0 KeV and 4.0 KeV across a 1.0-degree full field-of-view.

Design of a normal incidence multilayer imaging x-ray microscope.

PubMed

Shealy, D L; Gabardi, D R; Hoover, R B; Walker, A B; Lindblom, J F; Barbee, T W

1989-01-01

Normal incidence multilayer Cassegrain x-ray telescopes were flown on the Stanford/MSFC Rocket X-Ray Spectroheliograph. These instruments produced high spatial resolution images of the Sun and conclusively demonstrated that doubly reflecting multilayer x-ray optical systems are feasible. The images indicated that aplanatic imaging soft x-ray /EUV microscopes should be achievable using multilayer optics technology. We have designed a doubly reflecting normal incidence multilayer imaging x-ray microscope based on the Schwarzschild configuration. The Schwarzschild microscope utilizes two spherical mirrors with concentric radii of curvature which are chosen such that the third-order spherical aberration and coma are minimized. We discuss the design of the microscope and the results of the optical system ray trace analysis which indicates that diffraction-limited performance with 600 Å spatial resolution should be obtainable over a 1 mm field of view at a wavelength of 100 Å. Fabrication of several imaging soft x-ray microscopes based upon these designs, for use in conjunction with x-ray telescopes and laser fusion research, is now in progress. High resolution aplanatic imaging x-ray microscopes using normal incidence multilayer x-ray mirrors should have many important applications in advanced x-ray astronomical instrumentation, x-ray lithography, biological, biomedical, metallurgical, and laser fusion research.

Performance of ASTRO-H Hard X-Ray Telescope (HXT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Awaki, Hisamitsu; Kunieda, Hideyo; Ishida, Manabu; Matsumoto, Hironori; Furuzawa, Akihiro; Haba, Yohsito; Hayashi, Takayuki; Iizuka, Ryo; Ishibashi, Kazunori; Itoh, Masayuki;

Filters for soft X-ray solar telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spiller, Eberhard; Grebe, Kurt; Golub, Leon

1990-01-01

Soft X-ray telescopes require filters that block visible and infrared light and have good soft X-ray transmission. The optical properties of possible materials are discussed, and the fabrication and testing methods for the filters used in a 10-inch normal incidence telescope for 63 A are described. The best performances in the 44-114-A wavelength range are obtained with foils of carbon and rhodium.

The microchannel x-ray telescope status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Götz, D.; Meuris, A.; Pinsard, F.; Doumayrou, E.; Tourrette, T.; Osborne, J. P.; Willingale, R.; Sykes, J. M.; Pearson, J. F.; Le Duigou, J. M.; Mercier, K.

2016-07-01

We present design status of the Microchannel X-ray Telescope, the focussing X-ray telescope on board the Sino- French SVOM mission dedicated to Gamma-Ray Bursts. Its optical design is based on square micro-pore optics (MPOs) in a Lobster-Eye configuration. The optics will be coupled to a low-noise pnCCD sensitive in the 0.2{10 keV energy range. With an expected point spread function of 4.5 arcmin (FWHM) and an estimated sensitivity adequate to detect all the afterglows of the SVOM GRBs, MXT will be able to provide error boxes smaller than 60 (90% c.l.) arc sec after five minutes of observation.

Design of a normal incidence multilayer imaging X-ray microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shealy, David L.; Gabardi, David R.; Hoover, Richard B.; Walker, Arthur B. C., Jr.; Lindblom, Joakim F.

Normal incidence multilayer Cassegrain X-ray telescopes were flown on the Stanford/MSFC Rocket X-ray Spectroheliograph. These instruments produced high spatial resolution images of the sun and conclusively demonstrated that doubly reflecting multilayer X-ray optical systems are feasible. The images indicated that aplanatic imaging soft X-ray/EUV microscopes should be achievable using multilayer optics technology. A doubly reflecting normal incidence multilayer imaging X-ray microscope based on the Schwarzschild configuration has been designed. The design of the microscope and the results of the optical system ray trace analysis are discussed. High resolution aplanatic imaging X-ray microscopes using normal incidence multilayer X-ray mirrors should have many important applications in advanced X-ray astronomical instrumentation, X-ray lithography, biological, biomedical, metallurgical, and laser fusion research.

LOBSTER: new space x-ray telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudec, R.; Sveda, L.; Pína, L.; Inneman, A.; Semencova, V.; Skulinova, M.

2017-11-01

The LOBSTER telescopes are based on the optical arrangement of the lobster eye. The main difference from classical X-ray space telescopes in wide use is the very large field of view while the use of optics results in higher efficiency if compared with detectors without optics. Recent innovative technologies have enabled to design, to develop and to test first prototypes. They will provide deep sensitive survey of the sky in X-rays for the first time which is essential for both long-term monitoring of celestial high-energy sources as well as in understanding transient phenomena. The technology is now ready for applications in space.

The S-054 X-ray telescope experiment on Skylab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaiana, G. S.; Van Speybroeck, L.; Zombeck, M. V.; Krieger, A. S.; Silk, J. K.; Timothy, A.

1977-01-01

A description of the S-054 X-ray telescope on Skylab is presented with a discussion of the experimental objectives, observing program, data reduction and analysis. Some results from the Skylab mission are given. The telescope photographically records high-resolution images of the solar corona in several broadband regions of the soft X-ray spectrum. It includes an objective grating used to study the line spectrum. The spatial resolution, sensitivity, dynamic range and time resolution of the instrument were chosen to survey a wide variety of solar phenomena. It embodies improvements in design, fabrication, and calibration techniques which were developed over a ten-year period. The observing program was devised to optimize the use of the instrument and to provide studies on a wide range of time scales. The data analysis program includes morphological studies and quantitative analysis using digitized images. A small sample of the data obtained in the mission is presented to demonstrate the type of information that is available and the kinds of results that can be obtained from it.

Variable magnification glancing incidence x ray telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard (Inventor)

1990-01-01

A multispectral glancing incidence x ray telescope is disclosed, which capable of broadband, high resolution imaging of solar and stellar x ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation sources includes a primary optical system which focuses the incoming radiation to a primary focus. Two or more ellipsoidal mirrors are positioned behind the primary focus at an inclination to the optical axis, each mirror having a concave surface coated with a multilayer synthetic microstructure coating to reflect a desired wavelength. The ellipsoidal mirrors are segments of respective ellipsoids having a common first focus coincident with the primary focus. A detector such as an x ray sensitive photographic film is positioned at the second focus of each of the ellipsoids so that each of the ellipsoidal mirrors may reflect the image at the first focus to the detector. In one embodiment the mirrors are inclined at different angles and has its respective second focus at a different location, separate detectors being located at the respective second focus. The mirrors are arranged so that the magnification and field of view differ, and a solenoid activated arm may withdraw at least one mirror from the beam to select the mirror upon which the beam is to impinge so that selected magnifications and fields of view may be detected.

Focal plane transport assembly for the HEAO-B X-ray telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brissette, R.; Allard, P. D.; Keller, F.; Strizhak, E.; Wester, E.

1979-01-01

The High Energy Astronomy Observatory - Mission B (HEAO-B), an earth orbiting X-ray telescope facility capable of locating and imaging celestial X-ray sources within one second of arc in the celestial sphere, is considered. The Focal Plane Transport Assembly (FPTA) is one of the basic structural elements of the three thousand pound HEAO-B experiment payload. The FPTA is a multifunctional assembly which supports seven imaging X-ray detectors circumferentially about a central shaft and accurately positions any particular one into the focus of a high resolution mirror assembly. A drive system, position sensor, rotary coupler, and detent alignment system, all an integral part of the rotatable portion which in turn is supported by main bearings to the stationary focal plane housing are described.

Studies of auroral X-ray imaging from high altitude spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckenzie, D. L.; Mizera, P. F.; Rice, C. J.

1980-01-01

Results of a study of techniques for imaging the aurora from a high altitude satellite at X-ray wavelengths are summarized. The X-ray observations allow the straightforward derivation of the primary auroral X-ray spectrum and can be made at all local times, day and night. Five candidate imaging systems are identified: X-ray telescope, multiple pinhole camera, coded aperture, rastered collimator, and imaging collimator. Examples of each are specified, subject to common weight and size limits which allow them to be intercompared. The imaging ability of each system is tested using a wide variety of sample spectra which are based on previous satellite observations. The study shows that the pinhole camera and coded aperture are both good auroral imaging systems. The two collimated detectors are significantly less sensitive. The X-ray telescope provides better image quality than the other systems in almost all cases, but a limitation to energies below about 4 keV prevents this system from providing the spectra data essential to deriving electron spectra, energy input to the atmosphere, and atmospheric densities and conductivities. The orbit selection requires a tradeoff between spatial resolution and duty cycle.

Design and Development of Thin Plastic Foil, Conical Approximation, High Through-out X-Ray Telescope: Light Weight, Thin Plastic Foil, X-Ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schnopper, Herbert W.; Barbera, Marco; Silver, Eric; Ingram, Russell; Christensen, Finn E.; Romaine, Suzanne; Cohen, Lester; Collura, Alfonso; Murray, Stephen S.; Brinton, John C. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We present results from a program to develop an X-ray telescope made from thin plastic shells. Our initial results have been obtained from multi-shell cylindrical lenses that are used in a point-to-point configuration to image the small focal spot of a an X-ray tube on a microchannel plate detector. We describe the steps that led up to the present design and present data from the tests that have been used to identify the properties of the plastic material that make it a suitable X-ray reflector. We discuss two applications of our technology to X-ray missions that are designed to address some of the scientific priorities set forth in NASA's long term plans for high energy astrophysics. One mission will observe in the 1 - 10 keV band, the other will extend up to ca. 100 keV.

Development of High Resolution Hard X-Ray Telescope with Multilayer Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brinton, John C. (Technical Monitor); Gorenstein, Paul

2004-01-01

The major objective of this program is the development of a focusing hard X-ray telescope with moderately high angular resolution, i .e. comparable to the telescopes of XMM-Newton. The key ingredients of the telescope are a depth graded multilayer coatings and electroformed nickel substrates that are considerably lighter weight than those of previous missions such as XMM-Newton, which have had conventional single metal layer reflective coatings and have operated at much lower energy X-rays. The ultimate target mission for this technology is the Hard X-Ray Telescope (HXT) of the Constellation X-Ray Mission. However, it is applicable to potential SMEX and MIDEX programs as well.

Ray tracing method for the evaluation of grazing incidence x-ray telescopes described by spatially sampled surfaces.

PubMed

Yu, Jun; Shen, Zhengxiang; Sheng, Pengfeng; Wang, Xiaoqiang; Hailey, Charles J; Wang, Zhanshan

2018-03-01

The nested grazing incidence telescope can achieve a large collecting area in x-ray astronomy, with a large number of closely packed, thin conical mirrors. Exploiting the surface metrological data, the ray tracing method used to reconstruct the shell surface topography and evaluate the imaging performance is a powerful tool to assist iterative improvement in the fabrication process. However, current two-dimensional (2D) ray tracing codes, especially when utilized with densely sampled surface shape data, may not provide sufficient accuracy of reconstruction and are computationally cumbersome. In particular, 2D ray tracing currently employed considers coplanar rays and thus simulates only these rays along the meridional plane. This captures axial figure errors but leaves other important errors, such as roundness errors, unaccounted for. We introduce a semianalytic, three-dimensional (3D) ray tracing approach for x-ray optics that overcomes these shortcomings. And the present method is both computationally fast and accurate. We first introduce the principles and the computational details of this 3D ray tracing method. Then the computer simulations of this approach compared to 2D ray tracing are demonstrated, using an ideal conic Wolter-I telescope for benchmarking. Finally, the present 3D ray tracing is used to evaluate the performance of a prototype x-ray telescope fabricated for the enhanced x-ray timing and polarization mission.

Geant4 simulations of a wide-angle x-ray focusing telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Donghua; Zhang, Chen; Yuan, Weimin; Zhang, Shuangnan; Willingale, Richard; Ling, Zhixing

2017-06-01

The rapid development of X-ray astronomy has been made possible by widely deploying X-ray focusing telescopes on board many X-ray satellites. Geant4 is a very powerful toolkit for Monte Carlo simulations and has remarkable abilities to model complex geometrical configurations. However, the library of physical processes available in Geant4 lacks a description of the reflection of X-ray photons at a grazing incident angle which is the core physical process in the simulation of X-ray focusing telescopes. The scattering of low-energy charged particles from the mirror surfaces is another noteworthy process which is not yet incorporated into Geant4. Here we describe a Monte Carlo model of a simplified wide-angle X-ray focusing telescope adopting lobster-eye optics and a silicon detector using the Geant4 toolkit. With this model, we simulate the X-ray tracing, proton scattering and background detection. We find that: (1) the effective area obtained using Geant4 is in agreement with that obtained using Q software with an average difference of less than 3%; (2) X-rays are the dominant background source below 10 keV; (3) the sensitivity of the telescope is better by at least one order of magnitude than that of a coded mask telescope with the same physical dimensions; (4) the number of protons passing through the optics and reaching the detector by Firsov scattering is about 2.5 times that of multiple scattering for the lobster-eye telescope.

Report on New Mission Concept Study: Stereo X-Ray Corona Imager Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liewer, Paulett C.; Davis, John M.; DeJong, E. M.; Gary, G. Allen; Klimchuk, James A.; Reinert, R. P.

1998-01-01

Studies of the three-dimensional structure and dynamics of the solar corona have been severely limited by the constraint of single viewpoint observations. The Stereo X-Ray Coronal Imager (SXCI) mission will send a single instrument, an X-ray telescope, into deep space expressly to record stereoscopic images of the solar corona. The SXCI spacecraft will be inserted into a approximately 1 AU heliocentric orbit leading Earth by approximately 25 deg at the end of nine months. The SXCI X-ray telescope forms one element of a stereo pair, the second element being an identical X-ray telescope in Earth orbit placed there as part of the NOAA GOES program. X-ray emission is a powerful diagnostic of the corona and its magnetic fields, and three dimensional information on the coronal magnetic structure would be obtained by combining the data from the two X-ray telescopes. This information can be used to address the major solar physics questions of (1) what causes explosive coronal events such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), eruptive flares and prominence eruptions and (2) what causes the transient heating of coronal loops. Stereoscopic views of the optically thin corona will resolve some ambiguities inherent in single line-of-sight observations. Triangulation gives 3D solar coordinates of features which can be seen in the simultaneous images from both telescopes. As part of this study, tools were developed for determining the 3D geometry of coronal features using triangulation. Advanced technologies for visualization and analysis of stereo images were tested. Results of mission and spacecraft studies are also reported.

Optical Metrology for the Segmented Optics on the Constellation-X Spectroscopy X-Ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Content, David; Colella, David; Fleetwood, Charles; Hadjimichael, Theo; Lehan, John; McMann, Joseph; Reid, Paul; Saha, Timo; Wright, Geraldine; Zhang, William

2004-01-01

We present the metrology requirements and metrology implementation necessary to prove out the reflector technology for the Constellation X(C-X) spectroscopy X-ray telescope (SXT). This segmented, 1.6m diameter highly nested Wolter-1 telescope presents many metrology and alignment challenges. In particular, these mirrors have a stringent imaging error budget as compared to their intrinsic stiffness; This is required for Constellation-X to have sufficient effective area with the weight requirement. This has implications for the metrology that can be used. A variety of contract and noncontact optical profiling and interferometric methods are combined to test the formed glass substrates before replication and the replicated reflector segments.The reflectors are tested both stand-alone and in-situ in an alignment tower.Some of these methods have not been used on prior X-ray telescopes and some are feasible only because of the segmented approach used on the SXT. Methods discussed include high precision coordinate measurement machines using very low force or optical probe axial interferometric profiling azimuthal circularity profiling and use of advanced null optics such as conical computer generated hologram (CGHs).

Spatial power-spectra from Yohkoh soft X-ray images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martens, Petrus C. H.; Gomez, Daniel O.

1992-01-01

We analyze three sequences of images from active regions, and a full disk image obtained by Yohkoh's Soft X-ray Telescope. Two sequences are from a region at center disk observed through different filters, and one sequence is from the limb. After Fourier-transforming the X-ray intensity of the images we find nearly isotropic power-spectra with an azimuthally integrated slope of -2.1 for the center disk, and -2.8 for the limb images. The full-disk picture yields a spectrum of -2.4. These results are different from the active region spectra obtained with the Normal Incidence X-ray Telescope which have a slope of the order of -3.0, and we ascribe this to the difference in temperature response between the instruments. However, both the SXT and NIXT results are consistent with coronal heating as the end result of a downward quasistatic cascade (in lengthscales) of free magnetic energy in the corona, driven by footpoint motions in the photosphere.

Assembly of NASA's Most Powerful X-Ray Telescope Completed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1998-03-01

holes, many of which are invisible to us now. We may even see the processes that create the elements found here on Earth." Assembly of the observatory began in 1997 with the arrival of the high resolution mirror assembly at TRW Space and Electronics Group. In August 1997, the telescope's optical bench was mated with the mirrors, followed by integration of the telescope with the spacecraft in October. In February 1998, the observatory's science instrument module was mated to the top of the telescope. The complete observatory is 45 feet long, has a solar array wing span 64 feet wide, and weighs more than 5 tons. Using glass purchased from Schott Glaswerke, Mainz, Germany, the telescope's mirrors were built by Raytheon Optical Systems Inc., Danbury, Conn. The mirrors were coated by Optical Coating Laboratory Inc., Santa Rosa, Calif.; and assembled by Eastman-Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y. The observatory's charged coupled device imaging spectrometer was developed by Pennsylvania State University at University Park, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), at Cambridge. One diffraction grating was developed by MIT, the other by the Space Research Organization Netherlands, Utrecht, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute, Garching, Germany. The high resolution camera instrument was built by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation of Boulder, Colo., developed the science instrument module. The Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility program is managed by the Marshall Center for the Office of Space Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass., will operate the observatory for NASA. NOTE TO EDITORS: A photo of the integrated telescope is available via the World Wide Web at URL: http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/images.html Prepared by John Bryk

Multispectral glancing incidence X-ray telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B. (Inventor)

1990-01-01

A multispectral glancing incidence X-ray telescope is illustrated capable of broadband, high-resolution imaging of solar and stellar X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation sources which includes a primary optical system preferably of the Wolter I type having a primary mirror system (20, 22). The primary optical system further includes an optical axis (24) having a primary focus (F1) at which the incoming radiation is focused by the primary mirrors. A plurality of ellipsoidal mirrors (30a, 30b, 30cand 30d) are carried at an inclination to the optical axis behind the primary focus (F1). A rotating carrier (32) is provided on which the ellipsoidal mirrors are carried so that a desired one of the ellipsoidal mirrors may be selectively positioned in front of the incoming radiation beam (26). In the preferred embodiment, each of the ellipsoidal mirrors has an identical concave surface carrying a layered synthetic microstructure coating tailored to reflect a desired wavelength of 1.5 .ANG. or longer. Each of the identical ellipsoidal mirrors has a second focus (F2) at which a detector (16) is carried. Thus the different wavelength image is focused upon the detector irregardless of which mirror is positioned in front of the radiation beam. In this manner, a plurality of low wavelengths in a wavelength band generally less than 30 angstroms can be imaged with a high resolution.

An extreme ultraviolet telescope with no soft X-ray response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finley, David S.; Jelinsky, Patrick; Bowyer, Stuart; Malina, Roger F.

1986-01-01

While EUV grazing incidence telescopes of conventional design exhibit a substantial X-ray response as well as an extreme UV response, and existing bandpass filters for the transmission of radiation longward of 400 A also transmit soft X-rays, the grazing incidence telescope presented suppresses this soft X-ray throughput through the incorporation of a Wolter Schwarzschild Type II mirror with large graze angles. The desirable features of an EUV photometric survey telescope are retained. An instrument of this design will be flown on the EUE mission, in order to make a survey of the sky at wavelengths longer than 400 A.

Chandra X-Ray Observatory Image of Black Hole

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

This Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO) image is a spectrum of a black hole, which is similar to the colorful spectrum of sunlight produced by a prism. The x-rays of interest are shown here recorded in bright stripes that run rightward and leftward from the center of the image. These x-rays are sorted precisely according to their energy with the highest-energy x-rays near the center of the image and the lower-energy x-rays farther out. The spectrum was obtained by using the Low Energy Transmission Grating (LETG), which intercepts x-rays and changes their direction by the amounts that depend sensitively on the x-ray energy. The assembly holds 540 gold transmission gratings. When in place behind the mirrors, the gratings intercept the x-rays reflected from the telescope. The bright spot at the center is due to a fraction of the x-ray radiation that is not deflected by the LETG. The spokes that intersect the central spot and the faint diagonal rays that flank the spectrum itself are artifacts due to the structure that supports the LETG grating elements. (Photo credit: NASA Cfa/J. McClintock et al)

Examining the Angular Resolution of the Astro-H's Soft X-Ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sato, Toshiki; Iizuka, Ryo; Ishida, Manabu; Kikuchi, Naomichi; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Kurashima, Sho; Nakaniwa, Nozomi; Tomikawa, Kazuki; Hayashi, Takayuki; Mori, Hideyuki;

High Resolution X-ray Imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cash, Webster

2002-01-01

NAG5-5020 covered a period of 7.5 years during which a great deal of progress was made in x-ray optical techniques under this grant. We survived peer review numerous times during the effort to keep the grant going. In 1994, when the grant started we were actively pursuing the application of spherical mirrors to improving x-ray telescopes. We had found that x-ray detectors were becoming rapidly more sophisticated and affordable, but that x-ray telescopes were only being improved through the intense application of money within the AXAF program. Clearly new techniques for the future were needed. We were successful in developing and testing at the HELSTF facility in New Mexico a four reflection coma-corrected telescope made from spheres. We were able to demonstrate 0.3 arcsecond resolution, almost to the diffraction limit of the system. The community as a whole was, at that time, not particularly interested in looking past AXAF (Chandra) and the effort needed to evolve. Since we had reached the diffraction limit using non-Wolter optics we then decided to see if we could build an x-ray interferometer in the laboratory. In the lab the potential for improved resolution was substantial. If synthetic aperture telescopes could be built in space, then orders of magnitude improvement would become feasible. In 1998 NASA, under the direction of Dr Nick White of Goddard, started a study to assess the potential and feasibility of x-ray interferometry in space. My work became of central interest to the committee because it indicated that such was possible. In early 1999 we had the breakthrough that allowed us build a practical interferometer. By using flats and hooking up with the Marshall Space Flight Center facilities we were able to demonstrate fringes at 1.25keV on a one millimeter baseline. This actual laboratory demonstration provided the solid proof of concept that NASA needed. As the year progressed the future of x-ray astronomy jelled around the Maxim program. Maxim is a

Transforming Our Understanding of the X-ray Universe: The Imaging X-ray Polarimeter Explorer (IXPE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisskopf, Martin C.; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Costa, Enrico; Matt, Giorgio; Marshall, Herman; ODell, Stephen L.; Pavlov, George; Ramsey, Brian; Romani, Roger

2014-01-01

Accurate X-ray polarimetry can provide unique information on high-energy-astrophysical processes and sources. As there have been no meaningful X-ray polarization measurements of cosmic sources since our pioneering work in the 1970's, the time is ripe to explore this new parameter space in X-ray astronomy. To accomplish this requires a well-calibrated and well understood system that-particularly for an Explorer mission-has technical, cost, and schedule credibility. The system that we shall present satisfies these conditions, being based upon completely calibrated imaging- and polarization-sensitive detectors and proven X-ray-telescope technology.

The MXT X-Ray Telescope on Board the SVOM Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Götz, D.

2016-10-01

We present the Microchannel X-ray Telescope to be flown on the SVOM mission. The MXT telescope is a compact an light focussing X-ray (0.2-10 keV) instrument based on the coupling of a micropore optics in a narrow field "Lobster -Eye" and a pn CCD.

On the Design of Wide-Field X-ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, Ronald F.; O'Dell, Stephen L.; Ramsey, Brian D.; Weiskopf, Martin C.

2009-01-01

X-ray telescopes having a relatively wide field-of-view and spatial resolution vs. polar off-axis angle curves much flatter than the parabolic dependence characteristic of Wolter I designs are of great interest for surveys of the X-ray sky and potentially for study of the Sun s X-ray emission. We discuss the various considerations affecting the design of such telescopes, including the possible use of polynomial mirror surface prescriptions, a method of optimizing the polynomial coefficients, scaling laws for mirror segment length vs. intersection radius, the loss of on-axis spatial resolution, and the positioning of focal plane detectors.

Simulating x-ray telescopes with McXtrace: a case study of ATHENA's optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, Desiree D. M.; Knudsen, Erik B.; Westergaard, Niels J.; Christensen, Finn E.; Massahi, Sonny; Shortt, Brian; Spiga, Daniele; Solstad, Mathias; Lefmann, Kim

2016-07-01

We use the X-ray ray-tracing package McXtrace to simulate the performance of X-ray telescopes based on Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) technologies. We use as reference the design of the optics of the planned X-ray mission Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics (ATHENA) which is designed as a single X-ray telescope populated with stacked SPO substrates forming mirror modules to focus X-ray photons. We show that is possible to simulate in detail the SPO pores and qualify the use of McXtrace for in-depth analysis of in-orbit performance and laboratory X-ray test results.

Ground-based x-ray calibration of the Astro-H/Hitomi soft x-ray telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iizuka, Ryo; Hayashi, Takayuki; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Ishida, Manabu; Tomikawa, Kazuki; Sato, Toshiki; Kikuchi, Naomichi; Okajima, Takashi; Soong, Yang; Serlemitsos, Peter J.; Mori, Hideyuki; Izumiya, Takanori; Minami, Sari

2018-01-01

We present the summary of the on-ground calibration of two soft x-ray telescopes (SXT-I and SXT-S), developed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), onboard Astro-H/Hitomi. After the initial x-ray measurements with a diverging beam at the GSFC 100-m beamline, we performed the full calibration of the x-ray performance, using the 30-m x-ray beamline facility at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in Japan. We adopted a raster scan method with a narrow x-ray pencil beam with a divergence of ˜15″. The on-axis effective area (EA), half-power diameter, and vignetting function were measured at several energies between 1.5 and 17.5 keV. The detailed results appear in tables and figures in this paper. We measured and evaluated the performance of the SXT-S and the SXT-I with regard to the detector-limited field-of-view and the pixel size of the paired flight detector, i.e., SXS and the SXI, respectively. The primary items measured are the EA, image quality, and stray light for on-axis and off-axis sources. The accurate measurement of these parameters is vital to make the precise response function of the ASTRO-H SXTs. This paper presents the definitive results of the ground-based calibration of the ASTRO-H SXTs.

Development Status of Adjustable X-ray Optics with 0.5 Arcsec Imaging for the X-ray Surveyor Mission Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reid, Paul B.; Allured, Ryan; ben-Ami, Sagi; Cotroneo, Vincenzo; Schwartz, Daniel A.; Tananbaum, Harvey; Vikhlinin, Alexey; Trolier-McKinstry, Susan; Wallace, Margeaux L.; Jackson, Tom

2016-04-01

The X-ray Surveyor mission concept is designed as a successor to the Chandra X-ray Observatory. As currently envisioned, it will have as much as 30-50 times the collecting area of Chandra with the same 0.5 arcsec imaging resolution. This combination of telescope area and imaging resolution, along with a detector suite for imaging and dispersive and non-dispersive imaging spectroscopy, will enable a wide range of astrophysical observations. These observations will include studies of the growth of large scale structure, early black holes and the growth of SMBHs, and high resolution spectroscopy with arcsec resolution, among many others. We describe the development of adjustable grazing incidence X-ray optics, a potential technology for the high resolution, thin, lightweight mirrors. We discuss recent advancements including the demonstration of deterministic figure correction via the use of the adjusters, the successful demonstration of integrating control electronics directly on the actuator cells to enable row-column addressing, and discuss the feasibility of on-orbit piezoelectric performance and figure monitoring via integrated semiconductor strain gauges. We also present the telescope point design and progress in determining the telescope thermal sensitivities and achieving alignment and mounting requirements.

UBAT of UFFO/ Lomonosov: The X-Ray Space Telescope to Observe Early Photons from Gamma-Ray Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, S.; Panasyuk, M. I.; Reglero, V.; Connell, P.; Kim, M. B.; Lee, J.; Rodrigo, J. M.; Ripa, J.; Eyles, C.; Lim, H.; Gaikov, G.; Jeong, H.; Leonov, V.; Chen, P.; Castro-Tirado, A. J.; Nam, J. W.; Svertilov, S.; Yashin, I.; Garipov, G.; Huang, M.-H. A.; Huang, J.-J.; Kim, J. E.; Liu, T.-C.; Petrov, V.; Bogomolov, V.; Budtz-Jørgensen, C.; Brandt, S.; Park, I. H.

2018-02-01

The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) Burst Alert and Trigger Telescope (UBAT) has been designed and built for the localization of transient X-ray sources such as Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). As one of main instruments in the UFFO payload onboard the Lomonosov satellite (hereafter UFFO/ Lomonosov), the UBAT's roles are to monitor the X-ray sky, to rapidly locate and track transient sources, and to trigger the slewing of a UV/optical telescope, namely Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT). The SMT, a pioneering application of rapid slewing mirror technology has a line of sight parallel to the UBAT, allowing us to measure the early UV/optical GRB counterpart and study the extremely early moments of GRB evolution. To detect X-rays, the UBAT utilizes a 191.1 cm2 scintillation detector composed of Yttrium Oxyorthosilicate (YSO) crystals, Multi-Anode Photomultiplier Tubes (MAPMTs), and associated electronics. To estimate a direction vector of a GRB source in its field of view, it employs the well-known coded aperture mask technique. All functions are written for implementation on a field programmable gate array to enable fast triggering and to run the device's imaging algorithms. The UFFO/ Lomonosov satellite was launched on April 28, 2016, and is now collecting GRB observation data. In this study, we describe the UBAT's design, fabrication, integration, and performance as a GRB X-ray trigger and localization telescope, both on the ground and in space.

Development of an Energetic X-Ray Imaging Telescope Experiment (EXITE) and Associated Balloon Gondola System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This is the Final Report for grant NAGW-624, which was our original grant to develop the Energetic X- ray Imaging Telescope Experiment (EXITE) and Associated Balloon Gondola. The EXITE grant was changed over to a new grant (from GSFC), NAG5-5103, beginning in FY97 and is currently very much continuing under that grant. The Final Report presented here then covers the EXITE development under the original grant, which in fact continued (with a 1 year no-cost extension) through December 31, 1997.

Rocket studies of solar corona and transition region. [X-Ray spectrometer/spectrograph telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acton, L. W.; Bruner, E. C., Jr.; Brown, W. A.; Nobles, R. A.

1979-01-01

The XSST (X-Ray Spectrometer/Spectrograph Telescope) rocket payload launched by a Nike Boosted Black Brant was designed to provide high spectral resolution coronal soft X-ray line information on a spectrographic plate, as well as time resolved photo-electric records of pre-selected lines and spectral regions. This spectral data is obtained from a 1 x 10 arc second solar region defined by the paraboloidal telescope of the XSST. The transition region camera provided full disc images in selected spectral intervals originating in lower temperature zones than the emitting regions accessible to the XSST. A H-alpha camera system allowed referencing the measurements to the chromospheric temperatures and altitudes. Payload flight and recovery information is provided along with X-ray photoelectric and UV flight data, transition camera results and a summary of the anomalies encountered. Instrument mechanical stability and spectrometer pointing direction are also examined.

Replicated Wolter-I X-ray Optics for Lightweight, High Angular Resolution, Large Collecting Area X-Ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joy, M.; Bilbro, J.; Elsner, R.; Jones, W.; Kolodziejczak, J.; Petruzzo, J.; ODell, S.; Weisskopf, M.

1997-01-01

The next generation of orbiting x-ray observatories will require high angular resolution telescopes that have an order of magnitude greater collecting area in the 0.1-10 keV spectral region than those currently under construction, but with a much lower weight and cost per unit area. Replicated Wolter-I x-ray optics have the potential to meet this requirement. The currently demonstrated capabilities of replicated Wolter-I optics will be described, and a development plan for creating lightweight, high angular resolution, large effective area x-ray telescopes will be presented.

Perspectives of the lobster-eye telescope: The promising types of cosmic X-ray sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šimon, V.

2017-07-01

We show the astrophysical aspects of observing the X-ray sky with the planned lobster-eye telescope. This instrument is important because it is able to provide wide-field X-ray imaging. For the testing observations, we propose to include also X-ray binaries in which matter transfers onto the compact object (mostly the neutron star). We show the typical features of the long-term X-ray activity of such objects. Observing in the soft X-ray band is the most promising because their X-ray intensity is the highest in this band. Since these X-ray sources tend to concentrate toward the center of our Galaxy, several of them can be present in the field of view of the tested instrument.

Normal incidence X-ray telescope power spectra of X-ray emission from solar active regions. I - Observations. II - Theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gomez, Daniel O.; Martens, Petrus C. H.; Golub, Leon

1993-01-01

Fourier analysis is applied to very high resolution image of coronal active regions obtained by the Normal Incidence X-Ray Telescope is used to find a broad isotropic power-law spectrum of the spatial distribution of soft X-ray intensities. Magnetic structures of all sizes are present down to the resolution limit of the instrument. Power spectra for the X-ray intensities of a sample of topologically different active regions are found which fall off with increasing wavenumber as 1/k-cubed. A model is presented that relates the basic features of coronal magnetic fluctuations to the subphotospheric hydrodynamic turbulence that generates them. The model is used to find a theoretical power spectrum for the X-ray intensity which falls off with increasing wavenumber as 1/k-cubed. The implications of a turbulent regime in active regions are discussed.

Technology Requirements for a Square Meter, Arcsecond Resolution Telescope for X-Rays: The SMART-X Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, Daniel A.; Allured, Ryan; Bookbinder, Jay A.; Cotroneo, Vincenzo; Forman, William R.; Freeman, Mark D.; McMuldroch, Stuart; Reid, Paul B.; Tananbaum, Harvey; Vikhlinin, Alexey A.;

On the development status of high performance silicon pore optics for future x-ray telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraft, Stefan; Collon, M.; Günther, R.; Partapsing, R.; Beijersbergen, M.; Bavdaz, M.; Lumb, D.; Peacock, A.; Wallace, K.

2017-11-01

Silicon pore optics have been proposed earlier as modular optical X-ray units in large Wolter-I telescopes that would match effective area and resolution requirements imposed by missions such as XEUS. Since then the optics have been developed further and the feasibility of the production of high-performance pore optics has been demonstrated. Optimisation of both the production and the assembly process allowed the generation of optics with larger areas with improved imaging performance. Silicon pore optics can now be manufactured with properties required for future X-ray telescopes. A suitable design that allows the implementation of pore optics into X-ray Optical Units in Wolter-I configuration was recently derived including an appropriate telescope mounting structure with interfaces for the individual components. The development status, the achieved performance and the requirements regarding future mirror production, optics assembly and related metrology for its characterisation are presented.

Aplanatic telescopes based on Schwarzschild optical configuration: from grazing incidence Wolter-like x-ray optics to Cherenkov two-mirror normal incidence telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sironi, Giorgia

2017-09-01

At the beginning of XX century Karl Schwarzschild defined a method to design large-field aplanatic telescopes based on the use of two aspheric mirrors. The approach was then refined by Couder (1926) who, in order to correct for the astigmatic aberration, introduced a curvature of the focal plane. By the way, the realization of normal-incidence telescopes implementing the Schwarzschild aplanatic configuration has been historically limited by the lack of technological solutions to manufacture and test aspheric mirrors. On the other hand, the Schwarzschild solution was recovered for the realization of coma-free X-ray grazing incidence optics. Wolter-like grazing incidence systems are indeed free of spherical aberration, but still suffer from coma and higher order aberrations degrading the imaging capability for off-axis sources. The application of the Schwarzschild's solution to X-ray optics allowed Wolter to define an optical system that exactly obeys the Abbe sine condition, eliminating coma completely. Therefore these systems are named Wolter-Schwarzschild telescopes and have been used to implement wide-field X-ray telescopes like the ROSAT WFC and the SOHO X-ray telescope. Starting from this approach, a new class of X-ray optical system was proposed by Burrows, Burg and Giacconi assuming polynomials numerically optimized to get a flat field of view response and applied by Conconi to the wide field x-ray telescope (WFXT) design. The Schwarzschild-Couder solution has been recently re-discovered for the application to normal-incidence Cherenkov telescopes, thanks to the suggestion by Vassiliev and collaborators. The Italian Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) realized the first Cherenkov telescope based on the polynomial variation of the Schwarzschild configuration (the so-called ASTRI telescope). Its optical qualification was successfully completed in 2016, demonstrating the suitability of the Schwarzschild-like configuration for the Cherenkov astronomy requirements

Toward Large-Area Sub-Arcsecond X-Ray Telescopes II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, Stephen L.; Allured, Ryan; Ames, Andrew O.; Biskach, Michael P.; Broadway David M.; Bruni, Ricardo J.; Burrows, David; Cao, Jian; Chalifoux, Brandon D.; Chan, Kai-Wing;

Development of EXITE2: a large-area imaging phoswich detector/telescope for hard x-ray astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manandhar, Raj P.; Lum, Kenneth S.; Eikenberry, Stephen S.; Krockenberger, Martin; Grindlay, Jonathan E.

1993-11-01

We review design considerations and present preliminary details of the performance of a new imaging system for hard X-ray astronomy in the 20 - 600 keV energy range. The detector is a 40 cm X 40 cm NaI(Tl)/CsI(Na) phoswich module, read out by a 7 X 7 array of square PMTs. The detector comprises the main part of the next generation Energetic X-ray Imaging Telescope Experiment (EXITE2), which had its first flight on 13 June 1993 from Palestine, Texas. Imaging is accomplished via the coded-aperture mask technique. The mask consists of 16 mm square lead/tin/copper pixels arranged in a cyclically repeated 13 X 11 uniformly redundant array pattern at a focal length of 2.5 m, giving 22 arcmin resolution. The field of view, determined by the lead/brass collimator (16 mm pitch) is 4.65 degrees FWHM. We anticipate a 3 sigma sensitivity of 1 X 10(superscript -5) photons cm(superscript -2) s(superscript -1) keV(superscript -1) at 100 keV in a 10(superscript 4) sec balloon observation. The electronics incorporate two on-board computers, providing a future capability to record the full data stream and telemeter compressed data. The design of the current detector and electronics allows an upgrade to EXITE3, which adds a proportional counter front-end to achieve lower background and better spatial and spectral resolution below approximately 100 keV.

Application of a magnetograph and X-ray telescope to the study of coronal structure variations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, D. M.

1980-01-01

The application of magnetographs and X-ray imaging techniques to determine the magnitude, structure, origin, and evolution of the solar coronal magnetic field is examined. The spatial and temporal resolution of the X-ray telescope is discussed and a comparison of ground based magnetogram sequences versus a magnetograph in space is presented. Skylab photographs of the evolution of transient coronal holes are provided.

A large-area gamma-ray imaging telescope system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koch, D. G.

1983-01-01

The concept definition of using the External Tank (ET) of the Space Shuttle as the basis for constructing a large area gamma ray imaging telescope in space is detailed. The telescope will be used to locate and study cosmic sources of gamma rays of energy greater than 100 MeV. Both the telescope properties and the means whereby an ET is used for this purpose are described. A parallel is drawn between those systems that would be common to both a Space Station and this ET application. In addition, those systems necessary for support of the telescope can form the basis for using the ET as part of the Space Station. The major conclusions of this concept definition are that the ET is ideal for making into a gamma ray telescope, and that this telescope will provide a substantial increase in collecting area.

Research study on stellar X-ray imaging experiment, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, H. H.; Vanspeybroeck, L. P.

1972-01-01

The use of microchannel plates as focal plane readout devices and the evaluation of mirrors for X-ray telescopes applied to stellar X-ray imaging is discussed. The microchannel plate outputs were either imaged on a phosphor screen which was viewed by a low light level vidicon or on a wire array which was read out by digitally processing the output of a charge division network attached to the wires. A service life test which was conducted on two image intensifiers is described.

AXIOM: Advanced X-ray Imaging of the Magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Sembay, S. F.; Eastwood, J. P.; Sibeck, D. G.; Abbey, A.; Brown, P.; Carter, J. A.; Carr, C. M.; Forsyth, C.; Kataria, D.;

AXIOM: Advanced X-Ray Imaging of the Magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Sembay, S. F.; Eastwood, J. P.; Sibeck, D. G.; Abbey, A.; Brown, P.; Carter, J. A.; Carr, C. M.; Forsyth, C.; Kataria, D.;

Silicon pore optics for future x-ray telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wille, Eric; Bavdaz, Marcos; Wallace, Kotska; Shortt, Brian; Collon, Maximilien; Ackermann, Marcelo; Günther, Ramses; Olde Riekerink, Mark; Koelewijn, Arenda; Haneveld, Jeroen; van Baren, Coen; Erhard, Markus; Kampf, Dirk; Christensen, Finn; Krumrey, Michael; Freyberg, Michael; Burwitz, Vadim

2017-11-01

Lightweight X-ray Wolter optics with a high angular resolution will enable the next generation of X-ray telescopes in space. The candidate mission ATHENA (Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics) required a mirror assembly of 1 m2 effective area (at 1 keV) and an angular resolution of 10 arcsec or better. These specifications can only be achieved with a novel technology like Silicon Pore Optics, which is being developed by ESA together with a consortium of European industry. Silicon Pore Optics are made of commercial Si wafers using process technology adapted from the semiconductor industry. We present the recent upgrades made to the manufacturing processes and equipment, ranging from the manufacture of single mirror plates towards complete focusing mirror modules mounted in flight configuration, and results from first vibration tests. The performance of the mirror modules is tested at X-ray facilities that were recently extended to measure optics at a focal distance up to 20 m.

Grazing Incidence Nickel Replicated Optics for Hard X-ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peturzzo, J. J., III; Elsner, R. F.; Joy, M. K.; ODell, S. L.; Weisskopf, M. C.

1997-01-01

The requirements for future hard x-ray (up to 50 keV) telescopes are lightweight, high angular resolution optics with large collecting areas. Grazing incidence replicated optics are an excellent candidate for this, type of mission, providing better angular resolution, comparable area/unit mass, and simpler fabrication than multilayer-coated foils. Most importantly, the technology to fabricate the required optics currently exists. A comparison of several hard x-ray telescope designs will be presented.

Development of the focal plane PNCCD camera system for the X-ray space telescope eROSITA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meidinger, Norbert; Andritschke, Robert; Ebermayer, Stefanie; Elbs, Johannes; Hälker, Olaf; Hartmann, Robert; Herrmann, Sven; Kimmel, Nils; Schächner, Gabriele; Schopper, Florian; Soltau, Heike; Strüder, Lothar; Weidenspointner, Georg

2010-12-01

A so-called PNCCD, a special type of CCD, was developed twenty years ago as focal plane detector for the XMM-Newton X-ray astronomy mission of the European Space Agency ESA. Based on this detector concept and taking into account the experience of almost ten years of operation in space, a new X-ray CCD type was designed by the ‘MPI semiconductor laboratory’ for an upcoming X-ray space telescope, called eROSITA (extended Roentgen survey with an imaging telescope array). This space telescope will be equipped with seven X-ray mirror systems of Wolter-I type and seven CCD cameras, placed in their foci. The instrumentation permits the exploration of the X-ray universe in the energy band from 0.3 up to 10 keV by spectroscopic measurements with a time resolution of 50 ms for a full image comprising 384×384 pixels. Main scientific goals are an all-sky survey and investigation of the mysterious ‘Dark Energy’. The eROSITA space telescope, which is developed under the responsibility of the ‘Max-Planck-Institute for extraterrestrial physics’, is a scientific payload on the new Russian satellite ‘Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma’ (SRG). The mission is already approved by the responsible Russian and German space agencies. After launch in 2012 the destination of the satellite is Lagrange point L2. The planned observational program takes about seven years. We describe the design of the eROSITA camera system and present important test results achieved recently with the eROSITA prototype PNCCD detector. This includes a comparison of the eROSITA detector with the XMM-Newton detector.

Telescope for x ray and gamma ray studies in astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weaver, W. D.; Desai, Upendra D.

1993-01-01

Imaging of x-rays has been achieved by various methods in astrophysics, nuclear physics, medicine, and material science. A new method for imaging x-ray and gamma-ray sources avoids the limitations of previously used imaging devices. Images are formed in optical wavelengths by using mirrors or lenses to reflect and refract the incoming photons. High energy x-ray and gamma-ray photons cannot be reflected except at grazing angles and pass through lenses without being refracted. Therefore, different methods must be used to image x-ray and gamma-ray sources. Techniques using total absorption, or shadow casting, can provide images in x-rays and gamma-rays. This new method uses a coder made of a pair of Fresnel zone plates and a detector consisting of a matrix of CsI scintillators and photodiodes. The Fresnel zone plates produce Moire patterns when illuminated by an off-axis source. These Moire patterns are deconvolved using a stepped sine wave fitting or an inverse Fourier transform. This type of coder provides the capability of an instantaneous image with sub-arcminute resolution while using a detector with only a coarse position-sensitivity. A matrix of the CsI/photodiode detector elements provides the necessary coarse position-sensitivity. The CsI/photodiode detector also allows good energy resolution. This imaging system provides advantages over previously used imaging devices in both performance and efficiency.

Time-domain Astronomy with the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winter, Lisa M.; Vestrand, Tom; Smith, Karl; Kippen, Marc; Schirato, Richard

2018-01-01

The Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS) is a concept NASA Probe class mission that will enable time-domain X-ray observations after the conclusion of the successful Swift Gamma-ray burst mission. AXIS will achieve rapid response, like Swift, with an improved X-ray monitoring capability through high angular resolution (similar to the 0.5 arc sec resolution of the Chandra X-ray Observatory) and high sensitivity (ten times the Chandra count rate) observations in the 0.3-10 keV band. In the up-coming decades, AXIS’s fast slew rate will provide the only rapid X-ray capability to study explosive transient events. Increased ground-based monitoring with next-generation survey telescopes like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will provide a revolution in transient science through the discovery of many new known and unknown phenomena – requiring AXIS follow-ups to establish the highest energy emission from these events. This synergy between AXIS and ground-based detections will constrain the rapid rise through decline in energetic emission from numerous transients including: supernova shock breakout winds, gamma-ray burst X-ray afterglows, ionized gas resulting from the activation of a hidden massive black hole in tidal disruption events, and intense flares from magnetic reconnection processes in stellar coronae. Additionally, the combination of high sensitivity and angular resolution will allow deeper and more precise monitoring for prompt X-ray signatures associated with gravitational wave detections. We present a summary of time-domain science with AXIS, highlighting its capabilities and expected scientific gains from rapid high quality X-ray imaging of transient phenomena.

Fabrication of imaging X-ray optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catura, R. C.; Joki, E. G.; Brookover, W. J.

The design, fabrication, and performance of optics for X-ray astronomy and laboratory applications are described and illustrated with diagrams, drawings, graphs, photographs, and sample images. Particular attention is given to the Wolter I telescope developed for spectroscopic observation of 8-30-A cosmic X-ray sources from a rocketborne X-ray Objective Grating Spectrometer; this instrument employs three nested paraboloid-hyperboloid mirrors of 5083 Al alloy, figured by diamond turning and covered with a thin coating of acrylic lacquer prior to deposition of a 40-nm-thick layer of Sn. In calibration tests at NASA Marshall, the FWHM of the line-spread function at 1.33 nm was found to be 240 microns, corresponding to 21 arcsec. Also presented are the results of reflectivity measurements on C and W multilayers sputtered on Si and fusion glass substrates.

Toward Large-Area Sub-Arcsecond X-Ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

ODell, Stephen L.; Aldcroft, Thomas L.; Allured, Ryan; Atkins, Carolyn; Burrows, David N.; Cao, Jian; Chalifoux, Brandon D.; Chan, Kai-Wing; Cotroneo, Vincenzo; Elsner, Ronald F.;

ISS-Lobster: A Proposed Wide-Field X-Ray Telescope on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Camp, Jordan

2012-01-01

The Lobster wide-field imaging telescope combines simultaneous high FOV, high sensitivity and good position resolution. These characteristics can open the field of X-Ray time domain astronomy, which will study many interesting transient sources, including tidal disruptions of stars, supernova shock breakouts, and high redshift gamma-ray bursts. Also important will be its use for the X-ray follow-up of gravitational wave detections. I will describe our present effort to propose the Lobster concept for deployment on the International Space Station through a NASA Mission of Opportunity this fall.

Advances in photographic X-ray imaging for solar astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moses, J. Daniel; Schueller, R.; Waljeski, K.; Davis, John M.

1989-01-01

The technique of obtaining quantitative data from high resolution soft X-ray photographic images produced by grazing incidence optics was successfully developed to a high degree during the Solar Research Sounding Rocket Program and the S-054 X-Ray Spectrographic Telescope Experiment Program on Skylab. Continued use of soft X-ray photographic imaging in sounding rocket flights of the High Resolution Solar Soft X-Ray Imaging Payload has provided opportunities to further develop these techniques. The developments discussed include: (1) The calibration and use of an inexpensive, commercially available microprocessor controlled drum type film processor for photometric film development; (2) The use of Kodak Technical Pan 2415 film and Kodak SO-253 High Speed Holographic film for improved resolution; and (3) The application of a technique described by Cook, Ewing, and Sutton for determining the film characteristics curves from density histograms of the flight film. Although the superior sensitivity, noise level, and linearity of microchannel plate and CCD detectors attracts the development efforts of many groups working in soft X-ray imaging, the high spatial resolution and dynamic range as well as the reliability and ease of application of photographic media assures the continued use of these techniques in solar X-ray astronomy observations.

SuperHERO: The Next Generation Hard X-Ray HEROES Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson-Hodge, Colleen A.; Gaskin, Jessica A.; Christe, Steven D.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Ramsey, Brian D.; Seller, Paul; Shih, Albert Y.; Stuchlik, David W.; Swartz, Douglas A.; Tenant, Allyn F.;

SuperHERO: The Next Generation Hard X-ray HEROES Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaskin, Jessica A.; Christe, Steven D.; Wilson-Hodge, Colleen; Shih, Albert Y. M.; Ramsey, Brian D.; Tennant, Allyn F.; Swartz, Douglas A.

2014-01-01

SuperHERO is a new high-sensitivity Long Duration Balloon (LDB)-capable, hard-x-ray (20-75 keV) telescope for making novel astrophysics and heliophysics observations. The proposed SuperHERO payload will be developed jointly by the Astrophysics Office at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, the Solar Physics Laboratory and Wallops Flight Facility at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. SuperHERO is a follow-on payload to the High Energy Replicated Optics to Explore the Sun (HEROES) balloon-borne telescope that recently launched from Fort Sumner, NM in September of 2013. The HEROES core instrument is a hard x-ray telescope consisting of x-ray 109 optics configured into 8 modules. Each module is aligned to a matching gas-filled detector at a focal length of 6 m. SuperHERO will make significant improvements to the HEROES payload, including: new solid-state multi-pixel CdTe detectors, additional optics, the Wallops Arc-Second Pointer, alignment monitoring systems and lighter gondola.

X-ray telescope mirrors made of slumped glass sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winter, A.; Breunig, E.; Friedrich, P.; Proserpio, L.

2017-11-01

For several decades, the field of X-ray astronomy has been playing a major role in understanding the processes in our universe. From binary stars and black holes up to galaxy clusters and dark matter, high energetic events have been observed and analysed using powerful X-ray telescopes like e.g. Rosat, Chandra, and XMM-Newton [1,2,3], giving us detailed and unprecedented views of the high-energy universe. In November 2013, the theme of "The Hot and Energetic Universe" was rated as of highest importance for future exploration and in June 2014 the ATHENA Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics was selected by ESA for the second large science mission (L2) in the ESA Cosmic Vision program, with launch foreseen in 2028 [4]. By combining a large X-ray telescope with state-of-the-art scientific instruments, ATHENA will address key questions in astrophysics, including: How and why does ordinary matter assemble into the galaxies and galactic clusters that we see today? How do black holes grow and influence their surroundings? In order to answer these questions, ATHENA needs a powerful mirror system which exceed the capabilities of current missions, especially in terms of collecting area. However, current technologies have reached the mass limits of the launching rocket, creating the need for more light-weight mirror systems in order to enhance the effective area without increasing the telescope mass. Hence new mirror technologies are being developed which aim for low-weight systems with large collecting areas. Light material like glass can be used, which are shaped to form an X-ray reflecting system via the method of thermal glass slumping.

Measurement of the point spread function and effective area of the Solar-A Soft X-ray Telescope mirror

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lemen, J. R.; Claflin, E. S.; Brown, W. A.; Bruner, M. E.; Catura, R. C.

1989-01-01

A grazing incidence solar X-ray telescope, Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT), will be flown on the Solar-A satellite in 1991. Measurements have been conducted to determine the focal length, Point Spread Function (PSF), and effective area of the SXT mirror. The measurements were made with pinholes, knife edges, a CCD, and a proportional counter. The results show the 1/r character of the PSF, and indicate a half power diameter of 4.9 arcsec and an effective area of 1.33 sq cm at 13.3 A (0.93 keV). The mirror was found to provide a high contrast image with very little X-ray scattering.

Digital optical correlator x-ray telescope alignment monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lis, Tomasz; Gaskin, Jessica; Jasper, John; Gregory, Don A.

2018-01-01

The High-Energy Replicated Optics to Explore the Sun (HEROES) program is a balloon-borne x-ray telescope mission to observe hard x-rays (˜20 to 70 keV) from the sun and multiple astrophysical targets. The payload consists of eight mirror modules with a total of 114 optics that are mounted on a 6-m-long optical bench. Each mirror module is complemented by a high-pressure xenon gas scintillation proportional counter. Attached to the payload is a camera that acquires star fields and then matches the acquired field to star maps to determine the pointing of the optical bench. Slight misalignments between the star camera, the optical bench, and the telescope elements attached to the optical bench may occur during flight due to mechanical shifts, thermal gradients, and gravitational effects. These misalignments can result in diminished imaging and reduced photon collection efficiency. To monitor these misalignments during flight, a supplementary Bench Alignment Monitoring System (BAMS) was added to the payload. BAMS hardware comprises two cameras mounted directly to the optical bench and rings of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted onto the telescope components. The LEDs in these rings are mounted in a predefined, asymmetric pattern, and their positions are tracked using an optical/digital correlator. The BAMS analysis software is a digital adaption of an optical joint transform correlator. The aim is to enhance the observational proficiency of HEROES while providing insight into the magnitude of mechanically and thermally induced misalignments during flight. Results from a preflight test of the system are reported.

High Resolution X-ray Imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cash, Webster

2002-01-01

NAG5-5020 covered a period of 7.5 years during which a great deal of progress was made in x-ray optical techniques under this grant. We survived peer review numerous times during the effort to keep the grant going. In 1994, when the grant started we were actively pursuing the application of spherical mirrors to improving x-ray telescopes. We had found that x-ray detectors were becoming rapidly more sophisticated and affordable, but that x-ray telescopes were only being improved through the intense application of money within the AXAF program. Clearly new techniques for the future were needed. We were successful in developing and testing at the HELSTF facility in New Mexico a four reflection coma-corrected telescope made from spheres. We were able to demonstrate 0.3 arcsecond resolution, almost to the diffraction limit of the system. The community as a whole was, at that time, not particularly interested in looking past AXAF (Chandra) and the effort needed to evolve. Since we had reached the diffraction limit using non-Wolter optics we then decided to see if we could build an x-ray interferometer in the laboratory. In the lab the potential for improved resolution was substantial. If synthetic aperture telescopes could be built in space, then orders of magnitude improvement would become feasible. In 1998 NASA, under the direction of Dr. Nick White of Goddard, started a study to assess the potential and feasibility of x-ray interferometry in space. My work became of central interest to the committee because it indicated that such was possible. In early 1999 we had the breakthrough that allowed us build a practical interferometer. By using flats and hooking up with the Marshall Space Flight Center facilities we were able to demonstrate fringes at 1.25keV on a one millimeter baseline. This actual laboratory demonstration provided the solid proof of concept that NASA needed.

Imaging performance of a normal incidence soft X-ray telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henry, J. P.; Spiller, E.; Weisskopf, M.

1982-01-01

Measurements are presented of the imaging performance of a normal incidence spherical soft X-ray mirror at BK-alpha (67.6 A). The reflector was a 124-layer coating consisting of alternating Re-W alloy and C layers with a protective C overcoat 34 A thick deposited on a Zerodur substrate. Measurements made at an angle of 1.5 deg off axis with the prototype of the Einstein Observatory high resolution imager reveal the resolution of the mirror to be about 1 arcsec FWHM, with 50% of the reflected power within the detector field of 512 arcsec contained within a diameter of 5 arcsec. The data demonstrate the practicality and potential good performance of normal-incidence soft X-ray optics, and show that the scattering performances of such devices may be as good or better than the best grazing incidence devices.

NASA Unveils First Images From Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1999-08-01

Extraordinary first images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory trace the aftermath of a gigantic stellar explosion in such stunning detail that scientists can see evidence of what may be a neutron star or black hole near the center. Another image shows a powerful X-ray jet blasting 200,000 light years into intergalactic space from a distant quasar. Released today, both images confirm that NASA's newest Great Observatory is in excellent health and its instruments and optics are performing up to expectations. Chandra, the world's largest and most sensitive X-ray telescope, is still in its orbital check-out and calibration phase. "When I saw the first image, I knew that the dream had been realized," said Dr. Martin Weisskopf, Chandra Project Scientist, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL. "This observatory is ready to take its place in the history of spectacular scientific achievements." "We were astounded by these images," said Harvey Tananbaum, Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X- ray Center, Cambridge, MA. "We see the collision of the debris from the exploded star with the matter around it, we see shock waves rushing into interstellar space at millions of miles per hour, and, as a real bonus, we see for the first time a tantalizing bright point near the center of the remnant that could possibly be a collapsed star associated with the outburst." Chandra's PKS 0637-752 PKS 0637-752 After the telescope's sunshade door was opened last week, one of the first images taken was of the 320-year-old supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, which astronomers believe was produced by the explosion of a massive star. Material blasted into space from the explosion crashed into surrounding material at 10 million miles per hour. This collision caused violent shock waves, like massive sonic booms, creating a vast 50-million degree bubble of X-ray emitting gas. Heavy elements in the hot gas produce X-rays of specific energies. Chandra's ability

Effects of Contamination Upon the Performance of X-Ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, Stephen L.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Oosterbroek, Tim

2010-01-01

Particulate and molecular contamination can each impact the performance of x-ray telescope systems. Furthermore, any changes in the level of contamination between on-ground calibration and in-space operation can compromise the validity of the calibration. Thus, it is important to understand the sensitivity of telescope performance, especially the net effective area and the wings of the point spread function to contamination. Here, we quantify this sensitivity and discuss the flow-down of science requirements to contamination-control requirements. As an example, we apply this methodology to the International X-ray Observatory (IXO), currently under joint study by ESA, JAXA, and NASA.

Effects of contamination upon the performance of x-ray telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Dell, Stephen L.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Oosterbroek, Tim

2010-07-01

Particulate and molecular contamination can each impact the performance of x-ray telescope systems. Furthermore, any changes in the level of contamination between on-ground calibration and in-space operation can compromise the validity of the calibration. Thus, it is important to understand the sensitivity of telescope performance---especially the net effective area and the wings of the point spread function---to contamination. Here, we quantify this sensitivity and discuss the flow-down of science requirements to contamination-control requirements. As an example, we apply this methodology to the International X-ray Observatory (IXO), currently under joint study by ESA, JAXA, and NASA.

Image Properties of an X-Ray Telescope of the Wolter-1 Type with Emphasis on Contrast Reduction by Diffuse Reflection. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lenzen, R.

1980-01-01

Theoretical and experimental results are presented on the geometrical-optic imaging properties of a Wolter-1 type paraboloid-hyperboloid X-ray telescope. Particular consideration is given to the effect of microroughness of the mirror on the imaging properties. Experiments were conducted in which scattering properties were determined as a function of wavelength, incidence angle, and roughness of the plane mirrors. Results indicate the need for optimization of mirror material and polishing technology as well as the development of improved mirror manufacturing techniques. The use of transmission gratings along with the Wolter-1 type telescope in spectroscopy applications is discussed.

The study of X-ray scattering to determine surface topography of smooth surfaces. [X-ray telescope mirrors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, A. C.

1982-01-01

The scattering of X-rays from state-of-the-art polished mirrors is discussed with reference to the requirements of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility telescope. An experimental set-up is described which allows information to be obtained with subarcsecond resolution. A sample of the data obtained is presented along with a possible theoretical model for its interpretation.

Chandra X-Ray Observatory Image of Andromeda Galaxy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Chandra X-Ray Observatory took this first x-ray picture of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) on October 13, 1999. The blue dot in the center of the image is a 'cool' million-degree x-ray source where a supermassive black hole with the mass of 30-million suns is located. The x-rays are produced by matter furneling toward the black hole. Numerous other hotter x-ray sources are also apparent. Most of these are probably due to x-ray binary systems, in which a neutron star or black hole is in close orbit around a normal star. While the gas falling into the central black hole is cool, it is only cool by comparison to the 100 other x-ray sources in the Andromeda Galaxy. To be detected by an x-ray telescope, the gas must have a temperature of more than a million degrees. The Andromeda Galaxy is our nearest neighbor spiral galaxy at a distance of two million light years. It is similar to our own Milky Way in size, shape, and also contains a supermassive black hole at the center. (Photo Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/S. Murray, M. Garcia)

Soft X-ray Focusing Telescope Aboard AstroSat: Design, Characteristics and Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, K. P.; Stewart, G. C.; Westergaard, N. J.; Bhattacharayya, S.; Chandra, S.; Chitnis, V. R.; Dewangan, G. C.; Kothare, A. T.; Mirza, I. M.; Mukerjee, K.; Navalkar, V.; Shah, H.; Abbey, A. F.; Beardmore, A. P.; Kotak, S.; Kamble, N.; Vishwakarama, S.; Pathare, D. P.; Risbud, V. M.; Koyande, J. P.; Stevenson, T.; Bicknell, C.; Crawford, T.; Hansford, G.; Peters, G.; Sykes, J.; Agarwal, P.; Sebastian, M.; Rajarajan, A.; Nagesh, G.; Narendra, S.; Ramesh, M.; Rai, R.; Navalgund, K. H.; Sarma, K. S.; Pandiyan, R.; Subbarao, K.; Gupta, T.; Thakkar, N.; Singh, A. K.; Bajpai, A.

2017-06-01

The Soft X-ray focusing Telescope (SXT), India's first X-ray telescope based on the principle of grazing incidence, was launched aboard the AstroSat and made operational on October 26, 2015. X-rays in the energy band of 0.3-8.0 keV are focussed on to a cooled charge coupled device thus providing medium resolution X-ray spectroscopy of cosmic X-ray sources of various types. It is the most sensitive X-ray instrument aboard the AstroSat. In its first year of operation, SXT has been used to observe objects ranging from active stars, compact binaries, supernova remnants, active galactic nuclei and clusters of galaxies in order to study its performance and quantify its characteriztics. Here, we present an overview of its design, mechanical hardware, electronics, data modes, observational constraints, pipeline processing and its in-orbit performance based on preliminary results from its characterization during the performance verification phase.

A normal incidence, high resolution X-ray telescope for solar coronal observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, L.

1984-01-01

Efforts directed toward the completion of an X-ray telescope assembly design, the procurement of major components, and the coordination of optical fabrication and X-ray multilayer testing are reported.

The Wide Field X-ray Telescope Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, Stephen S.; WFXT Team

2010-01-01

To explore the high-redshift Universe to the era of galaxy formation requires an X-ray survey that is both sensitive and extensive, which complements deep wide-field surveys at other wavelengths. The Wide-Field X-ray Telescope (WFXT) is designed to be two orders of magnitude more effective than previous and planned X-ray missions for surveys. WFXT consists of three co-aligned wide-field X-ray telescopes with a 1 sq. deg. field of view and <10 arc sec (goal of 5 arc sec) angular resolution over the full field. With nearly ten times Chandra's collecting area and more than ten times Chandra's field of view, WFXT will perform sensitive deep surveys that will discover and characterize extremely large populations of high redshift AGN and galaxy clusters. In five years, WFXT will perform three extragalactic surveys: 1) 20,000 sq. deg. of extragalactic sky at 100-1000 times the sensitivity, and twenty times better angular resolution than the ROSAT All Sky Survey; 2) 3000 sq.deg. to deep Chandra sensitivity; and 3) 100 sq.deg. to the deepest Chandra sensitivity. WFXT will generate a legacy dataset of >500,000 galaxy clusters to redshifts about 2, measuring redshift, gas abundance and temperature for a significant fraction of them, and a sample of more than 10 million AGN to redshifts > 6, many with X-ray spectra sufficient to distinguish obscured from unobscured quasars. These surveys will address fundamental questions of how supermassive black holes grow and influence the evolution of the host galaxy and how clusters form and evolve, as well as providing large samples of massive clusters that can be used in cosmological studies. WFXT surveys will map systems spanning many square degrees including Galactic star forming regions, the Magellanic Clouds and the Virgo Cluster. WFXT data will become public through annual Data Releases that will constitute a vast scientific legacy.

The Hard X-ray Imager (HXI) for the ASTRO-H Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Goro; Kokubun, Motohide; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Enoto, Teruaki; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Harayama, Atsushi; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Kataoka, Jun; Katsuta, Junichiro; Kawaharada, Madoka; Laurent, Philippe; Lebrun, François; Limousin, Olivier; Makishima, Kazuo; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Mori, Kunishiro; Nakamori, Takeshi; Noda, Hirofumi; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Saito, Shinya; Sato, Rie; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Takeda, Shinichiro; Terada, Yukikatsu; Uchiyama, Hideki; Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Watanabe, Shin; Yamaoka, Kazutaka; Yatsu, Yoichi; Yuasa, Takayuki

2014-07-01

The 6th Japanese X-ray satellite, ASTRO-H, is scheduled for launch in 2015. The hard X-ray focusing imaging system will observe astronomical objects with the sensitivity for detecting point sources with a brightness of 1/100,000 times fainter than the Crab nebula at > 10 keV. The Hard X-ray Imager (HXI) is a focal plane detector 12 m below the hard X-ray telescope (HXT) covering the energy range from 5 to 80 keV. The HXI is composed of a stacked Si/CdTe semiconductor detector module and surrounding BGO scintillators. The latter work as active shields for efficient reduction of background events caused by cosmic-ray particles, cosmic X-ray background, and in-orbit radiation activation. In this paper, we describe the detector system, and present current status of flight model development, and performance of HXI using an engineering model of HXI.

Flares observed by the normal incidence X-ray telescope on 1989 September 11

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herant, M.; Pardo, F.; Spiller, E.; Golub, L.

1991-01-01

Two solar flare events have been observed in soft X-rays during a sounding-rocket flight of the Normal-Incidence X-ray Telescope payload on September 11, 1989. The flare in X-rays involves a single bright loop crossing the neutral line, and having its footpoints at the southern ends of the ribbons; this loop accounts for more than 66 percent of the emission. Within the remainder of each of the flare ribbons, a complex coronal structure is also observed to be interacting with the main flare loop. A second event, in an active region at the limb, has a strong correlation with H-alpha images obtained at the same time. This indicates the coexistence, and indeed the close proximity, of coronal and chromospheric temperature material. Interpretations of this phenomenon are discussed.

Experimental evaluation of the ring focus test for X-ray telescopes using AXAF's technology mirror assembly, MSFC CDDF Project No. H20

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zissa, D. E.; Korsch, D.

1986-01-01

A test method particularly suited for X-ray telescopes was evaluated experimentally. The method makes use of a focused ring formed by an annular aperture when using a point source at a finite distance. This would supplement measurements of the best focus image which is blurred when the test source is at a finite distance. The telescope used was the Technology Mirror Assembly of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysis Facility (AXAF) program. Observed ring image defects could be related to the azimuthal location of their sources in the telescope even though in this case the predicted sharp ring was obscured by scattering, finite source size, and residual figure errors.

Design of MiSolFA Hard X-Ray Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lastufka, Erica; Casadei, Diego

2017-08-01

Advances in the study of coronal electron-accelerating regions have so far been limited by the dynamic range of X-ray instruments. A quick and economical alternative to desirable focusing optics technology is stereo observation. The micro-satellite MiSolFA (Micro Solar-Flare Apparatus) is designed both as a stand-alone X-ray imaging spectrometer and a complement to the Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX) mission. These instruments will be the first pair of cross-calibrated X-ray imaging spectrometers to look at solar flares from very different points of view. MiSolFA will achieve indirect imaging between 10 and 60 keV and provide spectroscopy up to 100 keV, equipped with grids producing moiré patterns in a similar way to STIX. New manufacturing techniques produce gold gratings on a graphite or silicon substrate, with periods ranging from 15 to 225 micrometers, separated by a distance of 15.47 cm, to achieve a spatial resolutions from 10" to 60" (as compared to RHESSI's separation of 150 cm and 1" resolution). We present the progress of the imager design, the performance of the first prototypes, and reach out to the community for further scientific objectives to consider in optimizing the final design.

A Normal Incidence X-ray Telescope (NIXT) sounding rocket payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, Leon

1989-01-01

Work on the High Resolution X-ray (HRX) Detector Program is described. In the laboratory and flight programs, multiple copies of a general purpose set of electronics which control the camera, signal processing and data acquisition, were constructed. A typical system consists of a phosphor convertor, image intensifier, a fiber optics coupler, a charge coupled device (CCD) readout, and a set of camera, signal processing and memory electronics. An initial rocket detector prototype camera was tested in flight and performed perfectly. An advanced prototype detector system was incorporated on another rocket flight, in which a high resolution heterojunction vidicon tube was used as the readout device for the H(alpha) telescope. The camera electronics for this tube were built in-house and included in the flight electronics. Performance of this detector system was 100 percent satisfactory. The laboratory X-ray system for operation on the ground is also described.

Solar-B X-ray Telescope (XRT) Concept Study Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golub, Leon

1999-10-01

The X-ray observations from the Yohkoh SXT provided the greatest step forward in our understanding of the solar corona in nearly two decades. Expanding on the accomplishments of Yohkoh, we believe that the scientific objectives of the Solar-B mission are achieved with a significantly improved X-ray telescope (XRT) similar to the SXT. The Solar-B XRT will have twice the spatial resolution and a broader temperature response, while building on the knowledge gained from the successful Yohkoh mission. We present the scientific justification for this view, discuss the instrumental requirements that flow from the scientific objectives, and describe the instrumentation to meet these requirements. We then provide a detailed discussion of the design activities carried out during Phase A, noting the conclusions that were reached in terms of their implications for the detailed design activities which are now commencing. Details of the instrument that have changed as a result of the Phase A studied are specifically noted, and areas of concern going into Phase B are highlighted. XRT is a grazing-incidence (GI) modified Wolter I X-ray telescope, of 35cm inner diameter and 2.7m focal length. The 2048x2048 back-illuminated CCD (now an ISAS responsibility) has 13.5 micron pixels, corresponding to 1.0 arcsec and giving full Sun field of view. This will be the highest resolution GI X-ray telescope ever flown for Solar coronal studies, and it has been designed specifically to observe both the high and low temperature coronal plasma. A small optical telescope provides visible light images for co-alignment with the Solar-B optical and EUV instruments. The XRT science team is working in close cooperation with our Japanese colleagues in the design and construction of this instrument. All of the expertise and resources of the High Energy and Solar/Stellar Divisions of the Center for Astrophysics are being made available to this program, and our team will carry its full share of

Solar-B X-ray Telescope (XRT) Concept Study Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, Leon

1999-01-01

The X-ray observations from the Yohkoh SXT provided the greatest step forward in our understanding of the solar corona in nearly two decades. Expanding on the accomplishments of Yohkoh, we believe that the scientific objectives of the Solar-B mission are achieved with a significantly improved X-ray telescope (XRT) similar to the SXT. The Solar-B XRT will have twice the spatial resolution and a broader temperature response, while building on the knowledge gained from the successful Yohkoh mission. We present the scientific justification for this view, discuss the instrumental requirements that flow from the scientific objectives, and describe the instrumentation to meet these requirements. We then provide a detailed discussion of the design activities carried out during Phase A, noting the conclusions that were reached in terms of their implications for the detailed design activities which are now commencing. Details of the instrument that have changed as a result of the Phase A studied are specifically noted, and areas of concern going into Phase B are highlighted. XRT is a grazing-incidence (GI) modified Wolter I X-ray telescope, of 35cm inner diameter and 2.7m focal length. The 2048x2048 back-illuminated CCD (now an ISAS responsibility) has 13.5 micron pixels, corresponding to 1.0 arcsec and giving full Sun field of view. This will be the highest resolution GI X-ray telescope ever flown for Solar coronal studies, and it has been designed specifically to observe both the high and low temperature coronal plasma. A small optical telescope provides visible light images for co-alignment with the Solar-B optical and EUV instruments. The XRT science team is working in close cooperation with our Japanese colleagues in the design and construction of this instrument. All of the expertise and resources of the High Energy and Solar/Stellar Divisions of the Center for Astrophysics are being made available to this program, and our team will carry its full share of

X-ray Optics Development at MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharma, Dharma P.

2017-01-01

Development of high resolution focusing telescopes has led to a tremendous leap in sensitivity, revolutionizing observational X-ray astronomy. High sensitivity and high spatial resolution X-ray observations have been possible due to use of grazing incidence optics (paraboloid/hyperboloid) coupled with high spatial resolution and high efficiency detectors/imagers. The best X-ray telescope flown so far is mounted onboard Chandra observatory launched on July 23,1999. The telescope has a spatial resolution of 0.5 arc seconds with compatible imaging instruments in the energy range of 0.1 to 10 keV. The Chandra observatory has been responsible for a large number of discoveries and has provided X-ray insights on a large number of celestial objects including stars, supernova remnants, pulsars, magnetars, black holes, active galactic nuclei, galaxies, clusters and our own solar system.

Advanced x-ray imaging spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callas, John L. (Inventor); Soli, George A. (Inventor)

1998-01-01

An x-ray spectrometer that also provides images of an x-ray source. Coded aperture imaging techniques are used to provide high resolution images. Imaging position-sensitive x-ray sensors with good energy resolution are utilized to provide excellent spectroscopic performance. The system produces high resolution spectral images of the x-ray source which can be viewed in any one of a number of specific energy bands.

Aberrations in square pore micro-channel optics used for x-ray lobster eye telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willingale, R.; Pearson, J. F.; Martindale, A.; Feldman, C. H.; Fairbend, R.; Schyns, E.; Petit, S.; Osborne, J. P.; O'Brien, P. T.

2016-07-01

We identify all the significant aberrations that limit the performance of square pore micro-channel plate optics (MPOs) used as an X-ray lobster eye. These include aberrations intrinsic to the geometry, intrinsic errors associated with the slumping process used to introduce a spherical form to the plates and imperfections associated with the plate manufacturing process. The aberrations are incorporated into a comprehensive software model of the X-ray response of the optics and the predicted imaging response is compared with the measured X-ray performance obtained from a breadboard lobster eye. The results reveal the manufacturing tolerances which limit the current performance of MPOs and enable us to identify particular intrinsic aberrations which will limit the ultimate performance we can expect from MPO-lobster eye telescopes.

Arcsecond and Sub-arcsedond Imaging with X-ray Multi-Image Interferometer and Imager for (very) small sattelites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashida, K.; Kawabata, T.; Nakajima, H.; Inoue, S.; Tsunemi, H.

2017-10-01

The best angular resolution of 0.5 arcsec is realized with the X-ray mirror onborad the Chandra satellite. Nevertheless, further better or comparable resolution is anticipated to be difficult in near future. In fact, the goal of ATHENA telescope is 5 arcsec in the angular resolution. We propose a new type of X-ray interferometer consisting simply of an X-ray absorption grating and an X-ray spectral imaging detector, such as X-ray CCDs or new generation CMOS detectors, by stacking the multi images created with the Talbot interferenece (Hayashida et al. 2016). This system, now we call Multi Image X-ray Interferometer Module (MIXIM) enables arcseconds resolution with very small satellites of 50cm size, and sub-arcseconds resolution with small sattellites. We have performed ground experiments, in which a micro-focus X-ray source, grating with pitch of 4.8μm, and 30 μm pixel detector placed about 1m from the source. We obtained the self-image (interferometirc fringe) of the grating for wide band pass around 10keV. This result corresponds to about 2 arcsec resolution for parrallel beam incidence. The MIXIM is usefull for high angular resolution imaging of relatively bright sources. Search for super massive black holes and resolving AGN torus would be the targets of this system.

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-01-01

This is a computer rendering of the fully developed Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF). In 1999, the AXAF was renamed the CXO in honor of the late Indian-American Novel Laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It is designed to observe x-rays from high energy regions of the Universe, such as hot gas in the renmants of exploded stars. It produces picture-like images of x-ray emissions analogous to those made in visible light, as well as gathers data on the chemical composition of x-ray radiating objects. The CXO helps astronomers world-wide better understand the structure and evolution of the universe by studying powerful sources of x-ray such as exploding stars, matter falling into black holes, and other exotic celestial objects. The Observatory has three major parts: (1) the x-ray telescope, whose mirrors will focus x-rays from celestial objects; (2) the science instruments that record the x-rays so that x-ray images can be produced and analyzed; and (3) the spacecraft, which provides the environment necessary for the telescope and the instruments to work. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Observatory was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, STS-93 mission. (Image courtesy of TRW).

Design of an imaging microscope for soft X-ray applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoover, Richard B.; Shealy, David L.; Gabardi, David R.; Walker, Arthur B. C., Jr.; Lindblom, Joakim F.

1988-01-01

An imaging soft X-ray microscope with a spatial resolution of 0.1 micron and normal incidence multilayer optics is discussed. The microscope has a Schwarzschild configuration, which consists of two concentric spherical mirrors with radii of curvature which minimize third-order spherical aberration, coma, and astigmatism. The performance of the Stanford/MSFC Cassegrain X-ray telescope and its relevance to the present microscope are addressed. A ray tracing analysis of the optical system indicates that diffraction-limited performance can be expected for an object height of 0.2 mm.

Status of the eROSITA Telescope testing and calibrating the x-ray mirror assemblies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burwitz, Vadim; Predehl, Peter; Bräuninger, Heinrich; Burkert, Wolfgang; Dennerl, Konrad; Eder, Josef; Friedrich, Peter; Fürmetz, Maria; Grisoni, Gabriele; Hartner, Gisela; Marioni, Fabio; Menz, Benedikt; Pfeffermann, Elmar; Valsecchi, Giuseppe

2013-09-01

The eROSITA X-ray observatory that will be launched on board the Russian Spectrum-RG mission comprises seven X-ray telescopes, each with its own mirror assembly (mirror module + X-ray baffle), electron deflector, filter wheel, and CCD camera with its control electronics. The completed flight mirror modules are undergoing many thorough X-ray tests at the PANTHER X-ray test facility after delivery, after being mated with the X-ray baffle, and again after both the vibration and thermal-vacuum tests. A description of the work done with mirror modules/assemblies and the test results obtained will be reported here. We report also on the environmental tests that have been performed on the eROSITA telescope qualification model.

G-133: A soft x ray solar telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Memorie K.; Campbell, Branton; Roming, Peter W. A.; Spute, Mark K.; Moody, J. Ward

1992-01-01

The GOLDHELOX Project, NASA payload number G-133, is a robotic soft x ray solar telescope designed and built by an organization of undergraduate students. The telescope is designed to observe the sun at a wavelength of 171 to 181 A. Since we require observations free from atmospheric interference, the telescope will be launched in a NASA Get-Away-Special (GAS) canister with a Motorized Door Assembly (MDA). In this paper we primarily discuss the most important elements of the telescope itself. We also elaborate on some of the technical difficulties associated with doing good science in space on a small budget (about $100,000) and mention ways in which controlling the instrument environment has reduced the complexity of the system and thus saved us money.

Hard X-ray Observation of Cygnus X-1 By the Marshall Imaging X-ray Experiment (MIXE2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minamitani, Takahisa; Apple, J. A.; Austin, R. A.; Dietz, K. L.; Koloziejczak, J. J.; Ramsey, B. D.; Weisskopf, M. C.

1998-01-01

The second generation of the Marshall Imaging X-ray Experiment (MIXE2) was flown from Fort Sumner, New Mexico on May 7-8, 1997. The experiment consists of coded-aperture telescope with a field of view of 1.8 degrees (FWHM) and an angular resolution of 6.9 arcminutes. The detector is a large (7.84x10(exp 4) sq cm) effective area microstrip proportional counter filled with 2.0x10(exp5) Pascals of xenon with 2% isobutylene. We present MIXE2 observation of the 20-80keV spectrum and timing variability of Cygnus X-1 made during balloon flight.

Simulation and modeling of silicon pore optics for the ATHENA x-ray telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiga, D.; Christensen, F. E.; Bavdaz, M.; Civitani, M. M.; Conconi, P.; Della Monica Ferreira, D.; Knudsen, E. B.; Massahi, S.; Pareschi, G.; Salmaso, B.; Shortt, B.; Tayabaly, K.; Westergaard, N. J.; Wille, E.

2016-07-01

The ATHENA X-ray observatory is a large-class ESA approved mission, with launch scheduled in 2028. The technology of silicon pore optics (SPO) was selected as baseline to assemble ATHENA's optic with more than 1000 mirror modules, obtained by stacking wedged and ribbed silicon wafer plates onto silicon mandrels to form the Wolter-I configuration. Even if the current baseline design fulfills the required effective area of 2 m2 at 1 keV on-axis, alternative design solutions, e.g., privileging the field of view or the off-axis angular resolution, are also possible. Moreover, the stringent requirement of a 5 arcsec HEW angular resolution at 1 keV entails very small profile errors and excellent surface smoothness, as well as a precise alignment of the 1000 mirror modules to avoid imaging degradation and effective area loss. Finally, the stray light issue has to be kept under control. In this paper we show the preliminary results of simulations of optical systems based on SPO for the ATHENA X-ray telescope, from pore to telescope level, carried out at INAF/OAB and DTU Space under ESA contract. We show ray-tracing results, including assessment of the misalignments of mirror modules and the impact of stray light. We also deal with a detailed description of diffractive effects expected in an SPO module from UV light, where the aperture diffraction prevails, to X-rays where the surface diffraction plays a major role. Finally, we analyze the results of X-ray tests performed at the BESSY synchrotron, we compare them with surface finishing measurements, and we estimate the expected HEW degradation caused by the X-ray scattering.

Chandra X-Ray Observatory Image of the Distant Galaxy, 3C294

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

This most distant x-ray cluster of galaxies yet has been found by astronomers using Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO). Approximately 10 billion light-years from Earth, the cluster 3C294 is 40 percent farther than the next most distant x-ray galaxy cluster. The existence of such a faraway cluster is important for understanding how the universe evolved. CXO's image reveals an hourglass-shaped region of x-ray emissions centered on the previously known central radio source (seen in this image as the blue central object) that extends outward for 60,000 light- years. The vast clouds of hot gas that surround such galaxies in clusters are thought to be heated by collapse toward the center of the cluster. Until CXO, x-ray telescopes have not had the needed sensitivity to identify such distant clusters of galaxies. Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally bound structures in the universe. The intensity of the x-rays in this CXO image of 3C294 is shown as red for low energy x-rays, green for intermediate, and blue for the most energetic x-rays. (Photo credit: NASA/loA/A. Fabian et al)

CubeX: The CubeSAT X-ray Telescope for Elemental Abundance Mapping of Airless Bodies and X-ray Pulsar Navigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nittler, L. R.; Hong, J.; Kenter, A.; Romaine, S.; Allen, B.; Kraft, R.; Masterson, R.; Elvis, M.; Gendreau, K.; Crawford, I.; Binzel, R.; Boynton, W. V.; Grindlay, J.; Ramsey, B.

2017-12-01

The surface elemental composition of a planetary body provides crucial information about its origin, geological evolution, and surface processing, all of which can in turn provide information about solar system evolution as a whole. Remote sensing X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy has been used successfully to probe the major-element compositions of airless bodies in the inner solar system, including the Moon, near-Earth asteroids, and Mercury. The CubeSAT X-ray Telescope (CubeX) is a concept for a 6U planetary X-ray telescope (36U with S/C), which utilizes Miniature Wolter-I X-ray optics (MiXO), monolithic CMOS and SDD X-ray sensors for the focal plane, and a Solar X-ray Monitor (heritage from the REXIS XRF instrument on NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission). CubeX will map the surface elemental composition of diverse airless bodies by spectral measurement of XRF excited by solar X-rays. The lightweight ( 1 kg) MiXO optics provide sub-arcminute resolution with low background, while the inherently rad-hard CMOS detectors provide improved spectral resolution ( 150 eV) at 0 °C. CubeX will also demonstrate X-ray pulsar timing based deep space navigation (XNAV). Successful XNAV will enable autonomous deep navigation with little to no support from the Deep Space Network, hence lowering the operation cost for many more planetary missions. Recently selected by NASA Planetary Science Deep Space SmallSat Studies, the first CubeX concept, designed to rideshare to the Moon as a secondary spacecraft on a primary mission, is under study in collaboration with the Mission Design Center at NASA Ames Research Center. From high altitude ( 6,000 km) frozen polar circular orbits, CubeX will study > 8 regions ( 110 km) of geological interest on the Moon over one year to produce a high resolution ( 2-3 km) elemental abundance map of each region. The novel focal plane design of CubeX also allows us to evaluate the performance of absolute navigation by sequential observations of several

Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array. II - Soft X-ray/EUV reflectivity of the multilayer mirrors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barbee, Troy W., Jr.; Weed, J. W.; Hoover, Richard B.; Allen, Maxwell J.; Lindblom, Joakim F.; O'Neal, Ray H.; Kankelborg, Charles C.; Deforest, Craig E.; Paris, Elizabeth S.; Walker, Arthur B. C., Jr.

1991-01-01

The Multispectral Solar Telescope Array is a rocket-borne observatory which encompasses seven compact soft X-ray/EUV, multilayer-coated, and two compact far-UV, interference film-coated, Cassegrain and Ritchey-Chretien telescopes. Extensive measurements are presented on the efficiency and spectral bandpass of the X-ray/EUV telescopes. Attention is given to systematic errors and measurement errors.

Normal-incidence soft X-ray telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spiller, Eberhard; Mccorkle, R. A.; Wilczynski, J. S.; Golub, Leon; Nystrom, G.; Takacs, P. Z.; Welch, C.

1991-01-01

Photos obtained during 5 min of observation time from the flight of a 25-cm-diameter normal-incidence soft-X-ray (63.5 A) telescope on September 11, 1989, are analyzed, and the data are compared to the results expected from tests of the mirror surfaces. These tests cover a range of spatial periods from 25 cm to 1 A. The photos demonstrate a resolution close to the photon shot-noise limit and a reduction in the scattering of the multilayer mirror compared to a single surface for scattering angles above 1 arcmin, corrresponding to surface irregularities with spatial periods below 10 microns. These results are used to predict the possible performance of future telescopes. Sounding rocket observations might be able to reach a resolution around 0.1 arcsec.

Hubble Space Telescope far-ultraviolet imaging of the jet in 3C273: a common emission component from optical to X-rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jester, Sebastian; Meisenheimer, Klaus; Martel, André R.; Perlman, Eric S.; Sparks, William B.

2007-09-01

We present far-ultraviolet (far-UV) observations at ~150 nm of the jet of quasar 3C273 obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) Solar Blind Channel onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. While the jet morphology is very similar to that in the optical and near-UV, the spectral energy distributions of the jet's subregions show an upturn in νfν at 150nm compared to 300nm everywhere in the jet. Moreover, the 150-nm flux is compatible with extrapolating the X-ray power law down to the UV region. This constitutes strong support for a common origin of the jet's far-UV and X-ray emission. It implies that even a substantial fraction of the visible light in the X-ray brightest parts of the jet arises from the same spectral component as the X-rays, as had been suggested earlier based on Spitzer Space Telescope observations. We argue that the identification of this UV/X-ray component opens up the possibility to establish the synchrotron origin of the X-ray emission by optical polarimetry. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST), obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with HST programme GO-9814. This work was begun at the Particle Astrophysics Center, Fermilab, Batavia, IL 60510, USA. ‡ E-mail: jester@mpia.de

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1995-01-14

This is an artist's concept of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), fully developed in orbit in a star field with Earth. In 1999, the AXAF was renamed the CXO in honor of the late Indian-American Novel Laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It is designed to observe x-rays from high energy regions of the Universe, such as hot gas in the renmants of exploded stars. It produces picture-like images of x-ray emissions analogous to those made in visible light, as well as gathers data on the chemical composition of x-ray radiating objects. The CXO helps astronomers world-wide better understand the structure and evolution of the universe by studying powerful sources of x-ray such as exploding stars, matter falling into black holes, and other exotic celestial objects. The Observatory has three major parts: (1) the x-ray telescope, whose mirrors will focus x-rays from celestial objects; (2) the science instruments that record the x-rays so that x-ray images can be produced and analyzed; and (3) the spacecraft, which provides the environment necessary for the telescope and the instruments to work. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development the CXO and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Observatory was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, STS-93 mission. (Image courtesy of TRW).

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-01

This is a computer rendering of the fully developed Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), in orbit in a star field. In 1999, the AXAF was renamed the CXO in honor of the late Indian-American Novel Laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It is designed to observe x-rays from high energy regions of the Universe, such as hot gas in the renmants of exploded stars. It produces picture-like images of x-ray emissions analogous to those made in visible light, as well as gathers data on the chemical composition of x-ray radiating objects. The CXO helps astronomers world-wide better understand the structure and evolution of the universe by studying powerful sources of x-rays such as exploding stars, matter falling into black holes, and other exotic celestial objects. The Observatory has three major parts: (1) the x-ray telescope, whose mirrors will focus x-rays from celestial objects; (2) the science instruments that record the x-rays so that x-ray images can be produced and analyzed; and (3) the spacecraft, which provides the environment necessary for the telescope and the instruments to work. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Observatory was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, STS-93 mission. (Image courtesy of TRW).

Measured reflectance of graded multilayer mirrors designed for astronomical hard X-ray telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W.; Windt, D. L.; Jimenez-Garate, M. A.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Mao, P. H.; Chakan, J. M.; Ziegler, E.; Honkimaki, V.

2000-09-01

Future astronomical X-ray telescopes, including the balloon-borne High-Energy Focusing Telescope (HEFT) and the Constellation-X Hard X-ray Telescope (Con-X HXT) plan to incorporate depth-graded multilayer coatings in order to extend sensitivity into the hard X-ray (10<~E<~80keV) band. In this paper, we present measurements of the reflectance in the 18-170 keV energy range of a cylindrical prototype nested optic taken at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). The mirror segments, mounted in a single bounce stack, are coated with depth-graded W/Si multilayers optimized for broadband performance up to 69.5 keV (WK-edge). These designs are ideal for both the HEFT and Con-X HXT applications. We compare the measurements to model calculations to demonstrate that the reflectivity can be well described by the intended power law distribution of the bilayer thicknesses, and that the coatings are uniform at the 5% level over the mirror surface. Finally, we apply the measurements to predict effective areas achievable for HEFT and Con-X HXT using these W/Si designs.

REgolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) Aboard NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, JaeSub; Allen, Branden; Grindlay, Jonathan E.; Binzel, Richard P.; Masterson, Rebecca; Inamdar, Niraj K; Chodas, Mark; Smith, Matthew W; Bautz, Mark W.; Kissel, Steven E; Villasenor, Jesus Noel; Oprescu, Antonia

2014-06-01

The REgolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) is a student-led instrument being designed, built, and operated as a collaborative effort involving MIT and Harvard. It is a part of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, which is scheduled for launch in September of 2016 for a rendezvous with, and collection of a sample from the surface of the primitive carbonaceous chondrite-like asteroid 101955 Bennu in 2019. REXIS will determine spatial variations in elemental composition of Bennu's surface through solar-induced X-ray fluorescence. REXIS consists of four X-ray CCDs in the detector plane and an X-ray mask. It is the first coded-aperture X-ray telescope in a planetary mission, which combines the benefit of high X-ray throughput of wide-field collimation with imaging capability of a coded-mask, enabling detection of elemental surface distributions at approximately 50-200 m scales. We present an overview of the REXIS instrument and the expected performance.

Trends in NOAA Solar X-ray Imager Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, Steven M.; Darnell, John A.; Seaton, Daniel B.

2016-05-01

NOAA has provided operational soft X-ray imaging of the sun since the early 2000’s. After 15 years of observations by four different telescopes, it is appropriate to examine the data in terms of providing consistent context for scientific missions. In particular, this presentation examines over 7 million GOES Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) images for trends in performance parameters including dark current, response degradation, and inter-calibration. Because observations from the instrument have overlapped not only with each other, but also with research observations like Yohkoh SXT and Hinode XRT, relative performance comparisons can be made. The first GOES Solar X-ray Imager was launched in 2001 and entered operations in 2003. The current SXIs will remain in operations until approximately 2020, when a new series of Solar (extreme-)Ultraviolet Imagers (SUVIs) will replace them as the current satellites reach their end of life. In the sense that the SXIs are similar to Yokoh’s SXT and Hinode’s XRT, the SUVI instruments will be similar to SOHO’s EIT and SDO’s AIA. The move to narrowband EUV imagers will better support eventual operational estimation of plasma conditions. While NOAA’s principal use of these observations is real-time space weather forecasting, they will continue to provide a reliable context measurement for researchers for decades to come.

The X-ray spectrographic telescope. [for solar corona observation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaiana, G. S.; Krieger, A. S.; Petrasso, R.; Silk, J. K.; Timothy, A. F.

1974-01-01

The S-054 X-ray telescope, which operated successfully throughout the eight-month Skylab mission, is a grazing incidence instrument with a spatial resolution of the order of 2 arc sec on axis. The total wavelength range observed by the instrument is 2 to 60 A. Crude spectral resolution within this range is achieved by means of a series of six X-ray filter materials. A spectrographic mode of operation, employing an objective grating, is used to obtain spectra of flare events and selected coronal features.

X-Ray Imaging System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The FluoroScan Imaging System is a high resolution, low radiation device for viewing stationary or moving objects. It resulted from NASA technology developed for x-ray astronomy and Goddard application to a low intensity x-ray imaging scope. FlouroScan Imaging Systems, Inc, (formerly HealthMate, Inc.), a NASA licensee, further refined the FluoroScan System. It is used for examining fractures, placement of catheters, and in veterinary medicine. Its major components include an x-ray generator, scintillator, visible light image intensifier and video display. It is small, light and maneuverable.

Time Domain X-ray Astronomy with "All-Sky" Focusing Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorenstein, Paul

2016-04-01

The largest and most diverse types of temporal variations in all of astronomy occur in the soft, i.e. 0.5 to 10 keV, X-ray band. They range from millisecond QPO’s in compact binaries to year long flares from AGNs due to the absorption of a star by a SMBH, and the appearance of transient sources at decadal intervals. Models predict that at least some gravitational waves will be accompanied by an X-ray flare. A typical GRB produces more photons/sq. cm. in the soft band than it does in the Swift BAT 15 to 150 keV band. In addition the GRB X-ray fluence and knowledge of the details of the onset of the X-ray afterglow is obtained by observing the seamless transition from the active burst phase that has been attributed to internal shocks to the afterglow phases that has been attributed to external shocks. Detecting orphan X-ray afterglows will augment the event rate. With high sensitivity detectors some GRB identifications are likely to be with the youngest, most distant galaxies in the universe. Previous all-sky X-ray monitors have been non focusing limited field of view scanning instruments. An “All-Sky” (actually several ster FOV), focusing lobster-eye X-ray telescope will have much more grasp than the previous instruments and will allow a wide range of topics to be studied simultaneously. Two types of lobster-eye telescopes have been proposed. One type focuses in one dimension and uses a coded mask for resolution in the second. The other type focuses in two dimensions but has less effective area and less bandwidth. Both types are compatible with a Probe mission.

STUDIES OF THE ORIGIN OF HIGH-FREQUENCY QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS OF MASS-ACCRETING BLACK HOLES IN X-RAY BINARIES WITH NEXT-GENERATION X-RAY TELESCOPES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beheshtipour, Banafsheh; Hoormann, Janie K.; Krawczynski, Henric, E-mail: b.beheshtipour@wustl.edu

Observations with RXTE ( Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer ) revealed the presence of high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (HFQPOs) of the X-ray flux from several accreting stellar-mass black holes. HFQPOs (and their counterparts at lower frequencies) may allow us to study general relativity in the regime of strong gravity. However, the observational evidence today does not yet allow us to distinguish between different HFQPO models. In this paper we use a general-relativistic ray-tracing code to investigate X-ray timing spectroscopy and polarization properties of HFQPOs in the orbiting Hotspot model. We study observational signatures for the particular case of the 166 Hz quasi-periodicmore » oscillation (QPO) in the galactic binary GRS 1915+105. We conclude with a discussion of the observability of spectral signatures with a timing-spectroscopy experiment such as the LOFT ( Large Observatory for X-ray Timing ) and polarization signatures with space-borne X-ray polarimeters such as IXPE ( Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer ), PolSTAR ( Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array ), PRAXyS ( Polarimetry of Relativistic X-ray Sources ), or XIPE ( X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer ). A mission with high count rate such as LOFT would make it possible to get a QPO phase for each photon, enabling the study of the QPO-phase-resolved spectral shape and the correlation between this and the flux level. Owing to the short periods of the HFQPOs, first-generation X-ray polarimeters would not be able to assign a QPO phase to each photon. The study of QPO-phase-resolved polarization energy spectra would thus require simultaneous observations with a first-generation X-ray polarimeter and a LOFT -type mission.« less

SODART telescopes on the Spectrum X-Gamma (SRG) and their complement of instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnopper, Herbert W.

1994-11-01

Two SODART thin foil X-ray telescopes will fly on SRG. In the focal plane of one telescope there are: HEPC/LEPC (high- and low energy imaging proportional counters), SIXA (solid state spectrometer array), and FRD (focal plane X-ray detector). In the other, there are: another HEPC/LEPC pair, SXRP (stellar X-ray polarimeter), and another FRD. Mounted alongside and co-aligned with the SODART telescopes is TAUVEX (UV telescope). An objective Bragg spectrometer is mounted in front of one of the telescopes. These instruments and their scientific goals will be described briefly. More detailed discussions will be given by the relevant PIs in the poster session.

Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors: Large Format X-ray Spectral Imagers for the Next Generation of X-ray Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eckart, Megan E.; Mazin, B. A.; Bumble, B.; Golwala, S. R.; Zmuidzinas, J.; Day, P. K.; Harrison, F. A.

2006-09-01

Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) have the potential to provide megapixel imagers with few eV spectral resolution for future X-ray missions such as Gen-X. MKIDs offer the advantage over many other cryogenic detector technologies that they can be easily multiplexed, so that arrays with many thousand pixels are readily achievable. In addition, the readout electronics can be operated at room temperature, a significant advantage for space applications. MKIDs exploit the dependence of surface impedance of a superconductorwith the quasiparticle density. Quasiparticles are created by absorption of X-rays, with number proportional to the X-ray energy. The impedance change may be sensitively measured using a thin-film resonant circuit. The practical application of MKIDs for photon detection requires a method of efficiently coupling the photon energy to the MKID. To apply the MKID scheme to X-ray detection we pattern tantalum strips with aluminum MKIDs attached at each end. An incident X-ray is absorbed in the Ta and creates millions of quasiparticle excitations, which diffuse to each end of the strip, finally entering the Al resonators where they are trapped and sensed. Simultaneous monitoring of the signal at both ends of the strip allow position and energy determination for each photon. We have demonstrated working strip detectors in the laboratory, and will present our measurements of the quasiparticle diffusion constant and the quasiparticle lifetime in tantalum, the aluminum quasiparticle lifetime, and the energy resolution of the detector. We will also discuss ideas for future detector designs and suggest ultimate performance goals for X-ray astronomy applications.

Full-field transmission x-ray imaging with confocal polycapillary x-ray optics

PubMed Central

Sun, Tianxi; MacDonald, C. A.

2013-01-01

A transmission x-ray imaging setup based on a confocal combination of a polycapillary focusing x-ray optic followed by a polycapillary collimating x-ray optic was designed and demonstrated to have good resolution, better than the unmagnified pixel size and unlimited by the x-ray tube spot size. This imaging setup has potential application in x-ray imaging for small samples, for example, for histology specimens. PMID:23460760

Hard-X-Ray/Soft-Gamma-Ray Imaging Sensor Assembly for Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, Richard A.

2008-01-01

An improved sensor assembly has been developed for astronomical imaging at photon energies ranging from 1 to 100 keV. The assembly includes a thallium-doped cesium iodide scintillator divided into pixels and coupled to an array of high-gain avalanche photodiodes (APDs). Optionally, the array of APDs can be operated without the scintillator to detect photons at energies below 15 keV. The array of APDs is connected to compact electronic readout circuitry that includes, among other things, 64 independent channels for detection of photons in various energy ranges, up to a maximum energy of 100 keV, at a count rate up to 3 kHz. The readout signals are digitized and processed by imaging software that performs "on-the-fly" analysis. The sensor assembly has been integrated into an imaging spectrometer, along with a pair of coded apertures (Fresnel zone plates) that are used in conjunction with the pixel layout to implement a shadow-masking technique to obtain relatively high spatial resolution without having to use extremely small pixels. Angular resolutions of about 20 arc-seconds have been measured. Thus, for example, the imaging spectrometer can be used to (1) determine both the energy spectrum of a distant x-ray source and the angular deviation of the source from the nominal line of sight of an x-ray telescope in which the spectrometer is mounted or (2) study the spatial and temporal development of solar flares, repeating - ray bursters, and other phenomena that emit transient radiation in the hard-x-ray/soft- -ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) SMEX Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christe, S.; Shih, A. Y.; Krucker, S.; Glesener, L.; Saint-Hilaire, P.; Caspi, A.; Allred, J. C.; Battaglia, M.; Chen, B.; Drake, J. F.; Gary, D. E.; Goetz, K.; Gburek, S.; Grefenstette, B.; Hannah, I. G.; Holman, G.; Hudson, H. S.; Inglis, A. R.; Ireland, J.; Ishikawa, S. N.; Klimchuk, J. A.; Kontar, E.; Kowalski, A. F.; Massone, A. M.; Piana, M.; Ramsey, B.; Schwartz, R.; Steslicki, M.; Turin, P.; Ryan, D.; Warmuth, A.; Veronig, A.; Vilmer, N.; White, S. M.; Woods, T. N.

2017-12-01

We present FOXSI (Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager), a Small Explorer (SMEX) Heliophysics mission that is currently undergoing a Phase A concept study. FOXSI will provide a revolutionary new perspective on energy release and particle acceleration on the Sun. FOXSI is a direct imaging X-ray spectrometer with higher dynamic range and better than 10x the sensitivity of previous instruments. Flown on a 3-axis-stabilized spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, FOXSI uses high-angular-resolution grazing-incidence focusing optics combined with state-of-the-art pixelated solid-state detectors to provide direct imaging of solar hard X-rays for the first time. FOXSI is composed of a pair of x-ray telescopes with a 14-meter focal length enabled by a deployable boom. Making use of a filter-wheel and high-rate-capable solid-state detectors, FOXSI will be able to observe the largest flares without saturation while still maintaining the sensitivity to detect x-ray emission from weak flares, escaping electrons, and hot active regions. This mission concept is made possible by past experience with similar instruments on two FOXSI sounding rocket flights, in 2012 and 2014, and on the HEROES balloon flight in 2013. FOXSI's hard X-ray imager has a field of view of 9 arcminutes and an angular resolution of better than 8 arcsec; it will cover the energy range from 3 up to 50-70 keV with a spectral resolution of better than 1 keV; and it will have sub-second temporal resolution.

HERO: Program Status and Fist Images from a Balloon-Borne Focusing Hard-X-ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramsey, B. D.; Alexander, C. D.; Apple, J. A.; Benson, C. M.; Dietz, K. L.; Elsner, R. F.; Engelhaupt. D. E.; Ghosh, K. K.; Kolodziejczak, J. J.; ODell, S. L.;

The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) SMEX Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christe, S.; Shih, A. Y.; Krucker, S.; Glesener, L.; Saint-Hilaire, P.; Caspi, A.; Allred, J. C.; Battaglia, M.; Chen, B.; Drake, J. F.; Gary, D. E.; Goetz, K.; Grefenstette, B.; Hannah, I. G.; Holman, G.; Hudson, H. S.; Inglis, A. R.; Ireland, J.; Ishikawa, S. N.; Klimchuk, J. A.; Kontar, E.; Kowalski, A. F.; Massone, A. M.; Piana, M.; Ramsey, B.; Gubarev, M.; Schwartz, R. A.; Steslicki, M.; Ryan, D.; Turin, P.; Warmuth, A.; White, S. M.; Veronig, A.; Vilmer, N.; Dennis, B. R.

2016-12-01

We present FOXSI (Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager), a recently proposed Small Explorer (SMEX) mission that will provide a revolutionary new perspective on energy release and particle acceleration on the Sun. FOXSI is a direct imaging X-ray spectrometer with higher dynamic range and better than 10x the sensitivity of previous instruments. Flown on a 3-axis stabilized spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, FOXSI uses high-angular-resolution grazing-incidence focusing optics combined with state-of-the-art pixelated solid-state detectors to provide direct imaging of solar hard X-rays for the first time. FOXSI is composed of two individual x-ray telescopes with a 14-meter focal length enabled by a deployable boom. Making use of a filter-wheel and high-rate-capable solid-state detectors, FOXSI will be able to observe the largest flares without saturation while still maintaining the sensitivity to detect x-ray emission from weak flares, escaping electrons, and hot active regions. This SMEX mission is made possible by past experience with similar instruments on two sounding rocket flights, in 2012 and 2014, and on the HEROES balloon flight in 2013. FOXSI will image the Sun with a field of view of 9 arcminutes and an angular resolution of better than 8 arcsec; it will cover the energy range from 3 to 100 keV with a spectral resolution of better than 1 keV; and it will have sub-second temporal resolution.

Adjustable Grazing-Incidence X-Ray Optics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, Stephen L.; Reid, Paul B.

2015-01-01

With its unique subarcsecond imaging performance, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory illustrates the importance of fine angular resolution for x-ray astronomy. Indeed, the future of x-ray astronomy relies upon x-ray telescopes with comparable angular resolution but larger aperture areas. Combined with the special requirements of nested grazing-incidence optics, mass, and envelope constraints of space-borne telescopes render such advances technologically and programmatically challenging. The goal of this technology research is to enable the cost-effective fabrication of large-area, lightweight grazing-incidence x-ray optics with subarcsecond resolution. Toward this end, the project is developing active x-ray optics using slumped-glass mirrors with thin-film piezoelectric arrays for correction of intrinsic or mount-induced distortions.

STARPROBE: A design study for an X-ray imaging instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The primary objective of the X-ray imaging telescope on STARPROBE is the acquisition of very high spacial resolution observations during the spacecraft's perihelion passage. Design parameters, telescope prefilters, and structural and thermal analyses of the equipment are described and discussed. It is believed that the spatial resolution of the information recorded by the baseline design would be at least a factor of 10 better than can be reasonably expected from Earth orbit. Thermal models used in the study are also discussed.

Hard x ray imaging graphics development and literature search

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Emslie, A. Gordon

1991-01-01

This report presents work performed between June 1990 and June 1991 and has the following objectives: (1) a comprehensive literature search of imaging technology and coded aperture imaging as well as relevant topics relating to solar flares; (2) an analysis of random number generators; and (3) programming simulation models of hard x ray telescopes. All programs are compatible with NASA/MSFC Space Science LAboratory VAX Cluster and are written in VAX FORTRAN and VAX IDL (Interactive Data Language).

Proposal to National Aeronautics and Space Administration for continuation of a grazing incidence imaging telescope for X-ray astronomy using sounding rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murray, B.

1976-01-01

The construction of a high resolution imaging telescope experiment payload suitable for launch on an Astrobee F sounding rocket was proposed. Also integration, launch, and subsequent data analysis effort were included. The payload utilizes major component subassemblies from the HEAO-B satellite program which were nonflight development units for that program. These were the X ray mirror and high resolution imager brassboard detector. The properties of the mirror and detector were discussed. The availability of these items for a sounding rocket experiment were explored with the HEAO-B project office.

Loop models of low coronal structures observed by the Normal Incidence X-Ray Telescope (NIXT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peres, G.; Reale, F.; Golub, L.

1994-01-01

The X-ray pictures obtained with the Normal Incidence X-Ray Telescope (NIXT), apart from the ubiquitous coronal loops well known from previous X-ray observations, show a new and peculiar morphology: in many active regions there are wide and apparently low-lying areas of intense emission which resemble H alpha plages. By means of hydrostatic models of coronal arches, we analyze the distribution of temperature, density, emission measure, and plasma emissivity in the spectral band to which NIXT is sensitive, and we show that the above morphology can be explained by the characteristics of high pressure loops having a thin region of high surface brightness at the base. We therefore propose that this finding might help to identify high-pressure X-ray emitting coronal regions in NIXT images, and it is in principle applicable to any imaging instrument which has high sensitivity to 10(exp 4) - 10(exp 6) K plasma within a narrow coronal-temperature passband. As a more general result of this study, we propose that the comparison of NIXT observations with models of stationary loops might provide a new diagnostic: the determination of the loop plasma pressure from measurements of brightness distribution along the loop.

Thin Mirror Shaping Technology for High-Throughput X-ray Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schattenburg, Mark

This proposal is submitted to the NASA Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences program (ROSES-2012) in response to NASA Research Announcement NNH12ZDA001N- APRA. It is targeted to the Astronomy and Astrophysics Research and Analysis (APRA) program element under the Supporting Technology category. Powerful x-ray telescope mirrors are critical components of a raft of small-to-large mission concepts under consideration by NASA. The science questions addressed by these missions have certainly never been more compelling and the need to fulfill NASA s core missions of exploring the universe and strengthening our nation s technology base has never been greater. Unfortunately, budgetary constraints are driving NASA to consider the cost/benefit and risk factors of new missions more carefully than ever. New technology for producing x-ray telescopes with increased resolution and collecting area, while holding down cost, are key to meeting these goals and sustaining a thriving high-energy astrophysics enterprise in the US. We propose to develop advanced technology which will lead to thin-shell x-ray telescope mirrors rivaling the Chandra x-ray telescope in spatial resolution but with 10-100X larger area all at significantly reduced weight, risk and cost. The proposed effort builds on previous research at MIT and complements NASA-supported research at other institutions. We are currently pursuing two thin-mirror technology development tracks which we propose to extend and accelerate with NASA support. The first research track utilizes rapidly-maturing thermal glass slumping technology which uses porous ceramic air-bearing mandrels to shape glass mirrors without touching, thus avoiding surface-induced mid-range spatial frequency ripples. A second research track seeks to remove any remaining mid- to long-range errors in mirrors by using scanning ion-beam implant to impart small, highly deterministic and very stable amounts of stress into thin glass, utilizing local

Chandra X-Ray Observatory Image of Crab Nebula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

After barely 2 months in space, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO) took this sturning image of the Crab Nebula, the spectacular remains of a stellar explosion, revealing something never seen before, a brilliant ring around the nebula's heart. The image shows the central pulsar surrounded by tilted rings of high-energy particles that appear to have been flung outward over a distance of more than a light-year from the pulsar. Perpendicular to the rings, jet-like structures produced by high-energy particles blast away from the pulsar. Hubble Space Telescope images have shown moving knots and wisps around the neutron star, and previous x-ray images have shown the outer parts of the jet and hinted at the ring structure. With CXO's exceptional resolution, the jet can be traced all the way in to the neutron star, and the ring pattern clearly appears. The image was made with CXO's Advanced Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) and High Energy Transmission Grating. The Crab Nebula, easily the most intensively studied object beyond our solar system, has been observed using virtually every astronomical instrument that could see that part of the sky

The Operation and Evolution of the Swift X-ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennea, Jamie; Burrows, D. N.; Pagani, C.; Hill, Joanne; Racusin, J. L.; Morris, D. C.; Abbey, A. F.; Beardmore, A. P.; Campana, G.; Chincarini, G.;

Research with Large Area Imaging X-Ray Telescope Sounding Rocket Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorenstein, Paul

1999-01-01

We are engaged in a program to develop focussing hard X-ray telescopes in a double conical or Wolter 1 geometry that function up to 100 keV by employing small graze angles and multilayer coatings. Directly polished substrates are not an option because they are too thick to be nested efficiently. The only alternative is to fabricate the very thin substrates by replication. Our objective is the production of integral cylindrical substrates because they should result in better angular resolution than segmented foil geometries. In addition, integral cylinders would be more resistant to possible stress from deep multilayer coatings than segmented ones. Both electroforming of nickel (method of SkX, JET-X, and XMM) and epoxy replication are under consideration. Both processes can utilize the same types of mandrels and separation agents- While electroforming can produce substrates that are thin, the high density of the nickel may result in high weight optics for some missions. For convenience, experimentation with replication and coating is being carried out initially on flats. Our replication studies include trials with gold and carbon separation agents. This paper reports on our efforts with epoxy replicated optics.

A Normal Incidence X-ray Telescope (NIXT) Sounding Rocket Payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, Leon

1996-01-01

During the past year the changeover from the normal incidence X ray telescope (NIXT) program to the new TXI sounding rocket program was completed. The NIXT effort, aimed at evaluating the viability of the remaining portions of the NIXT hardware and design has been finished and the portions of the NIXT which are viable and flightworthy, such as filters, mirror mounting hardware, electronic and telemetry interface systems, are now part of the new rocket payload. The backup NIXT multilayer-coated X ray telescope and its mounting hardware have been completely fabricated and are being stored for possible future use in the TXI rocket. The h-alpha camera design is being utilized in the TXI program for real-time pointing verification and control via telemetry. Two papers, summarizing scientific results from the NIXT rocket program were published this year.

X-ray lithography using holographic images

DOEpatents

Howells, Malcolm R.; Jacobsen, Chris

1995-01-01

A non-contact X-ray projection lithography method for producing a desired X-ray image on a selected surface of an X-ray-sensitive material, such as photoresist material on a wafer, the desired X-ray image having image minimum linewidths as small as 0.063 .mu.m, or even smaller. A hologram and its position are determined that will produce the desired image on the selected surface when the hologram is irradiated with X-rays from a suitably monochromatic X-ray source of a selected wavelength .lambda.. On-axis X-ray transmission through, or off-axis X-ray reflection from, a hologram may be used here, with very different requirements for monochromaticity, flux and brightness of the X-ray source. For reasonable penetration of photoresist materials by X-rays produced by the X-ray source, the wavelength X, is preferably chosen to be no more than 13.5 nm in one embodiment and more preferably is chosen in the range 1-5 nm in the other embodiment. A lower limit on linewidth is set by the linewidth of available microstructure writing devices, such as an electron beam.

The Hard X-ray Imager (HXI) for the ASTRO-H mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kokubun, Motohide; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Enoto, Teruaki; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Kataoka, Jun; Kawaharada, Madoka; Laurent, Philippe; Lebrun, François; Limousin, Olivier; Makishima, Kazuo; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Mori, Kunishiro; Nakamori, Takeshi; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Sato, Goro; Sato, Rie; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Tanaka, Takaaki; Terada, Yukikatsu; Uchiyama, Hideki; Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Watanabe, Shin; Yatsu, Yoichi; Yuasa, Takayuki

2012-09-01

The Hard X-ray Imager (HXI) is one of the four detectors on board the ASTRO-H mission (6th Japanese X-ray satellite), which is scheduled to be launched in 2014. Using the hybrid structure composed of double-sided silicon strip detectors and a cadmium telluride double-sided strip detector, both with a high spatial resolution of 250 μm. Combined with the hard X-ray telescope (HXT), it consists a hard X-ray imaging spectroscopic instrument covering the energy range from 5 to 80 keV with an effective area of <300 cm2 in total at 30 keV. An energy resolution of 1-2 keV (FWHM) and lower threshold of 5 keV are both achieved with using a low noise front-end ASICs. In addition, the thick BGO active shields surrounding the main detector package is a heritage of the successful performance of the Hard X-ray Detector on board the Suzaku satellite. This feature enables the instrument to achieve an extremely good reduction of background caused by cosmic-ray particles, cosmic X-ray background, and in-orbit radiation activation. In this paper, we present the detector concept, design, latest results of the detector development, and the current status of the hardware.

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) High-Energy X-ray Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harrison, Fiona A.; Craig, Willliam W.; Christensen, Finn E.; Hailey, Charles J.; Zhang, William W.; Boggs, Steven E.; Stern, Daniel; Cook, W. Rick; Forster, Karl; Giommi, Paolo;

A normal incidence X-ray telescope sounding rocket payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, L.

1985-01-01

Progress is reported on the following major activities on the X-ray telescope: (1) complete design of the entire telescope assembly and fabrication of all front-end components was completed; (2) all rocket skin sections, including bulkheads, feedthroughs and access door, were specified; (3) fabrication, curing and delivery of the large graphite-epoxy telescope tube were completed; (4) an engineering analysis of the primary mirror vibration test was completed and a decision made to redesign the mirror attachment system to a kinematic three-point mount; (5) detail design of the camera control, payload and housekeeping electronics were completed; and (6) multilayer mirror plates with 2d spacings of 50 A and 60 A were produced.

Most powerful X-ray telescope marks third anniversary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2002-08-01

include its discovery of an X-ray ring around the Crab Nebula , finding the most distant X-ray cluster of galaxies, capturing the deepest X-ray images ever recorded and discovering a new size of black hole. Because Earth's atmosphere blocks X-rays from reaching the surface, X-ray astronomy can only be performed from space. Launched in July 1999, the Chandra Observatory travels one-third of the way to the Moon during its orbit around the Earth every 64 hours. At its highest point, Chandra's highly elliptical, or egg-shaped, orbit is 200 times higher than that of its visible-light-gathering sister, the Hubble Space Telescope. The Marshall Center manages the Chandra program, and TRW, Inc. of Redondo Beach, Calif., is the prime contractor for the spacecraft. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center controls science and flight operations from Cambridge, Mass.

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-05-01

This photograph shows the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) being removed from the test structure in the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRMA, the heart of the telescope system, is contained in the cylindrical "telescope" portion of the observatory. Since high-energy x-rays would penetrate a normal mirror, special cylindrical mirrors were created. The two sets of four nested mirrors resemble tubes within tubes. Incoming x-rays graze off the highly polished mirror surface and are furneled to the instrument section for detection and study. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-12-16

This is a photograph of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) integration at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRMA, the heart of the telescope system, is contained in the cylindrical "telescope" portion of the observatory. Since high-energy x-rays would penetrate a normal mirror, special cylindrical mirrors were created. The two sets of four nested mirrors resemble tubes within tubes. Incoming x-rays graze off the highly polished mirror surface and are furneled to the instrument section for detection and study. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-12-16

This is a photograph of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) integration at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRMA, the heart of the telescope system, is contained in the cylindrical "telescope" portion of the observatory. Since high-energy x-rays would penetrate a normal mirror, special cylindrical mirrors were created. The two sets of four nested mirrors resemble tubes within tubes. Incoming x-rays graze off the highly polished mirror surface and are furneled to the instrument section for detection and study. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSCF was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-05-01

This photograph shows the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) being removed from the test structure in the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRMA, the heart of the telescope system, is contained in the cylindrical "telescope" portion of the observatory. Since high-energy x-rays would penetrate a normal mirror, special cylindrical mirrors were created. The two sets of four nested mirrors resemble tubes within tubes. Incoming x-rays graze off the highly polished mirror surface and are furneled to the instrument section for detection and study. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-04-15

This photograph captures the installation of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), Advanced Charged-Coupled Device (CCD) Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) into the Vacuum Chamber at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The AXAF was renamed Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO) in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The ACIS is one of two focal plane instruments. As the name suggests, this instrument is an array of CCDs similar to those used in a camcorder. This instrument will be especially useful because it can make x-ray images and measure the energies of incoming x-rays. It is the instrument of choice for studying the temperature variation across x-ray sources, such as vast clouds of hot-gas intergalactic space. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).

Simulation of the Simbol-X Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chauvin, M.; Roques, J. P.

2009-05-01

We have developed a simulation tool for a Wolter I telescope operating in formation flight. The aim is to understand and predict the behavior of the Simbol-X instrument. As the geometry is variable, formation flight introduces new challenges and complex implications. Our code, based on Monte Carlo ray tracing, computes the full photon trajectories up to the detector plane, along with the relative drifts of the two spacecrafts. It takes into account angle and energy dependent interactions of the photons with the mirrors and applies to any grazing incidence telescope. The resulting images of simulated sources from 0.1 keV to 100 keV allow us to optimize the configuration of the instrument and to assess the performance of the Simbol-X telescope.

Sub-arcsecond observations of the solar X-ray corona

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, L.; Nystrom, G.; Herant, M.; Kalata, K.; Lovas, I.

1990-01-01

Results from a high-resolution multi-layer-coated X-ray imaging telescope, part of the Normal Incidence X-ray Telescope sounding rocket payload are presented. Images of the peak of a two-ribbon flare showed detailed structure within each ribbon, as well as the expected bright arches of emission connecting the ribbons. The number of X-ray bright points is small, consistent with predictions based on the previous solar cycle. Topology of the magnetic structure is complex and highly tangled, implying that the magnetic complexity of the photosphere is paralleled in the corona.

Bone cartilage imaging with x-ray interferometry using a practical x-ray tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kido, Kazuhiro; Makifuchi, Chiho; Kiyohara, Junko; Itou, Tsukasa; Honda, Chika; Momose, Atsushi

2010-04-01

The purpose of this study was to design an X-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer for the imaging of bone cartilage using a practical X-ray tube and to develop that imaging system for clinical use. Wave-optics simulation was performed to design the interferometer with a practical X-ray tube, a source grating, two X-ray gratings, and an X-ray detector. An imaging system was created based on the results of the simulation. The specifications were as follows: the focal spot size was 0.3 mm of an X-ray tube with a tungsten anode (Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan). The tube voltage was set at 40 kVp with an additive aluminum filter, and the mean energy was 31 keV. The pixel size of the X-ray detector, a Condor 486 (Fairchild Imaging, California, USA), was 15 μm. The second grating was a Ronchi-type grating whose pitch was 5.3 μm. Imaging performance of the system was examined with X-ray doses of 0.5, 3 and 9 mGy so that the bone cartilage of a chicken wing was clearly depicted with X-ray doses of 3 and 9 mGy. This was consistent with the simulation's predictions. The results suggest that X-ray Talbot-Lau interferometry would be a promising tool in detecting soft tissues in the human body such as bone cartilage for the X-ray image diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Further optimization of the system will follow to reduce the X-ray dose for clinical use.

X-ray scattering study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wriston, R. S.; Froechtenigt, J. F.

1972-01-01

A soft X-ray glancing incidence telescope mirror and a group of twelve optical flat samples were used to study the scattering of X-rays. The mirror was made of Kanigen coated beryllium and the images produced were severely limited by scattering of X-rays. The best resolution attained was about fifteen arc seconds. The telescope efficiency was found to be 0.0006. The X-ray beam reflected from the twelve optical flat samples was analyzed by means of a long vacuum system of special design for these tests. The scattering then decreased with increasing angle of incidence until a critical angle was passed. At larger angles the scattering increased again. The samples all scattered more at 44 A than at 8 A. Metal samples were found to have about the same scattering at 44 A but greater scattering at 8 A than glass samples.

Dilation x-ray imager a new∕faster gated x-ray imager for the NIF.

PubMed

Nagel, S R; Hilsabeck, T J; Bell, P M; Bradley, D K; Ayers, M J; Barrios, M A; Felker, B; Smith, R F; Collins, G W; Jones, O S; Kilkenny, J D; Chung, T; Piston, K; Raman, K S; Sammuli, B; Hares, J D; Dymoke-Bradshaw, A K L

2012-10-01

As the yield on implosion shots increases it is expected that the peak x-ray emission reduces to a duration with a FWHM as short as 20 ps for ∼7 × 10(18) neutron yield. However, the temporal resolution of currently used gated x-ray imagers on the NIF is 40-100 ps. We discuss the benefits of the higher temporal resolution for the NIF and present performance measurements for dilation x-ray imager, which utilizes pulse-dilation technology [T. J. Hilsabeck et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 10E317 (2010)] to achieve x-ray imaging with temporal gate times below 10 ps. The measurements were conducted using the COMET laser, which is part of the Jupiter Laser Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Generation-X: An X-ray observatory designed to observe first light objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Windhorst, Rogier A.; Cameron, R. A.; Brissenden, R. J.; Elvis, M. S.; Fabbiano, G.; Gorenstein, P.; Reid, P. B.; Schwartz, D. A.; Bautz, M. W.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.; Petre, R.; White, N. E.; Zhang, W. W.

2006-03-01

The new cosmological frontier will be the study of the very first stars, galaxies and black holes in the early Universe. These objects are invisible to the current generation of X-ray telescopes, such as Chandra. In response, the Generation-X ("Gen-X") Vision Mission has been proposed as a future X-ray observatory which will be capable of detecting the earliest objects. X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of such faint objects demands a large collecting area and high angular resolution. The Gen-X mission plans 100 m 2 collecting area at 1 keV (1000× that of Chandra), and with an angular resolution of 0.1″. The Gen-X mission will operate at Sun-Earth L2, and might involve four 8 m diameter telescopes or even a single 20 m diameter telescope. To achieve the required effective area with reasonable mass, very lightweight grazing incidence X-ray optics must be developed, having an areal density 100× lower than in Chandra, with mirrors as thin as 0.1 mm requiring active on-orbit figure control. The suite of available detectors for Gen-X should include a large-area high resolution imager, a cryogenic imaging spectrometer, and a grating spectrometer. We discuss use of Gen-X to observe the birth of the first black holes, stars and galaxies, and trace their cosmic evolution.

Three mirror glancing incidence system for X-ray telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, R. B. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

A telescope suitable for soft X-ray astronomical observations consists of a paraboloid section for receiving rays at a grazing angle and a hyperboloid section which receives reflections from the paraboloid at a grazing angle and directs them to a predetermined point of focus. A second hyperboloid section is centrally located from the other two surfaces and positioned to reflect from its outer surface radiation which was not first reflected by the paraboloid. A shutter is included to assist in calibration.

Hard X-ray imaging of the Galactic black hole candidate GX 339 - 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Covault, C. E.; Grindlay, J. E.; Manandhar, R. P.

1992-01-01

Imaging and spectral observations in the energy range 25-250 keV of the black hole candidate GX 339 - 4 have been obtained with the Energetic X-ray Imaging Telescope Experiment. Observations were made during a balloon flight from Alice Springs, Australia on UT 1989 May 8-10. A single source of nearly 6-sigma significance is detected near the center of the 3.4-deg field of view with a position consistent with GX 339 - 4. This is the first imaging observation of GX 339 - 4 at hard X-ray energies. This result confirms previously reported results from nonimaging experiments showing significant hard X-ray flux up to greater than about 60 keV, with a power-law spectral fit similar to the other black hole candidates such as Cygnus X - 1. The source may have been in an outburst state similar to that recently detected with BATSE on GRO.

NuSTAR: system engineering and modeling challenges in pointing reconstruction for a deployable x-ray telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harp, D. Isaiah; Liebe, Carl Christian; Craig, William; Harrison, Fiona; Kruse-Madsen, Kristin; Zoglauer, Andreas

2010-07-01

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is a NASA Small Explorer mission that will make the first sensitive images of the sky in the high energy X-ray band (6 - 80 keV). The NuSTAR observatory consists of two co-aligned grazing incidence hard X-ray telescopes with a ~10 meter focal length, achieved by the on-orbit extension of a deployable mast. A principal science objective of the mission is to locate previously unknown high-energy X-ray sources to an accuracy of 10 arcseconds (3-sigma), sufficient to uniquely identify counterparts at other wavelengths. In order to achieve this, a star tracker and laser metrology system are an integral part of the instrument; in conjunction, they will determine the orientation of the optics bench in celestial coordinates and also measure the flexures in the deployable mast as it responds to the varying on-orbit thermal environment, as well as aerodynamic and control torques. The architecture of the NuSTAR system for solving the attitude and aspect problems differs from that of previous X-ray telescopes, which did not require ex post facto reconstruction of the instantaneous observatory alignment on-orbit. In this paper we describe the NuSTAR instrument metrology system architecture and implementation, focusing on the systems engineering challenges associated with validating the instantaneous transformations between focal plane and celestial coordinates to within the required accuracy. We present a mathematical solution to photon source reconstruction, along with a detailed error budget that relates component errors to science performance. We also describe the architecture of the instrument simulation software being used to validate the end-to-end performance model.

SMART-X: Square Meter, Arcsecond Resolution Telescope for X-rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vikhlinin, Alexey; SMART-X Collaboration

2013-04-01

SMART-X is a concept for a next-generation X-ray observatory with large-area, 0.5" angular resolution grazing incidence adjustable X-ray mirrors, high-throughput critical angle transmission gratings, and X-ray microcalorimeter and CMOS-based imager in the focal plane. High angular resolution is enabled by new technology based on controlling the shape of mirror segments using thin film piezo actuators deposited on the back surface. Science applications include observations of growth of supermassive black holes since redshifts of ~10, ultra-deep surveys over 10's of square degrees, galaxy assembly at z=2-3, as well as new opportunities in the high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy and time domains. We also review the progress in technology development, tests, and mission design over the past year.

A novel x-ray imaging system and its imaging performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Chunyu; Chang, Benkang; Wang, Shiyun; Zhang, Junju; Yao, Xiao

2006-09-01

Since x-ray was discovered and applied to the imaging technology, the x-ray imaging techniques have experienced several improvements, from film-screen, x-ray image intensifier, CR to DR. To store and transmit the image information conveniently, the digital imaging is necessary for the imaging techniques in medicine and biology. Usually as the intensifying screen technique as for concerned, to get the digital image signals, the CCD was lens coupled directly to the screen, but which suffers from a loss of x-ray signal and resulted in the poor x-ray image perfonnance. Therefore, to improve the image performance, we joined the brightness intensifier, which, was named the Low Light Level (LLL) image intensifier in military affairs, between the intensifying screen and the CCD and designed the novel x-ray imaging system. This design method improved the image performance of the whole system thus decreased the x-ray dose. Comparison between two systems with and without the brightness intensifier was given in detail in this paper. Moreover, the main noise source of the image produced by the novel system was analyzed, and in this paper, the original images produced by the novel x-ray imaging system and the processed images were given respectively. It was clear that the image performance was satisfied and the x-ray imaging system can be used in security checking and many other nondestructive checking fields.

A normal incidence, high resolution X-ray telescope for solar coronal observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, L.

1984-01-01

A Normal Incidence high resolution X-ray Telescope is reported. The design of a telescope assembly which, after fabrication, will be integrated with the mirror fabrication process is described. The assembly is engineered to fit into the Black Brant rocket skin to survive sounding rocket launch conditions. A flight ready camera is modified and tested.

The hard x-ray imager (HXI) onboard ASTRO-H

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Sato, Goro; Kokubun, Motohide; Enoto, Teruaki; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Hagino, Kouichi; Harayama, Atsushi; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Kataoka, Jun; Katsuta, Junichiro; Laurent, Philippe; Lebrun, François; Limousin, Olivier; Makishima, Kazuo; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Mori, Kunishiro; Nakamori, Takeshi; Nakano, Toshio; Noda, Hirofumi; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Saito, Shinya; Sato, Rie; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Takeda, Shin'ichiro; Terada, Yukikatsu; Uchiyama, Hideki; Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Watanabe, Shin; Yamaoka, Kazutaka; Yatsu, Yoichi; Yuasa, Takayuki

2016-07-01

Hitomi X-ray observatory launched in 17 February 2016 had a hard X-ray imaging spectroscopy system made of two hard X-ray imagers (HXIs) coupled with two hard X-ray telescopes (HXTs). With 12 m focal length, they provide fine (2' half-power diameter; HPD) imaging spectroscopy at 5 to 80 keV. The HXI main imagers are made of 4 layers of Si and a CdTe semiconductor double-sided strip detectors, stacked to enhance detection efficiency as well as to enable photon interaction-depth sensing. Active shield made of 9 BGO scintillators surrounds the imager to provide with low background. Following the deployment of the Extensible Optical Bench (EOB) on 28 February, the HXI was gradually turned on. Two imagers successfully started observation on 14 March, and was operational till the incident lead to Hitomo loss, on 26 March. All detector channels, 1280 ch of imager and 11 channel of active shields and others each, worked well and showed performance consistent with those seen on ground. From the first light observation of G21.5-0.9 and the following Crab observations, 5-80 keV energy coverage and good detection efficiency were confirmed. With blank sky observations, we checked our background level. In some geomagnetic region, strong background continuum, presumably caused by trapped electron with energy 100 keV, is seen. But by cutting the high-background time-intervals, the background became significantly lower, typically with 1-3 x 10-4 counts s-1 keV-1 cm-2 (here cm2 is shown with detector geometrical area). Above 30 keV, line and continuum emission originating from activation of CdTe was significantly seen, though the level of 1-4 x 10-4 counts s-1 keV-1 cm-2 is still comparable to those seen in NuSTAR. By comparing the effective area and background rate, preliminary analysis shows that the HXI had a statistical sensitivity similar to NuSTAR for point sources, and more than twice better for largely extended sources.

Wide Field X-Ray Telescope Mission Concept Study Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hopkins, R. C.; Thomas, H. D.; Fabisinski, L. L.; Baysinger, M.; Hornsby, L. S.; Maples, C. D.; Purlee, T. E.; Capizzo, P. D.; Percy, T. K.

2014-01-01

The Wide Field X-Ray Telescope (WFXT) is an astrophysics mission concept for detecting and studying extra-galactic x-ray sources, including active galactic nuclei and clusters of galaxies, in an effort to further understand cosmic evolution and structure. This Technical Memorandum details the results of a mission concept study completed by the Advanced Concepts Office at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in 2012. The design team analyzed the mission and instrument requirements, and designed a spacecraft that enables the WFXT mission while using high heritage components. Design work included selecting components and sizing subsystems for power, avionics, guidance, navigation and control, propulsion, structures, command and data handling, communications, and thermal control.

X-ray lithography using holographic images

DOEpatents

Howells, M.S.; Jacobsen, C.

1997-03-18

Methods for forming X-ray images having 0.25 {micro}m minimum line widths on X-ray sensitive material are presented. A holographic image of a desired circuit pattern is projected onto a wafer or other image-receiving substrate to allow recording of the desired image in photoresist material. In one embodiment, the method uses on-axis transmission and provides a high flux X-ray source having modest monochromaticity and coherence requirements. A layer of light-sensitive photoresist material on a wafer with a selected surface is provided to receive the image(s). The hologram has variable optical thickness and variable associated optical phase angle and amplitude attenuation for transmission of the X-rays. A second embodiment uses off-axis holography. The wafer receives the holographic image by grazing incidence reflection from a hologram printed on a flat metal or other highly reflecting surface or substrate. In this second embodiment, an X-ray beam with a high degree of monochromaticity and spatial coherence is required. 15 figs.

X-ray lithography using holographic images

DOEpatents

Howells, Malcolm S.; Jacobsen, Chris

1997-01-01

Methods for forming X-ray images having 0.25 .mu.m minimum line widths on X-ray sensitive material are presented. A holgraphic image of a desired circuit pattern is projected onto a wafer or other image-receiving substrate to allow recording of the desired image in photoresist material. In one embodiment, the method uses on-axis transmission and provides a high flux X-ray source having modest monochromaticity and coherence requirements. A layer of light-sensitive photoresist material on a wafer with a selected surface is provided to receive the image(s). The hologram has variable optical thickness and variable associated optical phase angle and amplitude attenuation for transmission of the X-rays. A second embodiment uses off-axis holography. The wafer receives the holographic image by grazing incidence reflection from a hologram printed on a flat metal or other highly reflecting surface or substrate. In this second embodiment, an X-ray beam with a high degree of monochromaticity and spatial coherence is required.

Ultra-long Duration Balloon Mission Concept Study: EXIST-LITE Hard X-ray Imaging Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

We carried out a mission concept Study for an ultra-long duration balloon (ULDB) mission to conduct a high-sensitivity hard x-ray (approx. 20-600 keV) imaging sky survey. The EXIST-LITE concept has been developed, and critical detector technologies for realistic fabrication of very large area Cd-Zn-Te imaging detector arrays are now much better understood. A ULDB mission such as EXIST-LITE is now even more attractive as a testbed for the full Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST) mission, recommended by the Decadal Survey, and now included in the NASA Roadmap and Strategic Plan as one of the 'Einstein Probes'. In this (overdue!) Final Report we provide a brief update for the science opportunities possible with a ULDB mission such as EXIST-LITE and relate these to upcoming missions (INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) and Swift) as well as the ultimate very high sensitivity sky survey mission EXIST. We then review the progress made over this investigation in Detector/Telescope design concept, Gondola and Mission design concept, and Data Handling/Analysis.

X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer for extended X-ray sources

DOEpatents

Bitter, Manfred L.; Fraenkel, Ben; Gorman, James L.; Hill, Kenneth W.; Roquemore, A. Lane; Stodiek, Wolfgang; von Goeler, Schweickhard E.

2001-01-01

Spherically or toroidally curved, double focusing crystals are used in a spectrometer for X-ray diagnostics of an extended X-ray source such as a hot plasma produced in a tokomak fusion experiment to provide spatially and temporally resolved data on plasma parameters using the imaging properties for Bragg angles near 45. For a Bragg angle of 45.degree., the spherical crystal focuses a bundle of near parallel X-rays (the cross section of which is determined by the cross section of the crystal) from the plasma to a point on a detector, with parallel rays inclined to the main plain of diffraction focused to different points on the detector. Thus, it is possible to radially image the plasma X-ray emission in different wavelengths simultaneously with a single crystal.

Localization algorithms for micro-channel x-ray telescope on board SVOM space mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gosset, L.; Götz, D.; Osborne, J.; Willingale, R.

2016-07-01

SVOM is a French-Chinese space mission to be launched in 2021, whose goal is the study of Gamma-Ray Bursts, the most powerful stellar explosions in the Universe. The Micro-channel X-ray Telescope (MXT) is an X-ray focusing telescope, on board SVOM, with a field of view of 1 degree (working in the 0.2-10 keV energy band), dedicated to the rapid follow-up of the Gamma-Ray Bursts counterparts and to their precise localization (smaller than 2 arc minutes). In order to reduce the optics mass and to have an angular resolution of few arc minutes, a "lobster-Eye" configuration has been chosen. Using a numerical model of the MXT Point Spread Function (PSF) we simulated MXT observations of point sources in order to develop and test different localization algorithms to be implemented on board MXT. We included preliminary estimations of the instrumental and sky background. The algorithms on board have to be a combination of speed and precision (the brightest sources are expected to be localized at a precision better than 10 arc seconds in the MXT reference frame). We present the comparison between different methods such as barycentre, PSF fitting in one or two dimensions. The temporal performance of the algorithms is being tested using the X-ray afterglow data base of the XRT telescope on board the NASA Swift satellite.

New trends in space x-ray optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudec, R.; Maršíková, V.; Pína, L.; Inneman, A.; Skulinová, M.

2017-11-01

The X-ray optics is a key element of various X-ray telescopes, X-ray microscopes, as well as other X-ray imaging instruments. The grazing incidence X-ray lenses represent the important class of X-ray optics. Most of grazing incidence (reflective) X-ray imaging systems used in astronomy but also in other (laboratory) applications are based on the Wolter 1 (or modified) arrangement. But there are also other designs and configurations proposed, used and considered for future applications both in space and in laboratory. The Kirkpatrick-Baez (K-B) lenses as well as various types of Lobster-Eye optics and MCP/Micropore optics serve as an example. Analogously to Wolter lenses, the X-rays are mostly reflected twice in these systems to create focal images. Various future projects in X-ray astronomy and astrophysics will require large segments with multiple thin shells or foils. The large Kirkpatrick-Baez modules, as well as the large Lobster-Eye X-ray telescope modules in Schmidt arrangement may serve as examples. All these space projects will require high quality and light segmented shells (bent or flat foils) with high X-ray reflectivity and excellent mechanical stability. The Multi Foil Optics (MFO) approach represent a promising alternative for both LE and K-B X-ray optical modules. Several types of reflecting substrates may be considered for these applications, with emphasis on thin float glass sheets and, more recently, high quality silicon wafers. This confirms the importance of non- Wolter X-ray optics designs for the future. Future large space X-ray telescopes (such as IXO) require precise and light-weight X-ray optics based on numerous thin reflecting shells. Novel approaches and advanced technologies are to be exploited and developed. In this contribution, we refer on results of tested X-ray mirror shells produced by glass thermal forming (GTF) and by shaping Si wafers. Both glass foils and Si wafers are commercially available, have excellent surface

New contrasts for x-ray imaging and synergy with optical imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ge

2017-02-01

Due to its penetrating power, fine resolution, unique contrast, high-speed, and cost-effectiveness, x-ray imaging is one of the earliest and most popular imaging modalities in biomedical applications. Current x-ray radiographs and CT images are mostly on gray-scale, since they reflect overall energy attenuation. Recent advances in x-ray detection, contrast agent, and image reconstruction technologies have changed our perception and expectation of x-ray imaging capabilities, and generated an increasing interest in imaging biological soft tissues in terms of energy-sensitive material decomposition, phase-contrast, small angle scattering (also referred to as dark-field), x-ray fluorescence and luminescence properties. These are especially relevant to preclinical and mesoscopic studies, and potentially mendable for hybridization with optical molecular tomography. In this article, we review new x-ray imaging techniques as related to optical imaging, suggest some combined x-ray and optical imaging schemes, and discuss our ideas on micro-modulated x-ray luminescence tomography (MXLT) and x-ray modulated opto-genetics (X-Optogenetics).

In-orbit performance of the soft X-ray imaging system aboard Hitomi (ASTRO-H)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, Hiroshi; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Uchida, Hiroyuki; Tanaka, Takaaki; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Hayashida, Kiyoshi; Tsuru, Takeshi G.; Dotani, Tadayasu; Nagino, Ryo; Inoue, Shota; Ozaki, Masanobu; Tomida, Hiroshi; Natsukari, Chikara; Ueda, Shutaro; Mori, Koji; Yamauchi, Makoto; Hatsukade, Isamu; Nishioka, Yusuke; Sakata, Miho; Beppu, Tatsuhiko; Honda, Daigo; Nobukawa, Masayoshi; Hiraga, Junko S.; Kohmura, Takayoshi; Murakami, Hiroshi; Nobukawa, Kumiko K.; Bamba, Aya; Doty, John P.; Iizuka, Ryo; Sato, Toshiki; Kurashima, Sho; Nakaniwa, Nozomi; Asai, Ryota; Ishida, Manadu; Mori, Hideyuki; Soong, Yang; Okajima, Takashi; Serlemitsos, Peter; Tawara, Yuzuru; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Ishibashi, Kazunori; Tamura, Keisuke; Hayashi, Takayuki; Furuzawa, Akihiro; Sugita, Satoshi; Miyazawa, Takuya; Awaki, Hisamitsu; Miller, Eric D.; Yamaguchi, Hiroya

2018-03-01

We describe the in-orbit performance of the soft X-ray imaging system consisting of the Soft X-ray Telescope and the Soft X-ray Imager aboard Hitomi. Verification and calibration of imaging and spectroscopic performance are carried out, making the best use of the limited data of less than three weeks. Basic performance, including a large field of view of {38^' }} × {38^' }}, is verified with the first-light image of the Perseus cluster of galaxies. Amongst the small number of observed targets, the on-minus-off pulse image for the out-of-time events of the Crab pulsar enables us to measure the half-power diameter of the telescope as ˜{1 {^'.} 3}. The average energy resolution measured with the onboard calibration source events at 5.89 keV is 179 ± 3 eV in full width at half maximum. Light leak and crosstalk issues affected the effective exposure time and the effective area, respectively, because all the observations were performed before optimizing an observation schedule and the parameters for the dark-level calculation. Screening the data affected by these two issues, we measure the background level to be 5.6 × 10-6 counts s-1 arcmin-2 cm-2 in the energy band of 5-12 keV, which is seven times lower than that of the Suzaku XIS-BI.

X-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Endrizzi, Marco

2018-01-01

X-ray imaging is a standard tool for the non-destructive inspection of the internal structure of samples. It finds application in a vast diversity of fields: medicine, biology, many engineering disciplines, palaeontology and earth sciences are just few examples. The fundamental principle underpinning the image formation have remained the same for over a century: the X-rays traversing the sample are subjected to different amount of absorption in different parts of the sample. By means of phase-sensitive techniques it is possible to generate contrast also in relation to the phase shifts imparted by the sample and to extend the capabilities of X-ray imaging to those details that lack enough absorption contrast to be visualised in conventional radiography. A general overview of X-ray phase contrast imaging techniques is presented in this review, along with more recent advances in this fast evolving field and some examples of applications.

The Generation-X X-ray Observatory Vision Mission and Technology Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Figueroa-Feliciano, Enectali

2004-01-01

The new frontier in astrophysics is the study of the birth and evolution of the first stars, galaxies and black holes in the early Universe. X-ray astronomy opens a window into these objects by studying the emission from black holes, supernova explosions and the gamma-ray burst afterglows of massive stars. However, such objects are beyond the grasp of current or near-future observatories. X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of such distant objects will require an X-ray telescope with large collecting area and high angular resolution. Our team has conceived the Generation-X Vision Mission based on an X-ray observatory with 100 sq m collecting area at 1 keV (1000 times larger than Chandra) and 0.1 arcsecond angular resolution (several times better than Chandra and 50 times better than the Constellation-X resolution goal). Such an observatory would be capable of detecting the earliest black holes and galaxies in the Universe, and will also study extremes of density, gravity, magnetic fields, and kinetic energy which cannot be created in laboratories. NASA has selected the Generation-X mission for study under its Vision Mission Program. We describe the studies being performed to develop the mission concept and define candidate technologies and performance requirements for Generation-X. The baseline Generation-X mission involves four 8m diameter X-ray telescopes operating at Sun-Earth L2. We trade against an alternate concept of a single 26m diameter telescope with focal plane instruments on a separate spacecraft. A telescope of this size will require either robotic or human-assisted in-flight assembly. The required effective area implies that extremely lightweight grazing incidence X-ray optics must be developed. To achieve the required aerial density of at least 100 times lower than in Chandra, we will study 0.1mm thick mirrors which have active on-orbit figure control. We discuss the suite of required detectors, including a large FOV high angular resolution imager, a

Hard X-ray imaging from Explorer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grindlay, J. E.; Murray, S. S.

1981-01-01

Coded aperture X-ray detectors were applied to obtain large increases in sensitivity as well as angular resolution. A hard X-ray coded aperture detector concept is described which enables very high sensitivity studies persistent hard X-ray sources and gamma ray bursts. Coded aperture imaging is employed so that approx. 2 min source locations can be derived within a 3 deg field of view. Gamma bursts were located initially to within approx. 2 deg and X-ray/hard X-ray spectra and timing, as well as precise locations, derived for possible burst afterglow emission. It is suggested that hard X-ray imaging should be conducted from an Explorer mission where long exposure times are possible.

Point Spread Function of ASTRO-H Soft X-Ray Telescope (SXT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayashi, Takayuki; Sato, Toshiki; Kikuchi, Naomichi; Iizuka, Ryo; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Ishida, Manabu; Kurashima, Sho; Nakaniwa, Nozomi; Okajima, Takashi; Mori, Hideyuki;

Constellation-X Spectroscopy X-Ray Telescope Segmented Optic Alignment Using Piezoelectric Actuators

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-11-18

Thesis directed by R. Ryan Vallance Assistant Professor of Engineering and Applied Science, Ph.D. Report Documentation Page Form ApprovedOMB No...R. Ryan Vallance for his guidance, support, and knowledge throughout this project. His guidance has helped focus my efforts throughout my time...134-146. [24] Forest, Craig Richard . “X-ray Telescope Foil Optics: Assembly, Metrology, and Constraint.” Master’s Thesis. Massachusetts

X-ray optics made from thin plastic foils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnopper, Herbert W.; Silver, Eric H.; Ingram, Russell H.; Christensen, Finn E.; Hussain, Ahsen M.; Barbera, Marco; Romaine, Suzanne E.; Collura, Alfonso; Kenter, Almus T.; Bandler, Simon; Murray, Stephen S.

1999-09-01

New design concepts and materials can be used to produce very lightweight, thin foil approximations, to Wolter I and other x-ray optics. Structures are designed around a central hub and spacers that connect one spoked wheels. Figure defining, thin pins span the distance between the wheels. Thin, metal coated or multilayered, plastic foils can be formed into cones, cylinders or spirals for x-ray telescopes or lenses. Imaging and spectroscopic data obtained with x- ray lenses are presented and they indicate that a 60 cm diameter, 4.65 m focal length x-ray telescope can have a half power diameter of < 2 arcmin.

Aligning, Bonding, and Testing Mirrors for Lightweight X-ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chan, Kai-Wing; Zhang, William W.; Saha, Timo T.; McClelland, Ryan S.; Biskach, Michael P.; Niemeyer, Jason; Schofield, Mark J.; Mazzarella, James R.; Kolos, Linette D.; Hong, Melinda M.;

Development of a CCD array as an imaging detector for advanced X-ray astrophysics facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, D. A.

1981-01-01

The development of a charge coupled device (CCD) X-ray imager for a large aperture, high angular resolution X-ray telescope is discussed. Existing CCDs were surveyed and three candidate concepts were identified. An electronic camera control and computer interface, including software to drive a Fairchild 211 CCD, is described. In addition a vacuum mounting and cooling system is discussed. Performance data for the various components are given.

First Peek of ASTRO-H Soft X-Ray Telescope (SXT) In-Orbit Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Okajima, Takashi; Soong, Yang; Serlemitsos, Peter J.; Mori, Hideyuki; Olsen, Lawrence; Robinson, David; Koenecke, Richard; Chang, William; Hahne, David; Iisuka, Ryo;

Study of the Jupiter X-ray imaging spectrometer on JMO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, T.; Ezoe, Y.; Kasahara, S.; Miyoshi, Y.; Yamazaki, A.; Fujimoto, M.; JMO X-ray Experiment Team

2011-12-01

of optical lights and debris must be taken care. The base line is a combination of an original ultra-light weight X-ray telescope with the mass to area ratio of 10 kg/m^{2} based on the micromachining technologies (Ezoe et al. 2010 Microsystem technologies), and a radiation-hard and low-power DepFET imaging detector (Struder et al. 2010 SPIE). In this presentation, we present the study status of the X-ray instrument onboard EJSM JMO and its scientific goals.

Coded-Aperture X- or gamma -ray telescope with Least- squares image reconstruction. III. Data acquisition and analysis enhancements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohman, T. P.

1995-05-01

The design of a cosmic X- or gamma -ray telescope with least- squares image reconstruction and its simulated operation have been described (Rev. Sci. Instrum. 60, 3396 and 3410 (1989)). Use of an auxiliary open aperture ("limiter") ahead of the coded aperture limits the object field to fewer pixels than detector elements, permitting least-squares reconstruction with improved accuracy in the imaged field; it also yields a uniformly sensitive ("flat") central field. The design has been enhanced to provide for mask-antimask operation. This cancels and eliminates uncertainties in the detector background, and the simulated results have virtually the same statistical accuracy (pixel-by-pixel output-input RMSD) as with a single mask alone. The simulations have been made more realistic by incorporating instrumental blurring of sources. A second-stage least-squares procedure had been developed to determine the precise positions and total fluxes of point sources responsible for clusters of above-background pixels in the field resulting from the first-stage reconstruction. Another program converts source positions in the image plane to celestial coordinates and vice versa, the image being a gnomic projection of a region of the sky.

Segmented X-Ray Optics for Future Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McClelland, Ryan S.

2013-01-01

Lightweight and high resolution mirrors are needed for future space-based X-ray telescopes to achieve advances in high-energy astrophysics. The slumped glass mirror technology in development at NASA GSFC aims to build X-ray mirror modules with an area to mass ratio of approx.17 sq cm/kg at 1 keV and a resolution of 10 arc-sec Half Power Diameter (HPD) or better at an affordable cost. As the technology nears the performance requirements, additional engineering effort is needed to ensure the modules are compatible with space-flight. This paper describes Flight Mirror Assembly (FMA) designs for several X-ray astrophysics missions studied by NASA and defines generic driving requirements and subsequent verification tests necessary to advance technology readiness for mission implementation. The requirement to perform X-ray testing in a horizontal beam, based on the orientation of existing facilities, is particularly burdensome on the mirror technology, necessitating mechanical over-constraint of the mirror segments and stiffening of the modules in order to prevent self-weight deformation errors from dominating the measured performance. This requirement, in turn, drives the mass and complexity of the system while limiting the testable angular resolution. Design options for a vertical X-ray test facility alleviating these issues are explored. An alternate mirror and module design using kinematic constraint of the mirror segments, enabled by a vertical test facility, is proposed. The kinematic mounting concept has significant advantages including potential for higher angular resolution, simplified mirror integration, and relaxed thermal requirements. However, it presents new challenges including low vibration modes and imperfections in kinematic constraint. Implementation concepts overcoming these challenges are described along with preliminary test and analysis results demonstrating the feasibility of kinematically mounting slumped glass mirror segments.

Study of a Solar X-Ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, Leon

1997-01-01

The highly structured nature of the outer solar atmosphere seems to be intimately linked to the presence, at the solar surface, of magnetic fields that have been generated inside the Sun and have emerged to the surface. The corona is brightest (and also hottest) at just those locations where the magnetic field has emerged from inside the Sun. Dynamo theory predicts that strong magnetic fields will be generated deep in the solar interior and that bundles or 'ropes' of magnetic flux will float to the surface. When this happens, a magnetically bipolar region will become visible, extending above the surface in a three-dimensional structure. The field lines penetrate through the surface, showing two magnetic poles, and also exhibit a three-dimensional structure above the surface. The structure created by the field emergence is rooted in the (relatively) cool photosphere and extends through the chromosphere and transition region to the corona. Thus, the magnetic field creates a region, called an active region, which contains portions at temperatures from less than 10(exp 4) K to greater than 10(exp 6) K, and is therefore visible at wavelengths from the infrared through x-rays. The locations where the magnetic field leaves and reenters the visible surface are called the 'footpoints' of the coronal structures associated with the magnetic field. The magnetic fields themselves are not directly visible. However, the hot coronal plasma is, for the most part, constrained to follow the direction of the magnetic field lines in the atmosphere. Now, 100 years after the discovery of x-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1896, we can routinely make observations of the solar corona from outside the Earth's atmosphere in this region of the electromagnetic spectrum. As shown by comparing x-ray images with magnetograms, the bright corona over these bipolar magnetic regions consists of closed structures that seem to follow the orientation of the magnetic field. Although we can see down to the

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-01

This Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO) image is a spectrum of a black hole, which is similar to the colorful spectrum of sunlight produced by a prism. The x-rays of interest are shown here recorded in bright stripes that run rightward and leftward from the center of the image. These x-rays are sorted precisely according to their energy with the highest-energy x-rays near the center of the image and the lower-energy x-rays farther out. The spectrum was obtained by using the Low Energy Transmission Grating (LETG), which intercepts x-rays and changes their direction by the amounts that depend sensitively on the x-ray energy. The assembly holds 540 gold transmission gratings. When in place behind the mirrors, the gratings intercept the x-rays reflected from the telescope. The bright spot at the center is due to a fraction of the x-ray radiation that is not deflected by the LETG. The spokes that intersect the central spot and the faint diagonal rays that flank the spectrum itself are artifacts due to the structure that supports the LETG grating elements. (Photo credit: NASA Cfa/J. McClintock et al)

X-ray imaging physics for nuclear medicine technologists. Part 2: X-ray interactions and image formation.

PubMed

Seibert, J Anthony; Boone, John M

2005-03-01

The purpose is to review in a 4-part series: (i) the basic principles of x-ray production, (ii) x-ray interactions and data capture/conversion, (iii) acquisition/creation of the CT image, and (iv) operational details of a modern multislice CT scanner integrated with a PET scanner. In part 1, the production and characteristics of x-rays were reviewed. In this article, the principles of x-ray interactions and image formation are discussed, in preparation for a general review of CT (part 3) and a more detailed investigation of PET/CT scanners in part 4.

Simulation tools for analyzer-based x-ray phase contrast imaging system with a conventional x-ray source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caudevilla, Oriol; Zhou, Wei; Stoupin, Stanislav; Verman, Boris; Brankov, J. G.

2016-09-01

Analyzer-based X-ray phase contrast imaging (ABI) belongs to a broader family of phase-contrast (PC) X-ray imaging modalities. Unlike the conventional X-ray radiography, which measures only X-ray absorption, in PC imaging one can also measures the X-rays deflection induced by the object refractive properties. It has been shown that refraction imaging provides better contrast when imaging the soft tissue, which is of great interest in medical imaging applications. In this paper, we introduce a simulation tool specifically designed to simulate the analyzer-based X-ray phase contrast imaging system with a conventional polychromatic X-ray source. By utilizing ray tracing and basic physical principles of diffraction theory our simulation tool can predicting the X-ray beam profile shape, the energy content, the total throughput (photon count) at the detector. In addition we can evaluate imaging system point-spread function for various system configurations.

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-03-16

This photo shows the High Resolution Camera (HRC) for the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), being integrated with the High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) in Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) 24-foot Vacuum Chamber at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most poweful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRC is one of the two instruments used at the focus of CXO, where it will detect x-rays reflected from an assembly of eight mirrors. The unique capabilities of the HRC stem from the close match of its imaging capability to the focusing of the mirrors. When used with CXO mirrors, the HRC makes images that reveal detail as small as one-half an arc second. This is equivalent to the ability to read a newspaper at a distance of 1 kilometer. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components relatedto x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-03-16

This photo shows the High Resolution Camera (HRC) for the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), being integrated with the High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) in Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) 24-foot Vacuum Chamber at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRC is one of the two instruments used at the focus of CXO, where it will detect x-rays reflected from an assembly of eight mirrors. The unique capabilities of the HRC stem from the close match of its imaging capability to the focusing of the mirrors. When used with CXO mirrors, the HRC makes images that reveal detail as small as one-half an arc second. This is equivalent to the ability to read a newspaper at a distance of 1 kilometer. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).

Imaging Performance Analysis of Simbol-X with Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chauvin, M.; Roques, J. P.

2009-05-01

Simbol-X is an X-Ray telescope operating in formation flight. It means that its optical performances will strongly depend on the drift of the two spacecrafts and its ability to measure these drifts for image reconstruction. We built a dynamical ray tracing code to study the impact of these parameters on the optical performance of Simbol-X (see Chauvin et al., these proceedings). Using the simulation tool we have developed, we have conducted detailed analyses of the impact of different parameters on the imaging performance of the Simbol-X telescope.

Equal-Curvature X-ray Telescope Designs for Constellation-X Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saha, Timo T.; Content, David A.; Zhang, William W.

2003-01-01

We study grazing incidence Equal-Curvature telescope designs for the Constellation-X mission. These telescopes have nearly spherical axial surfaces. The telescopes are designed so that the axial curvature is the same on the primary and secondary. The optical performance of these telescopes is for all practical purposes identical to the equivalent Wolter telescopes.

The first focused hard X-ray images of the sun with NuSTAR

DOE PAGES

Grefenstette, Brian W.; Glesener, Lindsay; Krucker, Sam; ...

2016-07-18

Here, we present results from the the first campaign of dedicated solar observations undertaken by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ARray (NuSTAR) hard X-ray (HXR) telescope. Designed as an astrophysics mission, NuSTAR nonetheless has the capability of directly imaging the Sun at HXR energies (>3 keV) with an increase in sensitivity of at least two magnitude compared to current non-focusing telescopes. In this paper we describe the scientific areas where NuSTAR will make major improvements on existing solar measurements. We report on the techniques used to observe the Sun with NuSTAR, their limitations and complications, and the procedures developed to optimizemore » solar data quality derived from our experience with the initial solar observations. These first observations are briefly described, including the measurement of the Fe K-shell lines in a decaying X-class flare, HXR emission from high in the solar corona, and full-disk HXR images of the Sun.« less

The first focused hard X-ray images of the sun with NuSTAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grefenstette, Brian W.; Glesener, Lindsay; Krucker, Sam

Here, we present results from the the first campaign of dedicated solar observations undertaken by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ARray (NuSTAR) hard X-ray (HXR) telescope. Designed as an astrophysics mission, NuSTAR nonetheless has the capability of directly imaging the Sun at HXR energies (>3 keV) with an increase in sensitivity of at least two magnitude compared to current non-focusing telescopes. In this paper we describe the scientific areas where NuSTAR will make major improvements on existing solar measurements. We report on the techniques used to observe the Sun with NuSTAR, their limitations and complications, and the procedures developed to optimizemore » solar data quality derived from our experience with the initial solar observations. These first observations are briefly described, including the measurement of the Fe K-shell lines in a decaying X-class flare, HXR emission from high in the solar corona, and full-disk HXR images of the Sun.« less

THE FIRST FOCUSED HARD X-RAY IMAGES OF THE SUN WITH NuSTAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grefenstette, Brian W.; Madsen, Kristin K.; Forster, Karl

We present results from the the first campaign of dedicated solar observations undertaken by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ARray ( NuSTAR ) hard X-ray (HXR) telescope. Designed as an astrophysics mission, NuSTAR nonetheless has the capability of directly imaging the Sun at HXR energies (>3 keV) with an increase in sensitivity of at least two magnitude compared to current non-focusing telescopes. In this paper we describe the scientific areas where NuSTAR will make major improvements on existing solar measurements. We report on the techniques used to observe the Sun with NuSTAR , their limitations and complications, and the procedures developedmore » to optimize solar data quality derived from our experience with the initial solar observations. These first observations are briefly described, including the measurement of the Fe K-shell lines in a decaying X-class flare, HXR emission from high in the solar corona, and full-disk HXR images of the Sun.« less

The First Focused Hard X-Ray Images of the Sun with NuSTAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grefenstette, Brian W.; Glesener, Lindsay; Kruckner, Sam; Hudson, Hugh; Hannah, Iain G.; Smith, David M.; Vogel, Julia K.; White, Stephen M.; Madsen, Kristin K.; Marsh, Andrew J.;

The HEXITEC Hard X-Ray Pixelated CdTe Imager for Fast Solar Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baumgartner, Wayne H.; Christe, Steven D.; Ryan, Daniel; Inglis, Andrew R.; Shih, Albert Y.; Gregory, Kyle; Wilson, Matt; Seller, Paul; Gaskin, Jessica; Wilson-Hodge, Colleen

2016-01-01

There is an increasing demand in solar and astrophysics for high resolution X-ray spectroscopic imaging. Such observations would present ground breaking opportunities to study the poorly understood high energy processes in our solar system and beyond, such as solar flares, X-ray binaries, and active galactic nuclei. However, such observations require a new breed of solid state detectors sensitive to high energy X-rays with fine independent pixels to sub-sample the point spread function (PSF) of the X-ray optics. For solar observations in particular, they must also be capable of handling very high count rates as photon fluxes from solar flares often cause pile up and saturation in present generation detectors. The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) has recently developed a new cadmium telluride (CdTe) detector system, called HEXITEC (High Energy X-ray Imaging Technology). It is an 80 x 80 array of 250 micron independent pixels sensitive in the 2-200 keV band and capable of a high full frame read out rate of 10 kHz. HEXITEC provides the smallest independently read out CdTe pixels currently available, and are well matched to the few arcsecond PSF produced by current and next generation hard X-ray focusing optics. NASA's Goddard and Marshall Space Flight Centers are collaborating with RAL to develop these detectors for use on future space borne hard X-ray focusing telescopes. We show the latest results on HEXITEC's imaging capability, energy resolution, high read out rate, and reveal it to be ideal for such future instruments.

Applications of phase-contrast x-ray imaging to medicine using an x-ray interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momose, Atsushi; Yoneyama, Akio; Takeda, Tohoru; Itai, Yuji; Tu, Jinhong; Hirano, Keiichi

1999-10-01

We are investigating possible medical applications of phase- contrast X-ray imaging using an X-ray interferometer. This paper introduces the strategy of the research project and the present status. The main subject is to broaden the observation area to enable in vivo observation. For this purpose, large X-ray interferometers were developed, and 2.5 cm X 1.5 cm interference patterns were generated using synchrotron X-rays. An improvement of the spatial resolution is also included in the project, and an X-ray interferometer designed for high-resolution phase-contrast X-ray imaging was fabricated and tested. In parallel with the instrumental developments, various soft tissues are observed by phase- contrast X-ray CT to find correspondence between the generated contrast and our histological knowledge. The observation done so far suggests that cancerous tissues are differentiated from normal tissues and that blood can produce phase contrast. Furthermore, this project includes exploring materials that modulate phase contrast for selective imaging.

The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager Small Explorer Concept Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christe, Steven; Shih, Albert Y.; Dennis, Brian R.; Glesener, Lindsay; Krucker, Sam; Saint-Hilaire, Pascal; Gubarev, Mikhail; Ramsey, Brian

2016-05-01

We present the FOXSI (Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager) small explorer (SMEX) concept, a mission dedicated to studying particle acceleration and energy release on the Sun. FOXSI is designed as a 3-axis stabilized spacecraft in low-Earth orbit making use of state-of-the-art grazing incidence focusing optics combined withpixelated solid-state detectors, allowing for direct imaging of solar X-rays. The current design being studied features multiple telescopes with a 14 meter focal length enabled by a deployable boom.FOXSI will observe the Sun in the 3-100 keV energy range. The FOXSI imaging concept has already been tested on two sounding rocket flights, in 2012 and 2014 and on the HEROES balloon payload flight in 2013. FOXSI will image the Sun with an angular resolution of 5'', a spectral resolution of 0.5 keV, and sub-second temporal resolution. FOXSI is a direct imaging spectrometer with high dynamic range and sensitivity and will provide a brand-new perspective on energy release on the Sun. We describe the mission and its science objectives.

Telescope Scientist on the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanSpeybroeck, Leon

1999-01-01

The most important activity during this reporting period was the calibration of the AXAF High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) and the analysis of the copious data which were obtained during that project. The calibration was highly successful, and will result in the AXAF being by far the best calibrated X-ray observatory ever flown, and more accurate results by all of its users. This period also included participation in the spacecraft alignment and assembly activities and final flight readiness reviews. The planning of the first year of Telescope Scientist AXAF observations also was accomplished. The Telescope Scientist team also served as a technical resource for various problems which were encountered during this period. Many of these contributions have been documented in memoranda sent to the project.

Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) Slit-Jaw Imaging System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkerson, P.; Champey, P. R.; Winebarger, A. R.; Kobayashi, K.; Savage, S. L.

2017-12-01

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer is a NASA sounding rocket payload providing a 0.6 - 2.5 nm spectrum with unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution. The instrument is comprised of a novel optical design, featuring a Wolter1 grazing incidence telescope, which produces a focused solar image on a slit plate, an identical pair of stigmatic optics, a planar diffraction grating and a low-noise detector. When MaGIXS flies on a suborbital launch in 2019, a slit-jaw camera system will reimage the focal plane of the telescope providing a reference for pointing the telescope on the solar disk and aligning the data to supporting observations from satellites and other rockets. The telescope focuses the X-ray and EUV image of the sun onto a plate covered with a phosphor coating that absorbs EUV photons, which then fluoresces in visible light. This 10-week REU project was aimed at optimizing an off-axis mounted camera with 600-line resolution NTSC video for extremely low light imaging of the slit plate. Radiometric calculations indicate an intensity of less than 1 lux at the slit jaw plane, which set the requirement for camera sensitivity. We selected a Watec 910DB EIA charge-coupled device (CCD) monochrome camera, which has a manufacturer quoted sensitivity of 0.0001 lux at F1.2. A high magnification and low distortion lens was then identified to image the slit jaw plane from a distance of approximately 10 cm. With the selected CCD camera, tests show that at extreme low-light levels, we achieve a higher resolution than expected, with only a moderate drop in frame rate. Based on sounding rocket flight heritage, the launch vehicle attitude control system is known to stabilize the instrument pointing such that jitter does not degrade video quality for context imaging. Future steps towards implementation of the imaging system will include ruggedizing the flight camera housing and mounting the selected camera and lens combination to the instrument structure.

Coherent X-ray imaging across length scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munro, P. R. T.

2017-04-01

Contemporary X-ray imaging techniques span a uniquely wide range of spatial resolutions, covering five orders of magnitude. The evolution of X-ray sources, from the earliest laboratory sources through to highly brilliant and coherent free-electron lasers, has been key to the development of these imaging techniques. This review surveys the predominant coherent X-ray imaging techniques with fields of view ranging from that of entire biological organs, down to that of biomolecules. We introduce the fundamental principles necessary to understand the image formation for each technique as well as briefly reviewing coherent X-ray source development. We present example images acquired using a selection of techniques, by leaders in the field.

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-11-01

This image is a color composite of the supernova remnant E0102-72: x-ray (blue), optical (green), and radio (red). E0102-72 is the remnant of a star that exploded in a nearby galaxy known as the Small Magellanic Cloud. The star exploded outward at speeds in excess of 20 million kilometers per hour (12 million mph) and collided with surrounding gas. This collision produced two shock waves, or cosmic sonic booms, one traveling outward, and the other rebounding back into the material ejected by the explosion. The radio image, shown in red, was made using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The radio waves are due to extremely high-energy electrons spiraling around magnetic field lines in the gas and trace the outward moving shock wave. The Chandra X-ray Observatory image, shown in blue, shows gas that has been heated to millions of degrees by the rebounding, or reverse shock wave. The x-ray data show that this gas is rich in oxygen and neon. These elements were created by nuclear reactions inside the star and hurled into space by the supernova. The Hubble Space Telescope optical image, shown in green, shows dense clumps of oxygen gas that have "cooled" to about 30,000 degrees. Photo Credit: X-ray (NASA/CXC/SAO); optical (NASA/HST): radio: (ACTA)

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-01

This most distant x-ray cluster of galaxies yet has been found by astronomers using Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO). Approximately 10 billion light-years from Earth, the cluster 3C294 is 40 percent farther than the next most distant x-ray galaxy cluster. The existence of such a faraway cluster is important for understanding how the universe evolved. CXO's image reveals an hourglass-shaped region of x-ray emissions centered on the previously known central radio source (seen in this image as the blue central object) that extends outward for 60,000 light- years. The vast clouds of hot gas that surround such galaxies in clusters are thought to be heated by collapse toward the center of the cluster. Until CXO, x-ray telescopes have not had the needed sensitivity to identify such distant clusters of galaxies. Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally bound structures in the universe. The intensity of the x-rays in this CXO image of 3C294 is shown as red for low energy x-rays, green for intermediate, and blue for the most energetic x-rays. (Photo credit: NASA/loA/A. Fabian et al)

CdZnTe Image Detectors for Hard-X-Ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, C. M. Hubert; Cook, Walter R.; Harrison, Fiona A.; Lin, Jiao Y. Y.; Mao, Peter H.; Schindler, Stephen M.

2005-01-01

Arrays of CdZnTe photodetectors and associated electronic circuitry have been built and tested in a continuing effort to develop focal-plane image sensor systems for hard-x-ray telescopes. Each array contains 24 by 44 pixels at a pitch of 498 m. The detector designs are optimized to obtain low power demand with high spectral resolution in the photon- energy range of 5 to 100 keV. More precisely, each detector array is a hybrid of a CdZnTe photodetector array and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) containing an array of amplifiers in the same pixel pattern as that of the detectors. The array is fabricated on a single crystal of CdZnTe having dimensions of 23.6 by 12.9 by 2 mm. The detector-array cathode is a monolithic platinum contact. On the anode plane, the contact metal is patterned into the aforementioned pixel array, surrounded by a guard ring that is 1 mm wide on three sides and is 0.1 mm wide on the fourth side so that two such detector arrays can be placed side-by-side to form a roughly square sensor area with minimal dead area between them. Figure 1 shows two anode patterns. One pattern features larger pixel anode contacts, with a 30-m gap between them. The other pattern features smaller pixel anode contacts plus a contact for a shaping electrode in the form of a grid that separates all the pixels. In operation, the grid is held at a potential intermediate between the cathode and anode potentials to steer electric charges toward the anode in order to reduce the loss of charges in the inter-anode gaps. The CdZnTe photodetector array is mechanically and electrically connected to the ASIC (see Figure 2), either by use of indium bump bonds or by use of conductive epoxy bumps on the CdZnTe array joined to gold bumps on the ASIC. Hence, the output of each pixel detector is fed to its own amplifier chain.

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-12-01

This Chandra image shows the central regions of two colliding galaxies known collectively as the Antennae (NGC-4038/4039). The Chandra image reveals a large population of extremely bright x-ray sources in this area of intense star formation. These x-ray sources, which emit 10 to several hundred times more x-ray power than similar sources in our own galaxy, are believed to be either massive black holes, or black holes that are beaming their energy toward Earth. In this x-ray image, red represents the low energy band, green intermediate, and blue the highest observed energies. The white and yellow sources are those that emit significant amounts of both low and high energy x-rays. About 60 million light years from Earth in the constellation Corvus, the Antennae Galaxies got their nickname from the wispy anntennae-like streams of gas as seen by optical telescopes. These ongoing wisps are believed to have been produced approximately 100 million years ago by the collision between the gala

Analysis of the relative movement between mirrors and detectors for the next generation x-ray telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Civitani, Marta

2009-08-01

Focusing X-ray telescopes with imaging capabilities, like SIMBOL-X, HEXISAT and IXO, are characterized by very long focal lengths, greater than 10m. The constraints posed by the launchers on the maximum dimensions of a payload, make necessary using alternatives to monolithic telescopes. One possibility is that the mirror and the detectors are carried by two separate spacecrafts that fly in formation. Another is placing the detector module on a bench that will be extended once in final orbit. In both the case the system will be subjected to deformation due the relative movement of the mirrors with respect to detectors. In one case the deformation will be due to the correction on the position and attitude of the detector spacecraft to maintain the formation with the mirror spacecraft, while in the other to oscillations of the detectors on the top of the bench. The aim of this work is to compare the behavior of the system in the two different configurations and to evaluate the performances of the on board metrology systems needed not to degrade the telescope angular resolution.

Ray-trace analysis of glancing-incidence X-ray optical systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foreman, J. W., Jr.; Cardone, J. M.

1976-01-01

The results of a ray-trace analysis of several glancing-incidence X-ray optical systems are presented. The object of the study was threefold. First, the vignetting characteristics of the S-056 X-ray telescope were calculated using experimental data to determine mirror reflectivities. Second, a small Wolter Type I X-ray telescope intended for possible use in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite program was designed and ray traced. Finally, a ray-trace program was developed for a Wolter-Schwarzschild X-ray telescope.

The Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS): Telescope Mechanical Designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guarino, V.; Buckley, J.; Byrum, K.; Falcone, A.; Fegan, S.; Finley, J.; Hanna, D.; Horan, D.; Kaaret, P.; Konopelko, A.; Krawczynski, H.; Krennrich, F.; Wagner, R.; Woods, M.; Vassiliev, V.

2008-04-01

The concept of a future ground-based gamma-ray observatory, AGIS, in the energy range 40 GeV-100 TeV is based on an array of sim 100 imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs). The anticipated improvements of AGIS sensitivity, angular resolution and reliability of operation impose demanding technological and cost requirements on the design of IACTs. The relatively inexpensive Davies-Cotton telescope design has been used in ground-based gamma-ray astronomy for almost fifty years and is an excellent option. We are also exploring alternative designs and in this submission we focus on the recent mechanical design of a two-mirror telescope with a Schwarzschild-Couder (SC) optical system. The mechanical structure provides support points for mirrors and camera. The design was driven by the requirement of minimizing the deflections of the mirror support structures. The structure is also designed to be able to slew in elevation and azimuth at 10 degrees/sec.

Twin robotic x-ray system for 2D radiographic and 3D cone-beam CT imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fieselmann, Andreas; Steinbrener, Jan; Jerebko, Anna K.; Voigt, Johannes M.; Scholz, Rosemarie; Ritschl, Ludwig; Mertelmeier, Thomas

2016-03-01

In this work, we provide an initial characterization of a novel twin robotic X-ray system. This system is equipped with two motor-driven telescopic arms carrying X-ray tube and flat-panel detector, respectively. 2D radiographs and fluoroscopic image sequences can be obtained from different viewing angles. Projection data for 3D cone-beam CT reconstruction can be acquired during simultaneous movement of the arms along dedicated scanning trajectories. We provide an initial evaluation of the 3D image quality based on phantom scans and clinical images. Furthermore, initial evaluation of patient dose is conducted. The results show that the system delivers high image quality for a range of medical applications. In particular, high spatial resolution enables adequate visualization of bone structures. This system allows 3D X-ray scanning of patients in standing and weight-bearing position. It could enable new 2D/3D imaging workflows in musculoskeletal imaging and improve diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders.

Imaging properties and its improvements of scanning/imaging x-ray microscope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takeuchi, Akihisa, E-mail: take@spring8.or.jp; Uesugi, Kentaro; Suzuki, Yoshio

A scanning / imaging X-ray microscope (SIXM) system has been developed at SPring-8. The SIXM consists of a scanning X-ray microscope with a one-dimensional (1D) X-ray focusing device and an imaging (full-field) X-ray microscope with a 1D X-ray objective. The motivation of the SIXM system is to realize a quantitative and highly-sensitive multimodal 3D X-ray tomography by taking advantages of both the scanning X-ray microscope using multi-pixel detector and the imaging X-ray microscope. Data acquisition process of a 2D image is completely different between in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction; a 1D signal is obtained with themore » linear-scanning while the other dimensional signal is obtained with the imaging optics. Such condition have caused a serious problem on the imaging properties that the imaging quality in the vertical direction has been much worse than that in the horizontal direction. In this paper, two approaches to solve this problem will be presented. One is introducing a Fourier transform method for phase retrieval from one phase derivative image, and the other to develop and employ a 1D diffuser to produce an asymmetrical coherent illumination.« less

X-ray detectors in medical imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spahn, Martin

2013-12-01

Healthcare systems are subject to continuous adaptation, following trends such as the change of demographic structures, the rise of life-style related and chronic diseases, and the need for efficient and outcome-oriented procedures. This also influences the design of new imaging systems as well as their components. The applications of X-ray imaging in the medical field are manifold and have led to dedicated modalities supporting specific imaging requirements, for example in computed tomography (CT), radiography, angiography, surgery or mammography, delivering projection or volumetric imaging data. Depending on the clinical needs, some X-ray systems enable diagnostic imaging while others support interventional procedures. X-ray detector design requirements for the different medical applications can vary strongly with respect to size and shape, spatial resolution, frame rates and X-ray flux, among others. Today, integrating X-ray detectors are in common use. They are predominantly based on scintillators (e.g. CsI or Gd2O2S) and arrays of photodiodes made from crystalline silicon (Si) or amorphous silicon (a-Si) or they employ semiconductors (e.g. Se) with active a-Si readout matrices. Ongoing and future developments of X-ray detectors will include optimization of current state-of-the-art integrating detectors in terms of performance and cost, will enable the usage of large size CMOS-based detectors, and may facilitate photon counting techniques with the potential to further enhance performance characteristics and foster the prospect of new clinical applications.

Wide-area phase-contrast X-ray imaging using large X-ray interferometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momose, Atsushi; Takeda, Tohoru; Yoneyama, Akio; Koyama, Ichiro; Itai, Yuji

2001-07-01

Large X-ray interferometers are developed for phase-contrast X-ray imaging aiming at medical applications. A monolithic X-ray interferometer and a separate one are studied, and currently a 25 mm×20 mm view area can be generated. This paper describes the strategy of our research program and some recent developments.

Design of an x-ray telescope optics for XEUS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graue, Roland; Kampf, Dirk; Wallace, Kotska; Lumb, David; Bavdaz, Marcos; Freyberg, Michael

2017-11-01

The X-ray telescope concept for XEUS is based on an innovative high performance and light weight Silicon Pore Optics technology. The XEUS telescope is segmented into 16 radial, thermostable petals providing the rigid optical bench structure of the stand alone XRay High Precision Tandem Optics. A fully representative Form Fit Function (FFF) Model of one petal is currently under development to demonstrate the outstanding lightweight telescope capabilities with high optically effective area. Starting from the envisaged system performance the related tolerance budgets were derived. These petals are made from ceramics, i.e. CeSiC. The structural and thermal performance of the petal shall be reported. The stepwise alignment and integration procedure on petal level shall be described. The functional performance and environmental test verification plan of the Form Fit Function Model and the test set ups are described in this paper. In parallel to the running development activities the programmatic and technical issues wrt. the FM telescope MAIT with currently 1488 Tandem Optics are under investigation. Remote controlled robot supported assembly, simultaneous active alignment and verification testing and decentralised time effective integration procedures shall be illustrated.

Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Risk Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, Cheryl; Deininger, William D.; Baggett, Randy; Primo, Attina; Bowen, Mike; Cowart, Chris; Del Monte, Ettore; Ingram, Lindsey; Kalinowski, William; Kelley, Anthony;

Anisotropic imaging performance in indirect x-ray imaging detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Badano, Aldo; Kyprianou, Iacovos S.; Sempau, Josep

We report on the variability in imaging system performance due to oblique x-ray incidence, and the associated transport of quanta (both x rays and optical photons) through the phosphor, in columnar indirect digital detectors. The analysis uses MANTIS, a combined x-ray, electron, and optical Monte Carlo transport code freely available. We describe the main features of the simulation method and provide some validation of the phosphor screen models considered in this work. We report x-ray and electron three-dimensional energy deposition distributions and point-response functions (PRFs), including optical spread in columnar phosphor screens of thickness 100 and 500 {mu}m, for 19,more » 39, 59, and 79 keV monoenergetic x-ray beams incident at 0 deg., 10 deg., and 15 deg. . In addition, we present pulse-height spectra for the same phosphor thickness, x-ray energies, and angles of incidence. Our results suggest that the PRF due to the phosphor blur is highly nonsymmetrical, and that the resolution properties of a columnar screen in a tomographic, or tomosynthetic imaging system varies significantly with the angle of x-ray incidence. Moreover, we find that the noise due to the variability in the number of light photons detected per primary x-ray interaction, summarized in the information or Swank factor, is somewhat independent of thickness and incidence angle of the x-ray beam. Our results also suggest that the anisotropy in the PRF is not less in screens with absorptive backings, while the noise introduced by variations in the gain and optical transport is larger. Predictions from MANTIS, after additional validation, can provide the needed understanding of the extent of such variations, and eventually, lead to the incorporation of the changes in imaging performance with incidence angle into the reconstruction algorithms for volumetric x-ray imaging systems.« less

Performance analysis of grazing incidence imaging systems. [X ray telescope aberrations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winkler, C. E.; Korsch, D.

1977-01-01

An exact expression relating the coordinates of a point on the incident ray, a point of reflection from an arbitrary surface, and a point on the reflected ray is derived. The exact relation is then specialized for the case of grazing incidence, and first order and third order systematic analyses are carried out for a single reflective surface and then for a combination of two surfaces. The third order treatment yields a complete set of primary aberrations for single element and two element systems. The importance of a judicious choice for a coordinate system in showing field curvature to clearly be the predominant aberration for a two element system is discussed. The validity of the theory is verified through comparisons with the exact ray trace results for the case of the telescope.

X-Ray Optics at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, Stephen L.; Atkins, Carolyn; Broadway, David M.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Gaskin, Jessica A.; Gubarev, Mikhail V.; Kilaru, Kiranmayee; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery J.; Ramsey, Brian D.; Roche, Jacqueline M.;

X-ray imaging physics for nuclear medicine technologists. Part 1: Basic principles of x-ray production.

PubMed

Seibert, J Anthony

2004-09-01

The purpose is to review in a 4-part series: (i) the basic principles of x-ray production, (ii) x-ray interactions and data capture/conversion, (iii) acquisition/creation of the CT image, and (iv) operational details of a modern multislice CT scanner integrated with a PET scanner. Advances in PET technology have lead to widespread applications in diagnostic imaging and oncologic staging of disease. Combined PET/CT scanners provide the high-resolution anatomic imaging capability of CT with the metabolic and physiologic information by PET, to offer a significant increase in information content useful for the diagnostician and radiation oncologist, neurosurgeon, or other physician needing both anatomic detail and knowledge of disease extent. Nuclear medicine technologists at the forefront of PET should therefore have a good understanding of x-ray imaging physics and basic CT scanner operation, as covered by this 4-part series. After reading the first article on x-ray production, the nuclear medicine technologist will be familiar with (a) the physical characteristics of x-rays relative to other electromagnetic radiations, including gamma-rays in terms of energy, wavelength, and frequency; (b) methods of x-ray production and the characteristics of the output x-ray spectrum; (c) components necessary to produce x-rays, including the x-ray tube/x-ray generator and the parameters that control x-ray quality (energy) and quantity; (d) x-ray production limitations caused by heating and the impact on image acquisition and clinical throughput; and (e) a glossary of terms to assist in the understanding of this information.

Healing X-ray scattering images

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Jiliang; Lhermitte, Julien; Tian, Ye

X-ray scattering images contain numerous gaps and defects arising from detector limitations and experimental configuration. Here, we present a method to heal X-ray scattering images, filling gaps in the data and removing defects in a physically meaningful manner. Unlike generic inpainting methods, this method is closely tuned to the expected structure of reciprocal-space data. In particular, we exploit statistical tests and symmetry analysis to identify the structure of an image; we then copy, average and interpolate measured data into gaps in a way that respects the identified structure and symmetry. Importantly, the underlying analysis methods provide useful characterization of structuresmore » present in the image, including the identification of diffuseversussharp features, anisotropy and symmetry. The presented method leverages known characteristics of reciprocal space, enabling physically reasonable reconstruction even with large image gaps. The method will correspondingly fail for images that violate these underlying assumptions. The method assumes point symmetry and is thus applicable to small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data, but only to a subset of wide-angle data. Our method succeeds in filling gaps and healing defects in experimental images, including extending data beyond the original detector borders.« less

Healing X-ray scattering images

DOE PAGES

Liu, Jiliang; Lhermitte, Julien; Tian, Ye; ...

2017-05-24

X-ray scattering images contain numerous gaps and defects arising from detector limitations and experimental configuration. Here, we present a method to heal X-ray scattering images, filling gaps in the data and removing defects in a physically meaningful manner. Unlike generic inpainting methods, this method is closely tuned to the expected structure of reciprocal-space data. In particular, we exploit statistical tests and symmetry analysis to identify the structure of an image; we then copy, average and interpolate measured data into gaps in a way that respects the identified structure and symmetry. Importantly, the underlying analysis methods provide useful characterization of structuresmore » present in the image, including the identification of diffuseversussharp features, anisotropy and symmetry. The presented method leverages known characteristics of reciprocal space, enabling physically reasonable reconstruction even with large image gaps. The method will correspondingly fail for images that violate these underlying assumptions. The method assumes point symmetry and is thus applicable to small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data, but only to a subset of wide-angle data. Our method succeeds in filling gaps and healing defects in experimental images, including extending data beyond the original detector borders.« less

Research study entitled advanced X-ray astrophysical observatory (AXAF). [system engineering for a total X-ray telescope assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rasche, R. W.

1979-01-01

General background and overview material are presented along with data from studies performed to determine the sensitivity, feasibility, and required performance of systems for a total X-ray telescope assembly. Topics covered include: optical design, mirror support concepts, mirror weight estimates, the effects of l g on mirror elements, mirror assembly resonant frequencies, optical bench considerations, temperature control of the mirror assembly, and the aspect determination system.

Phosphor Scanner For Imaging X-Ray Diffraction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carter, Daniel C.; Hecht, Diana L.; Witherow, William K.

1992-01-01

Improved optoelectronic scanning apparatus generates digitized image of x-ray image recorded in phosphor. Scanning fiber-optic probe supplies laser light stimulating luminescence in areas of phosphor exposed to x rays. Luminescence passes through probe and fiber to integrating sphere and photomultiplier. Sensitivity and resolution exceed previously available scanners. Intended for use in x-ray crystallography, medical radiography, and molecular biology.

Modeling the expected performance of the REgolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inamdar, Niraj K.; Binzel, Richard P.; Hong, Jae Sub; Allen, Branden; Grindlay, Jonathan; Masterson, Rebecca A.

2014-09-01

OSIRIS-REx is the third spacecraft in the NASA New Frontiers Program and is planned for launch in 2016. OSIRIS-REx will orbit the near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu, characterize it, and return a sample of the asteroid's regolith back to Earth. The Regolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) is an instrument on OSIRIS-REx designed and built by students at MIT and Harvard. The purpose of REXIS is to collect and image sun-induced fluorescent X-rays emitted by Bennu, thereby providing spectroscopic information related to the elemental makeup of the asteroid regolith and the distribution of features over its surface. Telescopic reflectance spectra suggest a CI or CM chondrite analog meteorite class for Bennu, where this primitive nature strongly motivates its study. A number of factors, however, will influence the generation, measurement, and interpretation of the X-ray spectra measured by REXIS. These include: the compositional nature and heterogeneity of Bennu, the time-variable solar state, X-ray detector characteristics, and geometric parameters for the observations. In this paper, we will explore how these variables influence the precision to which REXIS can measure Bennu's surface composition. By modeling the aforementioned factors, we place bounds on the expected performance of REXIS and its ability to ultimately place Bennu in an analog meteorite class.

Invited Review Article: The Chandra X-ray Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, Daniel A.

2014-06-01

The Chandra X-ray Observatory is an orbiting x-ray telescope facility. It is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's four "Great Observatories" that collectively have carried out astronomical observations covering the infrared through gamma-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Chandra is used by astronomers world-wide to acquire imaging and spectroscopic data over a nominal 0.1-10 keV (124-1.24 Å) range. We describe the three major parts of the observatory: the telescope, the spacecraft systems, and the science instruments. This article will emphasize features of the design and development driven by some of the experimental considerations unique to x-ray astronomy. We will update the on-orbit performance and present examples of the scientific highlights.

Invited review article: The Chandra X-ray Observatory.

PubMed

Schwartz, Daniel A

2014-06-01

The Chandra X-ray Observatory is an orbiting x-ray telescope facility. It is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's four "Great Observatories" that collectively have carried out astronomical observations covering the infrared through gamma-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Chandra is used by astronomers world-wide to acquire imaging and spectroscopic data over a nominal 0.1-10 keV (124-1.24 Å) range. We describe the three major parts of the observatory: the telescope, the spacecraft systems, and the science instruments. This article will emphasize features of the design and development driven by some of the experimental considerations unique to x-ray astronomy. We will update the on-orbit performance and present examples of the scientific highlights.

Management of optics. [for HEAO-2 X ray telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirchner, T. E.; Russell, M.

1981-01-01

American Science and Engineering, Inc., designed the large X-ray optic for the HEAO-2 X-ray Telescope. The key element in this project was the High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA), subcontracting the fabrication of the optical surfaces and their assembly and alignment. The roles and organization of the key participants in the creation of HRMA are defined, and the degree of interaction between the groups is described. Management of this effort was extremely complex because of the intricate weaving of responsibilities, and AS&E, as HEAO-2 Program managers, needed to be well versed in the scientific objectives, the technical requirements, the program requirements, and the subcontract management. Understanding these factors was essential for implementing both technical and management controls, such as schedule and budget constraints, in-process control, residence requirements, and scientist review and feedback. Despite unforeseen technical problems and interaction differences, the HEAO-2 was built on schedule and to specification.

Hard X-ray (greater than 10 keV) telescope for space astronomy from the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frontera, F.; de Chiara, P.; Pasqualini, G.

1994-06-01

The use of the Moon as site for deep observations of astrophysical sources in hard X-rays (greater than 10 keV) is very exciting, in spite of several technological problems to be solved. A strong limitation to the sensitivity of hard X-ray experiments is imposed by the use of direct-viewing (with or without masks) detectors. We propose a lunar hard X-ray observatory, (LHEXO), that makes use of a hard X-ray concentrator which is based on the use of confocal paraboloidal mirrors made of mosaic crystals of graphite (002). In this paper we describe telescope concept and its expected performances.

The Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array. II - Soft X-ray/EUV reflectivity of the multilayer mirrors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barbee, Troy W., Jr.; Weed, J. W.; Hoover, Richard B. C., Jr.; Allen, Max J.; Lindblom, Joakim F.; O'Neal, Ray H.; Kankelborg, Charles C.; Deforest, Craig E.; Paris, Elizabeth S.; Walker, Arthur B. C.

1992-01-01

We have developed seven compact soft X-ray/EUV (XUV) multilayer coated and two compact FUV interference film coated Cassegrain and Ritchey-Chretien telescopes for a rocket borne observatory, the Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array. We report here on extensive measurements of the efficiency and spectral bandpass of the XUV telescopes carried out at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory.

High Precision Grids for Neutron, Hard X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Imaging Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Jonathan W. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

Fourier telescopes permit observations over a very broad band of energy. They generally include synthetic spatial filtering structures, known as multilayer grids or grid pairs consisting of alternate layers of absorbing and transparent materials depending on whether neutrons or photons are being imaged. For hard x-rays and gamma rays high (absorbing) and low (transparent) atomic number elements, termed high-Z and low-Z materials may be used. Fabrication of these multilayer grid structures is not without its difficulties. Herein the alternate layers of the higher material and the lower material are inserted in a polyhedron, transparent to photons of interest, through an open face of the polyhedron. The inserted layers are then uniformly compressed to form a multilayer grid.

Image reconstruction of x-ray tomography by using image J platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zain, R. M.; Razali, A. M.; Salleh, K. A. M.; Yahya, R.

2017-01-01

A tomogram is a technical term for a CT image. It is also called a slice because it corresponds to what the object being scanned would look like if it were sliced open along a plane. A CT slice corresponds to a certain thickness of the object being scanned. So, while a typical digital image is composed of pixels, a CT slice image is composed of voxels (volume elements). In the case of x-ray tomography, similar to x-ray Radiography, the quantity being imaged is the distribution of the attenuation coefficient μ(x) within the object of interest. The different is only on the technique to produce the tomogram. The image of x-ray radiography can be produced straight foward after exposed to x-ray, while the image of tomography produces by combination of radiography images in every angle of projection. A number of image reconstruction methods by converting x-ray attenuation data into a tomography image have been produced by researchers. In this work, Ramp filter in "filtered back projection" has been applied. The linear data acquired at each angular orientation are convolved with a specially designed filter and then back projected across a pixel field at the same angle. This paper describe the step of using Image J software to produce image reconstruction of x-ray tomography.

Telescope Scientist on the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Carl M. (Technical Monitor); VanSpeybroeck, Leon; Tananbaum, Harvey D.

2004-01-01

In this period, the Chandra X-ray Observatory continued to perform exceptionally well, with many scientific observations and spectacular results. The HRMA performance continues to be essentially identical to that predicted from ground calibration data. The Telescope Scientist Team has improved the mirror model to provide a more accurate description to the Chandra observers, enabling them to reduce the systematic errors and uncertainties in their data reduction. There also has been good progress in the scientific program. Using the Telescope Scientist GTO time, we carried out an extensive Chandra program to observe distant clusters of galaxies. The goals of this program were to use clusters to derive cosmological constraints and to investigate the physics and evolution of clusters. A total of 71 clusters were observed with ACIS-I; the last observations were completed in December 2003.

Photon counting x-ray imaging with K-edge filtered x-rays: A simulation study.

PubMed

Atak, Haluk; Shikhaliev, Polad M

2016-03-01

In photon counting (PC) x-ray imaging and computed tomography (CT), the broad x-ray spectrum can be split into two parts using an x-ray filter with appropriate K-edge energy, which can improve material decomposition. Recent experimental study has demonstrated substantial improvement in material decomposition with PC CT when K-edge filtered x-rays were used. The purpose of the current work was to conduct further investigations of the K-edge filtration method using comprehensive simulation studies. The study was performed in the following aspects: (1) optimization of the K-edge filter for a particular imaging configuration, (2) effects of the K-edge filter parameters on material decomposition, (3) trade-off between the energy bin separation, tube load, and beam quality with K-edge filter, (4) image quality of general (unsubtracted) images when a K-edge filter is used to improve dual energy (DE) subtracted images, and (5) improvements with K-edge filtered x-rays when PC detector has limited energy resolution. The PC x-ray images of soft tissue phantoms with 15 and 30 cm thicknesses including iodine, CaCO3, and soft tissue contrast materials, were simulated. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the contrast elements was determined in general and material-decomposed images using K-edge filters with different atomic numbers and thicknesses. The effect of the filter atomic number and filter thickness on energy separation factor and SNR was determined. The boundary conditions for the tube load and halfvalue layer were determined when the K-edge filters are used. The material-decomposed images were also simulated using PC detector with limited energy resolution, and improvements with K-edge filtered x-rays were quantified. The K-edge filters with atomic numbers from 56 to 71 and K-edge energies 37.4-63.4 keV, respectively, can be used for tube voltages from 60 to 150 kVp, respectively. For a particular tube voltage of 120 kVp, the Gd and Ho were the optimal filter materials

Flight performance of an advanced CZT imaging detector in a balloon-borne wide-field hard X-ray telescope—ProtoEXIST1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, J.; Allen, B.; Grindlay, J.; Barthelemy, S.; Baker, R.; Garson, A.; Krawczynski, H.; Apple, J.; Cleveland, W. H.

2011-10-01

We successfully carried out the first high-altitude balloon flight of a wide-field hard X-ray coded-aperture telescope ProtoEXIST1, which was launched from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility at Ft. Sumner, New Mexico on October 9, 2009. ProtoEXIST1 is the first implementation of an advanced CdZnTe (CZT) imaging detector in our ongoing program to establish the technology required for next generation wide-field hard X-ray telescopes such as the High Energy Telescope (HET) in the Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST). The CZT detector plane in ProtoEXIST1 consists of an 8×8 array of closely tiled 2 cm×2 cm×0.5 cm thick pixellated CZT crystals, each with 8×8 pixels, mounted on a set of readout electronics boards and covering a 256 cm2 active area with 2.5 mm pixels. A tungsten mask, mounted at 90 cm above the detector provides shadowgrams of X-ray sources in the 30-600 keV band for imaging, allowing a fully coded field of view of 9°×9° (and 19°×19° for 50% coding fraction) with an angular resolution of 20‧. In order to reduce the background radiation, the detector is surrounded by semi-graded (Pb/Sn/Cu) passive shields on the four sides all the way to the mask. On the back side, a 26 cm×26 cm×2 cm CsI(Na) active shield provides signals to tag charged particle induced events as well as ≳100keV background photons from below. The flight duration was only about 7.5 h due to strong winds (60 knots) at float altitude (38-39 km). Throughout the flight, the CZT detector performed excellently. The telescope observed Cyg X-1, a bright black hole binary system, for ˜1h at the end of the flight. Despite a few problems with the pointing and aspect systems that caused the telescope to track about 6.4° off the target, the analysis of the Cyg X-1 data revealed an X-ray source at 7.2σ in the 30-100 keV energy band at the expected location from the optical images taken by the onboard daytime star camera. The success of this first flight is very

XIPE the X-Ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soffitta, Paolo; Barcons, Xavier; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Braga, Joao; Costa, Enrico; Fraser, George W.; Gburek, Szymon; Huovelin, Juhani; Matt, Giorgio; Pearce, Mark;

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-01-01

Left image: The x-ray data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO) has revealed a bright central star surrounded by a cloud of multimillion-degree gas in the planetary nebula known as the Cat's Eye. This CXO image, where the intensity of the x-ray emission is correlated to the brightness of the orange coloring, captures the expulsion of material from a star that is expected to collapse into a white dwarf in a few million years. The intensity of x-rays from the central star was unexpected, and it is the first time astronomers have seen such x-ray emission from the central star of a planetary nebula. Right image: An image of Cat's Eye taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). By comparing the CXO data with that from the HST, researchers are able to see where the hotter, x-ray emitting gas appears in relation to the cooler material seen in optical wavelengths by the HST. The CXO team found that the chemical abundance in the region of hot gas (its x-ray intensity is shown in purple) was not like those in the wind from the central star and different from the outer cooler material (the red and green structures.) Although still incredibly energetic and hot enough to radiate x-rays, CXO shows the hot gas to be somewhat cooler than scientists would have expected for such a system. CXO image credit: (NASA/UIUC/Y. Chu et al.) HST image credit: (NASA/HST)

The Animated Gamma-ray Sky Revealed by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

ScienceCinema

Isabelle Grenier

2018-04-17

The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has been observing the sky in gamma-rays since August 2008.  In addition to breakthrough capabilities in energy coverage (20 MeV-300 GeV) and angular resolution, the wide field of view of the Large Area Telescope enables observations of 20% of the sky at any instant, and of the whole sky every three hours. It has revealed a very animated sky with bright gamma-ray bursts flashing and vanishing in minutes, powerful active galactic nuclei flaring over hours and days, many pulsars twinkling in the Milky Way, and X-ray binaries shimmering along their orbit. Most of these variable sources had not been seen by the Fermi predecessor, EGRET, and the wealth of new data already brings important clues to the origin of the high-energy emission and particles powered by the compact objects. The telescope also brings crisp images of the bright gamma-ray emission produced by cosmic-ray interactions in the interstellar medium, thus allowing to measure the cosmic nuclei and electron spectra across the Galaxy, to weigh interstellar clouds, in particular in the dark-gas phase. The telescope sensitivity at high energy will soon provide useful constraints on dark-matter annihilations in a variety of environments. I will review the current results and future prospects of the Fermi mission.

Grazing Incidence Wavefront Sensing and Verification of X-Ray Optics Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saha, Timo T.; Rohrbach, Scott; Zhang, William W.

2011-01-01

Evaluation of interferometrically measured mirror metrology data and characterization of a telescope wavefront can be powerful tools in understanding of image characteristics of an x-ray optical system. In the development of soft x-ray telescope for the International X-Ray Observatory (IXO), we have developed new approaches to support the telescope development process. Interferometrically measuring the optical components over all relevant spatial frequencies can be used to evaluate and predict the performance of an x-ray telescope. Typically, the mirrors are measured using a mount that minimizes the mount and gravity induced errors. In the assembly and mounting process the shape of the mirror segments can dramatically change. We have developed wavefront sensing techniques suitable for the x-ray optical components to aid us in the characterization and evaluation of these changes. Hartmann sensing of a telescope and its components is a simple method that can be used to evaluate low order mirror surface errors and alignment errors. Phase retrieval techniques can also be used to assess and estimate the low order axial errors of the primary and secondary mirror segments. In this paper we describe the mathematical foundation of our Hartmann and phase retrieval sensing techniques. We show how these techniques can be used in the evaluation and performance prediction process of x-ray telescopes.

Chandra X-Ray and Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of Optically Selected Kiloparsec-scale Binary Active Galactic Nuclei. II. Host Galaxy Morphology and AGN Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shangguan, Jinyi; Liu, Xin; Ho, Luis C.; Shen, Yue; Peng, Chien Y.; Greene, Jenny E.; Strauss, Michael A.

2016-05-01

Binary active galactic nuclei (AGNs) provide clues to how gas-rich mergers trigger and fuel AGNs and how supermassive black hole (SMBH) pairs evolve in a gas-rich environment. While significant effort has been invested in their identification, the detailed properties of binary AGNs and their host galaxies are still poorly constrained. In a companion paper, we examined the nature of ionizing sources in the double nuclei of four kiloparsec-scale binary AGNs with redshifts between 0.1 and 0.2. Here, we present their host galaxy morphology based on F336W (U-band) and F105W (Y-band) images taken by the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. Our targets have double-peaked narrow emission lines and were confirmed to host binary AGNs with follow-up observations. We find that kiloparsec-scale binary AGNs occur in galaxy mergers with diverse morphological types. There are three major mergers with intermediate morphologies and a minor merger with a dominant disk component. We estimate the masses of the SMBHs from their host bulge stellar masses and obtain Eddington ratios for each AGN. Compared with a representative control sample drawn at the same redshift and stellar mass, the AGN luminosities and Eddington ratios of our binary AGNs are similar to those of single AGNs. The U - Y color maps indicate that clumpy star-forming regions could significantly affect the X-ray detection of binary AGNs, e.g., the hardness ratio. Considering the weak X-ray emission in AGNs triggered in merger systems, we suggest that samples of X-ray-selected AGNs may be biased against gas-rich mergers. Based, in part, on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program number GO 12363.

Digital imaging with solid state x-ray image intensifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damento, Michael A.; Radspinner, Rachel; Roehrig, Hans

1999-10-01

X-ray cameras in which a CCD is lens coupled to a large phosphor screen are known to suffer from a loss of x-ray signal due to poor light collection from conventional phosphors, making them unsuitable for most medical imaging applications. By replacing the standard phosphor with a solid-state image intensifier, it may be possible to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the images produced with these cameras. The solid-state x-ray image intensifier is a multi- layer device in which a photoconductor layer controls the light output from an electroluminescent phosphor layer. While prototype devices have been used for direct viewing and video imaging, they are only now being evaluated in a digital imaging system. In the present work, the preparation and evaluation of intensifiers with a 65 mm square format are described. The intensifiers are prepared by screen- printing or doctor blading the following layers onto an ITO coated glass substrate: ZnS phosphor, opaque layer, CdS photoconductor, and carbon conductor. The total thickness of the layers is approximately 350 micrometers , 350 VAC at 400 Hz is applied to the device for operation. For a given x-ray dose, the intensifiers produce up to three times the intensity (after background subtracting) of Lanex Fast Front screens. X-ray images produced with the present intensifiers are somewhat noisy and their resolution is about half that of Lanex screens. Modifications are suggested which could improve the resolution and noise of the intensifiers.

Use of graphite epoxy composites in the Solar-A Soft X-Ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jurcevich, B. K.; Bruner, M. E.

1990-01-01

This paper describes the use of composite materials in the Soft X-Ray Telescope (SXT). One of the primary structural members of the telescope is a graphite epoxy metering tube. The metering tube maintains the structural stability of the telescope during launch as well as the focal length through various environmental conditions. The graphite epoxy metering tube is designed to have a negative coefficient of thermal expansion to compensate for the positive expansion of titanium structural supports. The focus is maintained to + or - 0.001 inch by matching the CTE of the composite tube to the remaining structural elements.

Thin Shell, Segmented X-Ray Mirrors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petre, Robert

2010-01-01

Thin foil mirrors were introduced as a means of achieving high throughput in an X-ray astronomical imaging system in applications for which high angular resolution were not necessary. Since their introduction, their high filling factor, modest mass, relative ease of construction, and modest cost have led to their use in numerous X-ray observatories, including the Broad Band X-ray Telescope, ASCA, and Suzaku. The introduction of key innovations, including epoxy replicated surfaces, multilayer coatings, and glass mirror substrates, has led to performance improvements, and in their becoming widely used for X-ray astronomical imaging at energies above 10 keV. The use of glass substrates has also led to substantial improvement in angular resolution, and thus their incorporation into the NASA concept for the International X-ray Observatory with a planned 3 in diameter aperture. This paper traces the development of foil mirrors from their inception in the 1970's through their current and anticipated future applications.

Solar x ray astronomy rocket program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The dynamics were studied of the solar corona through the imaging of large scale coronal structures with AS&E High Resolution Soft X ray Imaging Solar Sounding Rocket Payload. The proposal for this program outlined a plan of research based on the construction of a high sensitivity X ray telescope from the optical and electronic components of the previous flight of this payload (36.038CS). Specifically, the X ray sensitive CCD camera was to be placed in the prime focus of the grazing incidence X ray mirror. The improved quantum efficiency of the CCD detector (over the film which had previously been used) allows quantitative measurements of temperature and emission measure in regions of low x ray emission such as helmet streamers beyond 1.2 solar radii or coronal holes. Furthermore, the improved sensitivity of the CCD allows short exposures of bright objects to study unexplored temporal regimes of active region loop evolution.

Imaging Cellular Architecture with X-rays

PubMed Central

Larabell, Carolyn A.; Nugent, Keith A.

2012-01-01

X-ray imaging of biological samples is progressing rapidly. In this paper we review the progress to date in high resolution imaging of cellular architecture. In particular we survey the progress in soft X-ray tomography and argue that the field is coming of age and that important biological insights are starting to emerge. We then review the new ideas based on coherent diffraction. These methods are at a much earlier stage of development but, as they eliminate the need for X-ray optics, have the capacity to provide substantially better spatial resolution than zone plate based methods. PMID:20869868

X-Ray Backscatter Imaging for Aerospace Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shedlock, Daniel; Edwards, Talion; Toh, Chin

2011-06-01

Scatter x-ray imaging (SXI) is a real time, digital, x-ray backscatter imaging technique that allows radiographs to be taken from one side of an object. This x-ray backscatter imaging technique offers many advantages over conventional transmission radiography that include single-sided access and extremely low radiation fields compared to conventional open source industrial radiography. Examples of some applications include the detection of corrosion, foreign object debris, water intrusion, cracking, impact damage and leak detection in a variety of material such as aluminum, composites, honeycomb structures, and titanium.

ART-XC: A Medium-energy X-ray Telescope System for the Spectrum-R-Gamma Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arefiev, V.; Pavlinsky, M.; Lapshov, I.; Thachenko, A.; Sazonov, S.; Revnivtsev, M.; Semena, N.; Buntov,M.; Vikhlinin, A.; Gubarev, M.;

Chandra X-ray Observatory - NASA's flagship X-ray telescope

Science.gov Websites

astronomy, taking its place in the fleet of "Great Observatories." Who we are NASA's Chandra X-ray astronomy, distances are measured in units of light years, where one light year is the distance that light gravity? The answer is still out there. By studying clusters of galaxies, X-ray astronomy is tackling this

The Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS): Telescope Optical System Designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vassiliev, Vladimir; Buckley, Jim; Falcone, Abe; Fegan, Steven; Finley, John; Gaurino, Victor; Hanna, David; Kaaret, Philip; Konopelko, Alex; Krawczynski, Henric; Romani, Roger; Weekes, Trevor

2008-04-01

AGIS is a conceptual design for a future ground-based gamma-ray observatory based on an array of ˜100 imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) with a sensitivity to gamma-rays in the energy range 40 GeV-100 TeV. The anticipated improvement of AGIS sensitivity, angular resolution, and reliability of operation imposes demanding technological and cost requirements on the design of the IACTs. In this submission we focus on the optical system (OS) of the AGIS telescopes and consider options which include traditional Davies-Cotton and the other prime- focus telescope designs, as well as a novel two-mirror aplanatic OS originally proposed by Schwarzschild. Emerging new mirror production technologies based on replication processes such as cold and hot glass slumping, cured CFRP, and electroforming provide new opportunities for cost effective solutions for the design of the OS. We evaluate the capabilities of these mirror fabrication methods for the AGIS project.

Tomographic image reconstruction using x-ray phase information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momose, Atsushi; Takeda, Tohoru; Itai, Yuji; Hirano, Keiichi

1996-04-01

We have been developing phase-contrast x-ray computed tomography (CT) to make possible the observation of biological soft tissues without contrast enhancement. Phase-contrast x-ray CT requires for its input data the x-ray phase-shift distributions or phase-mapping images caused by an object. These were measured with newly developed fringe-scanning x-ray interferometry. Phase-mapping images at different projection directions were obtained by rotating the object in an x-ray interferometer, and were processed with a standard CT algorithm. A phase-contrast x-ray CT image of a nonstained cancerous tissue was obtained using 17.7 keV synchrotron x rays with 12 micrometer voxel size, although the size of the observation area was at most 5 mm. The cancerous lesions were readily distinguishable from normal tissues. Moreover, fine structures corresponding to cancerous degeneration and fibrous tissues were clearly depicted. It is estimated that the present system is sensitive down to a density deviation of 4 mg/cm3.

X-ray optic developments at NASA's MSFC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atkins, C.; Ramsey, B.; Kilaru, K.; Gubarev, M.; O'Dell, S.; Elsner, R.; Swartz, D.; Gaskin, J.; Weisskopf, M.

2013-05-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has a successful history of fabricating optics for astronomical x-ray telescopes. In recent years optics have been created using electroforming replication for missions such as the balloon payload HERO (High energy replicated optics) and the rocket payload FOXSI (Focusing Optics x-ray Solar Imager). The same replication process is currently being used in the creation seven x-ray mirror modules (one module comprising of 28 nested shells) for the Russian ART-XC (Astronomical Rontgen Telescope) instrument aboard the Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma mission and for large-diameter mirror shells for the Micro-X rocket payload. In addition to MSFC's optics fabrication, there are also several areas of research and development to create the high resolution light weight optics which are required by future x-ray telescopes. Differential deposition is one technique which aims to improve the angular resolution of lightweight optics through depositing a filler material to smooth out fabrication imperfections. Following on from proof of concept studies, two new purpose built coating chambers are being assembled to apply this deposition technique to astronomical x-ray optics. Furthermore, MSFC aims to broaden its optics fabrication through the recent acquisition of a Zeeko IRP 600 robotic polishing machine. This paper will provide a summary of the current missions and research and development being undertaken at NASA's MSFC.

Can glenoid wear be accurately assessed using x-ray imaging? Evaluating agreement of x-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Walch classification.

PubMed

Kopka, Michaela; Fourman, Mitchell; Soni, Ashish; Cordle, Andrew C; Lin, Albert

2017-09-01

The Walch classification is the most recognized means of assessing glenoid wear in preoperative planning for shoulder arthroplasty. This classification relies on advanced imaging, which is more expensive and less practical than plain radiographs. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Walch classification could be accurately applied to x-ray images compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the gold standard. We hypothesized that x-ray images cannot adequately replace advanced imaging in the evaluation of glenoid wear. Preoperative axillary x-ray images and MRI scans of 50 patients assessed for shoulder arthroplasty were independently reviewed by 5 raters. Glenoid wear was individually classified according to the Walch classification using each imaging modality. The raters then collectively reviewed the MRI scans and assigned a consensus classification to serve as the gold standard. The κ coefficient was used to determine interobserver agreement for x-ray images and independent MRI reads, as well as the agreement between x-ray images and consensus MRI. The inter-rater agreement for x-ray images and MRIs was "moderate" (κ = 0.42 and κ = 0.47, respectively) for the 5-category Walch classification (A1, A2, B1, B2, C) and "moderate" (κ = 0.54 and κ = 0.59, respectively) for the 3-category Walch classification (A, B, C). The agreement between x-ray images and consensus MRI was much lower: "fair-to-moderate" (κ = 0.21-0.51) for the 5-category and "moderate" (κ = 0.36-0.60) for the 3-category Walch classification. The inter-rater agreement between x-ray images and consensus MRI is "fair-to-moderate." This is lower than the previously reported reliability of the Walch classification using computed tomography scans. Accordingly, x-ray images are inferior to advanced imaging when assessing glenoid wear. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

The unique observing capabilities of the Swift x-ray telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, J. E.; Angelini, L.; Morris, D. C.; Burrows, D. N.; Abbey, A. F.; Campana, S.; Capalbi, M.; Cusumano, G.; Kennea, J. A.; Klar, R.; Mangels, C.; Moretti, A.; Osborne, J. P.; Perri, M.; Racusin, J.; Tagliaferri, G.; Tamburelli, F.; Wood, P.; Nousek, J. A.; Wells, A.

2005-08-01

The XRT is a sensitive, autonomous X-ray imaging spectrometer onboard the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Observatory. The unique observing capabilities of the XRT allow it to autonomously refine the Swift BAT positions (~1-4' uncertainty) to better than 2.5 arcsec in XRT detector coordinates, within 5 seconds of target acquisition by the Swift Observatory for typical bursts, and to measure the flux, spectrum, and light curve of GRBs and afterglows over a wide dynamic range covering more than seven orders of magnitude in flux (62 Crab to < 1 mCrab). The results of the rapid positioning capability of the XRT are presented here for both known sources and newly discovered GRBs, demonstrating the ability to automatically utilise one of two integration times according to the burst brightness, and to correct the position for alignment offsets caused by the fast pointing performance and variable thermal environment of the satellite as measured by the Telescope Alignment Monitor. The onboard results are compared to the positions obtained by groundbased follow-up. After obtaining the position, the XRT switches between four CCD readout modes, automatically optimising the scientific return from the source depending on the flux of the GRB. Typical data products are presented here.

The unique observing capabilities of the Swift x-ray telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, J. E.; Angelini, L.; Morris, D. C.; Burrows, D. N.; Abbey, A. F.; Campana, S.; Cusumano, G.; Kennea, J. A.; Klar, R.; Mangels, C.; Moretti, A.; Perri, M.; Racusin, J.; Tagliaferri, G.; Tamburelli, F.; Wood, P.; Nousek, J. A.; Wells, A.

2005-01-01

The XRT is a sensitive, autonomous X-ray imaging spectrometer onboard the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Observatory. The unique observing capabilities of the XRT allow it to autonomously refine the Swift BAT positions (~1-4' uncertainty) to better than 2.5 arcsec in XRT detector coordinates, within 5 seconds of target acquisition by the Swift Observatory for typical bursts, and to measure the flux, spectrum, and light curve of GRBs and afterglows over a wide dynamic range covering more than seven orders of magnitude in flux (62 Crab to < 1 mCrab). The results of the rapid positioning capability of the XRT are presented here for both known sources and newly discovered GRBs, demonstrating the ability to automatically utilise one of two integration times according to the burst brightness, and to correct the position for alignment offsets caused by the fast pointing performance and variable thermal environment of the satellite as measured by the Telescope Alignment Monitor. The onboard results are compared to the positions obtained by groundbased follow-up. After obtaining the position, the XRT switches between four CCD readout modes, automatically optimising the scientific return from the source depending on the flux of the GRB. Typical data products are presented here.

Gold nanoparticle contrast agents in advanced X-ray imaging technologies.

PubMed

Ahn, Sungsook; Jung, Sung Yong; Lee, Sang Joon

2013-05-17

Recently, there has been significant progress in the field of soft- and hard-X-ray imaging for a wide range of applications, both technically and scientifically, via developments in sources, optics and imaging methodologies. While one community is pursuing extensive applications of available X-ray tools, others are investigating improvements in techniques, including new optics, higher spatial resolutions and brighter compact sources. For increased image quality and more exquisite investigation on characteristic biological phenomena, contrast agents have been employed extensively in imaging technologies. Heavy metal nanoparticles are excellent absorbers of X-rays and can offer excellent improvements in medical diagnosis and X-ray imaging. In this context, the role of gold (Au) is important for advanced X-ray imaging applications. Au has a long-history in a wide range of medical applications and exhibits characteristic interactions with X-rays. Therefore, Au can offer a particular advantage as a tracer and a contrast enhancer in X-ray imaging technologies by sensing the variation in X-ray attenuation in a given sample volume. This review summarizes basic understanding on X-ray imaging from device set-up to technologies. Then this review covers recent studies in the development of X-ray imaging techniques utilizing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and their relevant applications, including two- and three-dimensional biological imaging, dynamical processes in a living system, single cell-based imaging and quantitative analysis of circulatory systems and so on. In addition to conventional medical applications, various novel research areas have been developed and are expected to be further developed through AuNP-based X-ray imaging technologies.

Thermal Model Development for an X-Ray Mirror Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bonafede, Joseph A.

2015-01-01

Space-based x-ray optics require stringent thermal environmental control to achieve the desired image quality. Future x-ray telescopes will employ hundreds of nearly cylindrical, thin mirror shells to maximize effective area, with each shell built from small azimuthal segment pairs for manufacturability. Thermal issues with these thin optics are inevitable because the mirrors must have a near unobstructed view of space while maintaining near uniform 20 C temperature to avoid thermal deformations. NASA Goddard has been investigating the thermal characteristics of a future x-ray telescope with an image requirement of 5 arc-seconds and only 1 arc-second focusing error allocated for thermal distortion. The telescope employs 135 effective mirror shells formed from 7320 individual mirror segments mounted in three rings of 18, 30, and 36 modules each. Thermal requirements demand a complex thermal control system and detailed thermal modeling to verify performance. This presentation introduces innovative modeling efforts used for the conceptual design of the mirror assembly and presents results demonstrating potential feasibility of the thermal requirements.

The Milli-Arc-Second Structure Imager, MASSIM: A New Concept for a High Angular Resolution X-ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skinner, Gerry; Arzoumanian, Z.; Cash, W.; Gehrels, N.; Gendreau, K.; Gorenstein, P.; Krizmanic, J.; Leitner, J.; Miller, M.; Reasenberg, R.;

21 CFR 892.1630 - Electrostatic x-ray imaging system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Electrostatic x-ray imaging system. 892.1630... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES RADIOLOGY DEVICES Diagnostic Devices § 892.1630 Electrostatic x-ray imaging system. (a) Identification. An electrostatic x-ray imaging system is a device intended for medical...

21 CFR 892.1630 - Electrostatic x-ray imaging system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Electrostatic x-ray imaging system. 892.1630... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES RADIOLOGY DEVICES Diagnostic Devices § 892.1630 Electrostatic x-ray imaging system. (a) Identification. An electrostatic x-ray imaging system is a device intended for medical...

Phased Contrast X-Ray Imaging

ScienceCinema

Miller, Erin

2018-02-07

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is developing a range of technologies to broaden the field of explosives detection. Phased contrast X-ray imaging, which uses silicon gratings to detect distortions in the X-ray wave front, may be applicable to mail or luggage scanning for explosives; it can also be used in detecting other contraband, small-parts inspection, or materials characterization.

A real-time electronic imaging system for solar X-ray observations from sounding rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, J. M.; Ting, J. W.; Gerassimenko, M.

1979-01-01

A real-time imaging system for displaying the solar coronal soft X-ray emission, focussed by a grazing incidence telescope, is described. The design parameters of the system, which is to be used primarily as part of a real-time control system for a sounding rocket experiment, are identified. Their achievement with a system consisting of a microchannel plate, for the conversion of X-rays into visible light, and a slow-scan vidicon, for recording and transmission of the integrated images, is described in detail. The system has a quantum efficiency better than 8 deg above 8 A, a dynamic range of 1000 coupled with a sensitivity to single photoelectrons, and provides a spatial resolution of 15 arc seconds over a field of view of 40 x 40 square arc minutes. The incident radiation is filtered to eliminate wavelengths longer than 100 A. Each image contains 3.93 x 10 to the 5th bits of information and is transmitted to the ground where it is processed by a mini-computer and displayed in real-time on a standard TV monitor.

IXPE the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soffitta, Paolo

2017-08-01

IXPE, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, has been selected as a NASA SMEX mission to be flown in 2021. It will perform polarimetry resolved in energy, in time and in angle as a break-through in High Energy Astrophysics. IXPE promises to 're-open', after 40 years, a window in X-ray astronomy adding two more observables to the usual ones. It will directly measure the geometrical parameters of many different classes of sources eventually breaking possible degeneracies. The probed angular scales (30") are capable of producing the first X-ray polarization maps of extended objects with scientifically relevant sensitivity. This will permit mapping the magnetic fields in Pulsar Wind Nebulae and Super-Nova Remnants at the acceleration sites of 10-100 TeV electrons. Additionally, it will probe vacuum birefringence effects in systems with magnetic fields far larger than those reachable with experiments on Earth. The payload of IXPE consists of three identical telescopes with mirrors provided by MSFC/NASA. The focal plane is provided by ASI with IAPS/INAF responsible for the overall instrument that includes detector units that are provided by INFN. ASI also provides, in kind, the Malindi Ground Station. LASP is responsible for the Mission Operation Center while the Science Operation Center is at MSFC. The operations phase lasts at least two years. All the data including those related to polarization will be made available quickly to the general user. In this paper we present the mission, its payload and we discuss a few examples of astrophysical targets.

Soft X-ray study of solar wind charge exchange from the Earth's magnetosphere : Suzaku observations and a future X-ray imaging mission concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ezoe, Y.; Ishisaki, Y.; Ohashi, T.; Ishikawa, K.; Miyoshi, Y.; Fujimoto, R.; Terada, N.; Kasahara, S.; Fujimoto, M.; Mitsuda, K.; Nishijo, K.; Noda, A.

2013-12-01

, Ishikawa et al. have conducted the systematic search of the Suzaku's 6 years archival data for the SWCX events. From ~2000 data sets, ~40 showed correlations between the X-ray light curve and solar wind flux. The SWCX emissivity is calculated in each observation by normalizing the observed X-ray flux by the solar wind flux observed as ACE and WIND, and is discussed in the context of the exospheric neutral distribution and magnetospheric structure. These soft X-ray studies with Earth-orbiting satellites are now leading X-ray astronomers and space plasma physicists to propose an X-ray imaging mission of the Earth's magnetosphere. Soft X-ray imaging from high altitude (e.g., the Moon orbit) offers the capability of mapping plasma structures at <0.1 Re scale and time cadence at X-ray imaging spectrometer composed of ultra light-weight X-ray telescopes and active pixel sensors will be onboard. It is based on the instrument proposed for Japanese exploration to Jupiter (Ezoe et al. 2013).

Astro-1 Image Taken by Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

This image shows a part of the Cygnus loop supernova remnant, taken by the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) on the Astro Observatory during the Astro-1 mission (STS-35) on December 5, 1990. Pictured is a portion of the huge Cygnus loop, an array of interstellar gas clouds that have been blasted by a 900,000 mile per hour shock wave from a prehistoric stellar explosion, which occurred about 20,000 years ago, known as supernova. With ultraviolet and x-rays, astronomers can see emissions from extremely hot gases, intense magnetic fields, and other high-energy phenomena that more faintly appear in visible and infrared light or in radio waves that are crucial to deepening the understanding of the universe. The Astro Observatory was designed to explore the universe by observing and measuring the ultraviolet radiation from celestial objects. Three instruments make up the Astro Observatory: The Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT), the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT), and the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimetry Experiment (WUPPE). The Marshall Space Flight Center had managment responsibilities for the Astro-1 mission. The Astro-1 Observatory was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia (STS-35) on December 2, 1990.

Fabrication of absorption gratings with X-ray lithography for X-ray phase contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Bo; Wang, Yu-Ting; Yi, Fu-Ting; Zhang, Tian-Chong; Liu, Jing; Zhou, Yue

2018-05-01

Grating-based X-ray phase contrast imaging is promising especially in the medical area. Two or three gratings are involved in grating-based X-ray phase contrast imaging in which the absorption grating of high-aspect-ratio is the most important device and the fabrication process is a great challenge. The material with large atomic number Z is used to fabricate the absorption grating for excellent absorption of X-ray, and Au is usually used. The fabrication process, which involves X-ray lithography, development and gold electroplating, is described in this paper. The absorption gratings with 4 μm period and about 100 μm height are fabricated and the high-aspect-ratio is 50.

GREEN BANK TELESCOPE AND SWIFT X-RAY TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF THE GALACTIC CENTER RADIO MAGNETAR SGR J1745–2900

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lynch, Ryan S.; Archibald, Robert F.; Kaspi, Victoria M.

We present results from eight months of Green Bank Telescope 8.7 GHz observations and nearly 18 months of Swift X-ray telescope observations of the radio magnetar SGR J1745–2900. We tracked the radio and X-ray flux density, polarization properties, profile evolution, rotation, and single-pulse behavior. We identified two main periods of activity. The first is characterized by approximately 5.5 months of relatively stable evolution in radio flux density, rotation, and profile shape, while in the second these properties varied substantially. Specifically, a third profile component emerged and the radio flux also became more variable. The single pulse properties also changed, mostmore » notably with a larger fraction of pulses with pulse widths ∼5–20 ms in the erratic state. Bright single pulses are well described by a log-normal energy distribution at low energies, but with an excess at high energies. The 2–10 keV flux decayed steadily since the initial X-ray outburst, while the radio flux remained stable to within ∼20% during the stable state. A joint pulsar timing analysis of the radio and X-ray data shows a level of timing noise unprecedented in a radio magnetar, though during the time covered by the radio data alone the timing noise was at a level similar to that observed in other radio magnetars. While SGR J1745–2900 is similar to other radio magnetars in many regards, it differs by having experienced a period of relative stability in the radio that now appears to have ended, while the X-ray properties evolved independently.« less

Hard X-Ray and Wide Focusing Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorenstein, Paul

1998-01-01

Studies are being carried out to compare the performance of several different separation materials used in the replication process. This report presents the results obtained during the second year of a program which consists of replicating smooth, thin substrates, depositing multilayer coatings upon them, and evaluating their performance. Replication and multilayer coatings are both critically important to the development of focussing hard X-ray telescopes that function up to 100 keV. The activities of the current year include extending the comparison between sputtered amorphous carbon and evaporated gold to include sputtered as well as evaporated gold. The figure of merit being the smoothness of the replica which has a direct effect on the specular reflectivity. These results were obtained with epoxy replication, but they should be applicable to electroformed nickel, the process we expect to use for the ultimate replicated optics.

The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Tadayuki; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Kelley, Richard; Aarts, Henri; Aharonian, Felix; Akamatsu, Hiroki; Akimoto, Fumie; Allen, Steve; Anabuki, Naohisa; Angelini, Lorella; Arnaud, Keith; Asai, Makoto; Audard, Marc; Awaki, Hisamitsu; Azzarello, Philipp; Baluta, Chris; Bamba, Aya; Bando, Nobutaka; Bautz, Mark; Blandford, Roger; Boyce, Kevin; Brown, Greg; Cackett, Ed; Chernyakova, Mara; Coppi, Paolo; Costantini, Elisa; de Plaa, Jelle; den Herder, Jan-Willem; DiPirro, Michael; Done, Chris; Dotani, Tadayasu; Doty, John; Ebisawa, Ken; Eckart, Megan; Enoto, Teruaki; Ezoe, Yuichiro; Fabian, Andrew; Ferrigno, Carlo; Foster, Adam; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Funk, Stefan; Furuzawa, Akihiro; Galeazzi, Massimiliano; Gallo, Luigi; Gandhi, Poshak; Gendreau, Keith; Gilmore, Kirk; Haas, Daniel; Haba, Yoshito; Hamaguchi, Kenji; Hatsukade, Isamu; Hayashi, Takayuki; Hayashida, Kiyoshi; Hiraga, Junko; Hirose, Kazuyuki; Hornschemeier, Ann; Hoshino, Akio; Hughes, John; Hwang, Una; Iizuka, Ryo; Inoue, Yoshiyuki; Ishibashi, Kazunori; Ishida, Manabu; Ishimura, Kosei; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Ito, Masayuki; Iwata, Naoko; Iyomoto, Naoko; Kaastra, Jelle; Kallman, Timothy; Kamae, Tuneyoshi; Kataoka, Jun; Katsuda, Satoru; Kawahara, Hajime; Kawaharada, Madoka; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Kawasaki, Shigeo; Khangaluyan, Dmitry; Kilbourne, Caroline; Kimura, Masashi; Kinugasa, Kenzo; Kitamoto, Shunji; Kitayama, Tetsu; Kohmura, Takayoshi; Kokubun, Motohide; Kosaka, Tatsuro; Koujelev, Alex; Koyama, Katsuji; Krimm, Hans; Kubota, Aya; Kunieda, Hideyo; LaMassa, Stephanie; Laurent, Philippe; Lebrun, Francois; Leutenegger, Maurice; Limousin, Olivier; Loewenstein, Michael; Long, Knox; Lumb, David; Madejski, Grzegorz; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Makishima, Kazuo; Marchand, Genevieve; Markevitch, Maxim; Matsumoto, Hironori; Matsushita, Kyoko; McCammon, Dan; McNamara, Brian; Miller, Jon; Miller, Eric; Mineshige, Shin; Minesugi, Kenji; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Miyazawa, Takuya; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Mori, Hideyuki; Mori, Koji; Mukai, Koji; Murakami, Toshio; Murakami, Hiroshi; Mushotzky, Richard; Nagano, Hosei; Nagino, Ryo; Nakagawa, Takao; Nakajima, Hiroshi; Nakamori, Takeshi; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Namba, Yoshiharu; Natsukari, Chikara; Nishioka, Yusuke; Nobukawa, Masayoshi; Nomachi, Masaharu; O'Dell, Steve; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ogawa, Hiroyuki; Ogawa, Mina; Ogi, Keiji; Ohashi, Takaya; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Okajima, Takashi; Okamoto, Atsushi; Okazaki, Tsuyoshi; Ota, Naomi; Ozaki, Masanobu; Paerels, Fritzs; Paltani, Stéphane; Parmar, Arvind; Petre, Robert; Pohl, Martin; Porter, F. Scott; Ramsey, Brian; Reis, Rubens; Reynolds, Christopher; Russell, Helen; Safi-Harb, Samar; Sakai, Shin-ichiro; Sameshima, Hiroaki; Sanders, Jeremy; Sato, Goro; Sato, Rie; Sato, Yohichi; Sato, Kosuke; Sawada, Makoto; Serlemitsos, Peter; Seta, Hiromi; Shibano, Yasuko; Shida, Maki; Shimada, Takanobu; Shinozaki, Keisuke; Shirron, Peter; Simionescu, Aurora; Simmons, Cynthia; Smith, Randall; Sneiderman, Gary; Soong, Yang; Stawarz, Lukasz; Sugawara, Yasuharu; Sugita, Hiroyuki; Sugita, Satoshi; Szymkowiak, Andrew; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takeda, Shin-ichiro; Takei, Yoh; Tamagawa, Toru; Tamura, Takayuki; Tamura, Keisuke; Tanaka, Takaaki; Tanaka, Yasuo; Tashiro, Makoto; Tawara, Yuzuru; Terada, Yukikatsu; Terashima, Yuichi; Tombesi, Francesco; Tomida, Hiroshi; Tsuboi, Yohko; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Tsuru, Takeshi; Uchida, Hiroyuki; Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Uchiyama, Hideki; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Ueno, Shiro; Uno, Shinichiro; Urry, Meg; Ursino, Eugenio; de Vries, Cor; Wada, Atsushi; Watanabe, Shin; Werner, Norbert; White, Nicholas; Yamada, Takahiro; Yamada, Shinya; Yamaguchi, Hiroya; Yamasaki, Noriko; Yamauchi, Shigeo; Yamauchi, Makoto; Yatsu, Yoichi; Yonetoku, Daisuke; Yoshida, Atsumasa; Yuasa, Takayuki

2012-09-01

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the highenergy universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range, from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution, high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-12 keV with high spectral resolution of ΔE ≦ 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12 keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the 40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science themes.

Research of advanced techniques for X-ray detectors and telescopes with applications to rockets and the LAMAR facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorenstein, P.

1985-01-01

A program for the development of high throughput instrumentation for X-ray astronomy based upon focusing optics is being carried out by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The instrumentation is applicable to investigations requiring large area focusing optics for direct imaging or dispersive spectroscopy. The long range goals of this program are the development of telescopes and gratings for future major X-ray astronomy facilities, including additions to the LAMAR OSS-2/SHEAL experiment after the initial flights. Tests of the devices and their more immediate utilization in scientific investigations can be carried out with SPARTAN payloads deployed and retrieved by the Space Shuttle. However, the present backlog of approved SPARTAN missions is longer than the three-year duration of the program described in this program. Laboratory studies and breadboarding of instrumentation are discussed.

X-ray pore optic developments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, Kotska; Bavdaz, Marcos; Collon, Maximilien; Beijersbergen, Marco; Kraft, Stefan; Fairbend, Ray; Séguy, Julien; Blanquer, Pascal; Graue, Roland; Kampf, Dirk

2017-11-01

In support of future x-ray telescopes ESA is developing new optics for the x-ray regime. To date, mass and volume have made x-ray imaging technology prohibitive to planetary remote sensing imaging missions. And although highly successful, the mirror technology used on ESA's XMM-Newton is not sufficient for future, large, x-ray observatories, since physical limits on the mirror packing density mean that aperture size becomes prohibitive. To reduce telescope mass and volume the packing density of mirror shells must be reduced, whilst maintaining alignment and rigidity. Structures can also benefit from a modular optic arrangement. Pore optics are shown to meet these requirements. This paper will discuss two pore optic technologies under development, with examples of results from measurement campaigns on samples. One activity has centred on the use of coated, silicon wafers, patterned with ribs, that are integrated onto a mandrel whose form has been polished to the required shape. The wafers follow the shape precisely, forming pore sizes in the sub-mm region. Individual stacks of mirrors can be manufactured without risk to, or dependency on, each other and aligned in a structure from which they can also be removed without hazard. A breadboard is currently being built to demonstrate this technology. A second activity centres on glass pore optics. However an adaptation of micro channel plate technology to form square pores has resulted in a monolithic material that can be slumped into an optic form. Alignment and coating of two such plates produces an x-ray focusing optic. A breadboard 20cm aperture optic is currently being built.

BEaTriX, expanded x-ray beam facility for testing modular elements of telescope optics: an update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelliciari, C.; Spiga, D.; Bonnini, E.; Buffagni, E.; Ferrari, C.; Pareschi, G.; Tagliaferri, G.

2015-09-01

We present in this paper an update on the design of BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility), an X-ray apparatus to be realized at INAF/OAB and that will generate an expanded, uniform and parallel beam of soft X-rays. BEaTriX will be used to perform the functional tests of X-ray focusing modules of large X-ray optics such as those for the ATHENA X-ray observatory, using the Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) as a baseline technology, and Slumped Glass Optics (SGO) as a possible alternative. Performing the tests in X-rays provides the advantage of an in-situ, at-wavelength quality control of the optical modules produced in series by the industry, performing a selection of the modules with the best angular resolution, and, in the case of SPOs, there is also the interesting possibility to align the parabolic and the hyperbolic stacks directly under X-rays, to minimize the aberrations. However, a parallel beam with divergence below 2 arcsec is necessary in order to measure mirror elements that are expected to reach an angular resolution of about 4 arcsec, since the ATHENA requirement for the entire telescope is 5 arcsec. Such a low divergence over the typical aperture of modular optics would require an X-ray source to be located in a several kilometers long vacuum tube. In contrast, BEaTriX will be compact enough (5 m x 14 m) to be housed in a small laboratory, will produce an expanded X-ray beam 60 mm x 200 mm broad, characterized by a very low divergence (1.5 arcsec HEW), strong polarization, high uniformity, and X-ray energy selectable between 1.5 keV and 4.5 keV. In this work we describe the BEaTriX layout and show a performance simulation for the X-ray energy of 4.5 keV.

The gamma-ray Cherenkov telescope for the Cherenkov telescope array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tibaldo, L.; Abchiche, A.; Allan, D.; Amans, J.-P.; Armstrong, T. P.; Balzer, A.; Berge, D.; Boisson, C.; Bousquet, J.-J.; Brown, A. M.; Bryan, M.; Buchholtz, G.; Chadwick, P. M.; Costantini, H.; Cotter, G.; Daniel, M. K.; De Franco, A.; De Frondat, F.; Dournaux, J.-L.; Dumas, D.; Ernenwein, J.-P.; Fasola, G.; Funk, S.; Gironnet, J.; Graham, J. A.; Greenshaw, T.; Hervet, O.; Hidaka, N.; Hinton, J. A.; Huet, J.-M.; Jankowsky, D.; Jegouzo, I.; Jogler, T.; Kraus, M.; Lapington, J. S.; Laporte, P.; Lefaucheur, J.; Markoff, S.; Melse, T.; Mohrmann, L.; Molyneux, P.; Nolan, S. J.; Okumura, A.; Osborne, J. P.; Parsons, R. D.; Rosen, S.; Ross, D.; Rowell, G.; Rulten, C. B.; Sato, Y.; Sayède, F.; Schmoll, J.; Schoorlemmer, H.; Servillat, M.; Sol, H.; Stamatescu, V.; Stephan, M.; Stuik, R.; Sykes, J.; Tajima, H.; Thornhill, J.; Trichard, C.; Vink, J.; Watson, J. J.; White, R.; Yamane, N.; Zech, A.; Zink, A.; Zorn, J.; CTA Consortium

2017-01-01

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a forthcoming ground-based observatory for very-high-energy gamma rays. CTA will consist of two arrays of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and will combine telescopes of different types to achieve unprecedented performance and energy coverage. The Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope (GCT) is one of the small-sized telescopes proposed for CTA to explore the energy range from a few TeV to hundreds of TeV with a field of view ≳ 8° and angular resolution of a few arcminutes. The GCT design features dual-mirror Schwarzschild-Couder optics and a compact camera based on densely-pixelated photodetectors as well as custom electronics. In this contribution we provide an overview of the GCT project with focus on prototype development and testing that is currently ongoing. We present results obtained during the first on-telescope campaign in late 2015 at the Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, during which we recorded the first Cherenkov images from atmospheric showers with the GCT multi-anode photomultiplier camera prototype. We also discuss the development of a second GCT camera prototype with silicon photomultipliers as photosensors, and plans toward a contribution to the realisation of CTA.

Energy weighted x-ray dark-field imaging.

PubMed

Pelzer, Georg; Zang, Andrea; Anton, Gisela; Bayer, Florian; Horn, Florian; Kraus, Manuel; Rieger, Jens; Ritter, Andre; Wandner, Johannes; Weber, Thomas; Fauler, Alex; Fiederle, Michael; Wong, Winnie S; Campbell, Michael; Meiser, Jan; Meyer, Pascal; Mohr, Jürgen; Michel, Thilo

2014-10-06

The dark-field image obtained in grating-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging can provide information about the objects' microstructures on a scale smaller than the pixel size even with low geometric magnification. In this publication we demonstrate that the dark-field image quality can be enhanced with an energy-resolving pixel detector. Energy-resolved x-ray dark-field images were acquired with a 16-energy-channel photon-counting pixel detector with a 1 mm thick CdTe sensor in a Talbot-Lau x-ray interferometer. A method for contrast-noise-ratio (CNR) enhancement is proposed and validated experimentally. In measurements, a CNR improvement by a factor of 1.14 was obtained. This is equivalent to a possible radiation dose reduction of 23%.

Elemental abundances via X-ray observations of galaxy clusters and the InFOCmuS hard X-ray telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgartner, Wayne H.

2004-08-01

The first part of this dissertation deals with the oxygen abundance of the Milky Way interstellar medium. Previous measurements had shown that oxygen in the ISM was depleted compared to its abundance in the sun. This dissertation presents new measurements of the ISM oxygen abundance taken in the X-ray band by observing the oxygen 0.6 keV photoionization K-edge in absorption towards 10 galaxy clusters. These measurements show that the ISM oxygen abundance is 0.9 solar, much greater than earlier depleted values. The oxygen abundance is found to be uniform across our 10 lines of sight, showing that it is not dependent on the depth of the hydrogen column. This implies that the galactic oxygen abundance does not depend on density, and that it is the same in dense clouds and in the more diffuse ISM. The next part of the dissertation measures elemental abundances in the galaxy clusters themselves. The abundances of the elements iron, silicon, sulfur, calcium, argon, and nickel are measured using the strong resonance K-shell emission lines in the X-ray band. Over 300 clusters from the ASCA archives are analyzed with a joint fitting procedure to improve the S/N ratio and provide the first average abundance results for clusters as a function of mass. The α elements silicon, sulfur, argon and calcium are not found to have similar abundances as expected from their supposed common origin. Also, no combination of SN Ia and SN II yields can account for the cluster abundance ratios, perhaps necessitating a contribution from a cosmologically early generation of massive population III stars. The last part of this dissertation details the development of the Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors on the InFOCμS hard X-ray telescope. InFOCμS is a balloon-borne imaging spectrometer that incorporates multi-layer coated grazing-incidence optics and CZT detectors. These detectors are well suited for hard X-ray astronomy because their large bandgap and high atomic number allow for

Solar X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Imaging Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dennis, B. R.; Christe, S. D.; Shih, A. Y.; Holman, G. D.; Emslie, A. G.; Caspi, A.

2018-02-01

X-ray and gamma-ray Sun observations from a lunar-based observatory would provide unique information on solar atmosphere thermal and nonthermal processes. EUV and energetic neutral atom imaging spectroscopy would augment the scientific value.

Flexible digital x-ray technology for far-forward remote diagnostic and conformal x-ray imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Joseph; Marrs, Michael; Strnad, Mark; Apte, Raj B.; Bert, Julie; Allee, David; Colaneri, Nicholas; Forsythe, Eric; Morton, David

2013-05-01

Today's flat panel digital x-ray image sensors, which have been in production since the mid-1990s, are produced exclusively on glass substrates. While acceptable for use in a hospital or doctor's office, conventional glass substrate digital x-ray sensors are too fragile for use outside these controlled environments without extensive reinforcement. Reinforcement, however, significantly increases weight, bulk, and cost, making them impractical for far-forward remote diagnostic applications, which demand rugged and lightweight x-ray detectors. Additionally, glass substrate x-ray detectors are inherently rigid. This limits their use in curved or bendable, conformal x-ray imaging applications such as the non-destructive testing (NDT) of oil pipelines. However, by extending low-temperature thin-film transistor (TFT) technology previously demonstrated on plastic substrate- based electrophoretic and organic light emitting diode (OLED) flexible displays, it is now possible to manufacture durable, lightweight, as well as flexible digital x-ray detectors. In this paper, we discuss the principal technical approaches used to apply flexible display technology to two new large-area flexible digital x-ray sensors for defense, security, and industrial applications and demonstrate their imaging capabilities. Our results include a 4.8″ diagonal, 353 x 463 resolution, flexible digital x-ray detector, fabricated on a 6″ polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) plastic substrate; and a larger, 7.9″ diagonal, 720 x 640 resolution, flexible digital x-ray detector also fabricated on PEN and manufactured on a gen 2 (370 x 470 mm) substrate.

Simultaneous Chandra X ray, Hubble Space Telescope Ultraviolet, and Ulysses Radio Observations of Jupiter's Aurora

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, R. F.; Lugaz, N.; Waite, J. H., Jr.; Cravens, T. E.; Gladstone, G. R.; Ford, P.; Grodent, D.; Bhardwaj. A.; MacDowall, R. J.; Desch, M. D. 8;

Chemical imaging analysis of the brain with X-ray methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collingwood, Joanna F.; Adams, Freddy

2017-04-01

Cells employ various metal and metalloid ions to augment the structure and the function of proteins and to assist with vital biological processes. In the brain they mediate biochemical processes, and disrupted metabolism of metals may be a contributing factor in neurodegenerative disorders. In this tutorial review we will discuss the particular role of X-ray methods for elemental imaging analysis of accumulated metal species and metal-containing compounds in biological materials, in the context of post-mortem brain tissue. X-rays have the advantage that they have a short wavelength and can penetrate through a thick biological sample. Many of the X-ray microscopy techniques that provide the greatest sensitivity and specificity for trace metal concentrations in biological materials are emerging at synchrotron X-ray facilities. Here, the extremely high flux available across a wide range of soft and hard X-rays, combined with state-of-the-art focusing techniques and ultra-sensitive detectors, makes it viable to undertake direct imaging of a number of elements in brain tissue. The different methods for synchrotron imaging of metals in brain tissues at regional, cellular, and sub-cellular spatial resolution are discussed. Methods covered include X-ray fluorescence for elemental imaging, X-ray absorption spectrometry for speciation imaging, X-ray diffraction for structural imaging, phase contrast for enhanced contrast imaging and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy for spectromicroscopy. Two- and three-dimensional (confocal and tomographic) imaging methods are considered as well as the correlation of X-ray microscopy with other imaging tools.

A CATALOG OF SOLAR X-RAY PLASMA EJECTIONS OBSERVED BY THE SOFT X-RAY TELESCOPE ON BOARD YOHKOH

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tomczak, M.; Chmielewska, E., E-mail: tomczak@astro.uni.wroc.pl, E-mail: chmielewska@astro.uni.wroc.pl

2012-03-01

A catalog of X-ray plasma ejections (XPEs) observed by the Soft X-ray Telescope on board the Yohkoh satellite has been recently developed in the Astronomical Institute of University of Wroclaw. The catalog contains records of 368 events observed in years 1991-2001 including movies and cross-references to associated events like flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). One hundred sixty-three XPEs out of 368 in the catalog were not reported until now. A new classification scheme of XPEs is proposed in which morphology, kinematics, and recurrence are considered. The relation between individual subclasses of XPEs and the associated events was investigated. Themore » results confirm that XPEs are strongly inhomogeneous, responding to different processes that occur in the solar corona. A subclass of erupting loop-like XPEs is a promising candidate to be a high-temperature precursor of CMEs.« less

A study of the sensitivity of an imaging telescope (GRITS) for high energy gamma-ray astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yearian, Mason R.

1990-01-01

When a gamma-ray telescope is placed in Earth orbit, it is bombarded by a flux of cosmic protons much greater than the flux of interesting gammas. These protons can interact in the telescope's thermal shielding to produce detectable gamma rays, most of which are vetoed. Since the proton flux is so high, the unvetoed gamma rays constitute a significant background relative to some weak sources. This background increases the observing time required to pinpoint some sources and entirely obscures other sources. Although recent telescopes have been designed to minimize this background, its strength and spectral characteristics were not previously calculated in detail. Monte Carlo calculations are presented which characterize the strength, spectrum and other features of the cosmic proton background using FLUKA, a hadronic cascade program. Several gamma-ray telescopes, including SAS-2, EGRET and the Gamma Ray Imaging Telescope System (GRITS), are analyzed, and their proton-induced backgrounds are characterized. In all cases, the backgrounds are either shown to be low relative to interesting signals or suggestions are made which would reduce the background sufficiently to leave the telescope unimpaired. In addition, several limiting cases are examined for comparison to previous estimates and calibration measurements.

Monte Carlo simulations in X-ray imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giersch, Jürgen; Durst, Jürgen

2008-06-01

Monte Carlo simulations have become crucial tools in many fields of X-ray imaging. They help to understand the influence of physical effects such as absorption, scattering and fluorescence of photons in different detector materials on image quality parameters. They allow studying new imaging concepts like photon counting, energy weighting or material reconstruction. Additionally, they can be applied to the fields of nuclear medicine to define virtual setups studying new geometries or image reconstruction algorithms. Furthermore, an implementation of the propagation physics of electrons and photons allows studying the behavior of (novel) X-ray generation concepts. This versatility of Monte Carlo simulations is illustrated with some examples done by the Monte Carlo simulation ROSI. An overview of the structure of ROSI is given as an example of a modern, well-proven, object-oriented, parallel computing Monte Carlo simulation for X-ray imaging.

Design of the STAR-X Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saha, Timo T.; Zhang, William W.; McClelland, Ryan S.

2017-01-01

Top-level science goals of the Survey and Time-domain Astrophysical Research eXplorer (STAR-X) include: investigations of most violent explosions in the universe, study of growth of black holes across cosmic time and mass scale, and measure how structure formation heats majority of baryons in the universe. To meet these goals, the field-of-view of the telescope should be about 1 square-degree, the angular resolution should be 5 arc-seconds or below across large part of the field-of-view. The on-axis effective area at 1 KeV should be about 2,000 sq cm. Payload cost and launch considerations limit the outer diameter, focal length, and mass to 1.3 meters, 5 meters, and 250 kilograms, respectively. Telescope design is based on a segmented meta-shell approach we have developed at Goddard Space Flight Center for the STAR-X telescope. The telescope shells are divided into 30-degree segments. Individual telescopes and meta-shells are nested inside each other to meet the effective area requirements in 0.5 - 6.0 KeV range. We consider Wolter-Schwarzschild, and Modified-Wolter-Schwarzschild telescope designs as basic building blocks of the nested STAR-X telescope. These designs offer an excellent resolution over a large field of views. Nested telescopes are vulnerable to stray light problems. We have designed a multi-component baffle system to eliminate direct and single-reflection light paths inside the telescopes. Large number of internal and external baffle vane structures are required to prevent stray rays from reaching the focal plane. We have developed a simple ray-trace based tool to determine the dimensions and locations of the baffles. In this paper, we present the results of our trade studies, baffle design studies, and optical performance analyses of the STAR-X telescope.

The possibilities of Cherenkov telescopes to perform cosmic-ray muon imaging of volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carbone, Daniele; Catalano, Osvaldo; Cusumano, Giancarlo; Del Santo, Melania; Maccarone, Maria Concetta; Mineo, Teresa; Pareschi, Giovanni; Vercellone, Stefano; Zuccarello, Luciano

2016-04-01

Volcanic activity is regulated by the interaction of gas-liquid flow with conduit geometry. Hence, the quantitative understanding of the inner shallow structure of a volcano is mandatory to forecast the occurrence of dangerous stages of activity and mitigate volcanic hazards. Among the techniques used to investigate the underground structure of a volcano, muon imaging offers some advantages, as it provides a fine spatial resolution, and does not require neither spatially dense measurements in active zones, nor the implementation of cost demanding energizing systems, as when electric or active seismic sources are utilized. The principle of muon radiography is essentially the same as X-ray radiography: muons are more attenuated by higher density parts inside the target and thus information about its inner structure are obtained from the differential muon absorption. Up-to-date, muon imaging of volcanic structures has been mainly accomplished with detectors that employ planes of scintillator strips. These telescopes are exposed to different types of background noise (accidental coincidence of vertical shower particles, horizontal high-energy electrons, flux of upward going particles), whose amplitude is high relative to the tiny flux of interest. An alternative technique is based on the detection of the Cherenkov light produced by muons. The latter can be imaged as an annular pattern that contains the information needed to reconstruct both direction and energy of the particle. Cherenkov telescopes have never been utilized to perform muon imaging of volcanoes. Nonetheless, thanks to intrinsic features, they offer the possibility to detect the through-target muon flux with negligible levels of background noise. Under some circumstances, they would also provide a better spatial resolution and acceptance than scintillator-based telescopes. Furthermore, contrarily to the latter systems, Cherenkov detectors allow in-situ measurements of the open-sky energy spectrum of

GRB 050117: Simultaneous Gamma-ray and X-ray Observations with the Swift Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, J. E.; Morris, D. C.; Sakamoto, T.; Sato, G.; Burrows, D. N.; Angelini, L.; Pagani, C.; Moretti, A.; Abbey, A. F.; Barthelmy, S.

2005-01-01

The Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer performed its first autonomous, X-ray follow-up to a newly detected GRB on 2005 January 17, within 193 seconds of the burst trigger by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. While the burst was still in progress, the X-ray Telescope obtained a position and an image for an un-catalogued X-ray source; simultaneous with the gamma-ray observation. The XRT observed flux during the prompt emission was 1.1 x 10(exp -8) ergs/sq cm/s in the 0.5-10 keV energy band. The emission in the X-ray band decreased by three orders of magnitude within 700 seconds, following the prompt emission. This is found to be consistent with the gamma-ray decay when extrapolated into the XRT energy band. During the following 6.3 hours, the XRT observed the afterglow in an automated sequence for an additional 947 seconds, until the burst became fully obscured by the Earth limb. A faint, extremely slowly decaying afterglow, alpha=-0.21, was detected. Finally, a break in the lightcurve occurred and the flux decayed with alpha<-1.2. The X-ray position triggered many follow-up observations: no optical afterglow could be confirmed, although a candidate was identified 3 arcsecs from the XRT position.

Chandra X-Ray Observatory Image NGC 3603

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

NGC 3603 is a bustling region of star birth in the Carina spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, about 20,000 light-years from Earth. For the first time, this Chandra image resolves the multitude of individual x-ray sources in this star-forming region. (The intensity of the x-rays observed by Chandra are depicted by the various colors in this image. Green represents lower intensity sources, while purple and red indicate increasing x-ray intensity.) Specifically, the Chandra image reveals dozens of extremely massive stars born in a burst of star formation about 2 million years ago. This region's activities may be indicative of what is happening in other distant 'starburst' galaxies (bright galaxies flush with new stars). In the case of NGC 3603, scientists now believe that these x-rays are emitted from massive stars and stellar winds, since the stars are too young to have produced supernovae or have evolved into neutron stars. The Chandra observations of NGC 3603 may provide new clues about x-ray emission in starburst galaxies as well as star formation itself. (Photo credit: NASA/GSFC/M. Corcoran et al)

The Focusing Optics Solar X-ray Imager (FOXSI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christe, Steven; Glesener, L.; Krucker, S.; Ramsey, B.; Ishikawa, S.; Takahashi, T.; Tajima, H.

2010-05-01

The Focusing Optics x-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) is a sounding rocket payload funded under the NASA Low Cost Access to Space program to test hard x-ray focusing optics and position-sensitive solid state detectors for solar observations. Today's leading solar hard x-ray instrument, the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) provides excellent spatial (2 arcseconds) and spectral (1 keV) resolution. Yet, due to its use of indirect imaging, the derived images have a low dynamic range (<30) and sensitivity. These limitations make it difficult to study faint x-ray sources in the solar corona which are crucial for understanding the solar flare acceleration process. Grazing-incidence x-ray focusing optics combined with position-sensitive solid state detectors can overcome both of these limitations enabling the next breakthrough in understanding particle acceleration in solar flares. The FOXSI project is led by the Space Science Laboratory at the University of California. The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, with experience from the HERO balloon project, is responsible for the grazing-incidence optics, while the Astro H team (JAXA/ISAS) will provide double-sided silicon strip detectors. FOXSI will be a pathfinder for the next generation of solar hard x-ray spectroscopic imagers. Such observatories will be able to image the non-thermal electrons within the solar flare acceleration region, trace their paths through the corona, and provide essential quantitative measurements such as energy spectra, density, and energy content in accelerated electrons.

The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krucker, Sam; Christe, Steven; Glesener, Lindsay; McBride, Steve; Turin, Paul; Glaser, David; Saint-Hilaire, Pascal; Delory, Gregory; Lin, R. P.; Gubarev, Mikhail; Ramsey, Brian; Terada, Yukikatsu; Ishikawa, Shin-Nosuke; Kokubun, Motohide; Saito, Shinya; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Watanabe, Shin; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Masuda, Satoshi; Minoshima, Takashi; Shomojo, Masumi

2009-08-01

The Focusing Optics x-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) is a sounding rocket payload funded under the NASA Low Cost Access to Space program to test hard x-ray focusing optics and position-sensitive solid state detectors for solar observations. Today's leading solar hard x-ray instrument, the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) provides excellent spatial (2 arcseconds) and spectral (1 keV) resolution. Yet, due to its use of indirect imaging, the derived images have a low dynamic range (<30) and sensitivity. These limitations make it difficult to study faint x-ray sources in the solar corona which are crucial for understanding the solar flare acceleration process. Grazing-incidence x-ray focusing optics combined with position-sensitive solid state detectors can overcome both of these limitations enabling the next breakthrough in understanding particle acceleration in solar flares. The FOXSI project is led by the Space Science Laboratory at the University of California. The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, with experience from the HERO balloon project, is responsible for the grazing-incidence optics, while the Astro H team (JAXA/ISAS) will provide double-sided silicon strip detectors. FOXSI will be a pathfinder for the next generation of solar hard x-ray spectroscopic imagers. Such observatories will be able to image the non-thermal electrons within the solar flare acceleration region, trace their paths through the corona, and provide essential quantitative measurements such as energy spectra, density, and energy content in accelerated electrons.

The Focusing Optics Solar X-ray Imager (FOXSI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christe, S.; Glesener, L.; Krucker, S.; Ramsey, B.; Ishikawa, S.; Takahashi, T.

2009-12-01

The Focusing Optics x-ray Solar Imager is a sounding rocket payload funded under the NASA Low Cost Access to Space program to test hard x-ray focusing optics and position-sensitive solid state detectors for solar observations. Today's leading solar hard x-ray instrument, the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager provides excellent spatial (2 arcseconds) and spectral (1~keV) resolution. Yet, due to its use of indirect imaging, the derived images have a low dynamic range (<30) and sensitivity. These limitations make it difficult to study faint x-ray sources in the solar corona which are crucial for understanding the solar flare acceleration process. Grazing-incidence x-ray focusing optics combined with position-sensitive solid state detectors can overcome both of these limitations enabling the next breakthrough in understanding particle acceleration in solar flares. The foxsi project is led by the Space Science Laboratory at the University of California. The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, with experience from the HERO balloon project, is responsible for the grazing-incidence optics, while the Astro H team (JAXA/ISAS) will provide double-sided silicon strip detectors. FOXSI will be a pathfinder for the next generation of solar hard x-ray spectroscopic imagers. Such observatories will be able to image the non-thermal electrons within the solar flare acceleration region, trace their paths through the corona, and provide essential quantitative measurements such as energy spectra, density, and energy content in accelerated electrons.

Ultrahigh resolution photographic films for X-ray/EUV/FUV astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B.; Walker, Arthur B. C., Jr.; Deforest, Craig E.; Watts, Richard; Tarrio, Charles

1993-01-01

The quest for ultrahigh resolution full-disk images of the sun at soft X-ray/EUV/FUV wavelengths has increased the demand for photographic films with broad spectral sensitivity, high spatial resolution, and wide dynamic range. These requirements were made more stringent by the recent development of multilayer telescopes and coronagraphs capable of operating at normal incidence at soft X-ray/EUV wavelengths. Photographic films are the only detectors now available with the information storage capacity and dynamic range such as is required for recording images of the solar disk and corona simultaneously with sub arc second spatial resolution. During the Stanford/MSFC/LLNL Rocket X-Ray Spectroheliograph and Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array (MSSTA) programs, we utilized photographic films to obtain high resolution full-disk images of the sun at selected soft X-ray/EUV/FUV wavelengths. In order to calibrate our instrumentation for quantitative analysis of our solar data and to select the best emulsions and processing conditions for the MSSTA reflight, we recently tested several photographic films. These studies were carried out at the NIST SURF II synchrotron and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory. In this paper, we provide the results of those investigations.

Optics Requirements For The Generation-X X-Ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, S. .; Elsner, R. F.; Kolodziejczak, J. J.; Ramsey, B. D.; Weisskopf, M. C.; Zhang, W. W.; Content, D. A.; Petre, R.; Saha, T. T.; Reid, P. B.;

21 CFR 892.1650 - Image-intensified fluoroscopic x-ray system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Image-intensified fluoroscopic x-ray system. 892... fluoroscopic x-ray system. (a) Identification. An image-intensified fluoroscopic x-ray system is a device intended to visualize anatomical structures by converting a pattern of x-radiation into a visible image...

21 CFR 892.1650 - Image-intensified fluoroscopic x-ray system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Image-intensified fluoroscopic x-ray system. 892... fluoroscopic x-ray system. (a) Identification. An image-intensified fluoroscopic x-ray system is a device intended to visualize anatomical structures by converting a pattern of x-radiation into a visible image...

Dynamic x-ray imaging of laser-driven nanoplasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fennel, Thomas

2016-05-01

A major promise of current x-ray science at free electron lasers is the realization of unprecedented imaging capabilities for resolving the structure and ultrafast dynamics of matter with nanometer spatial and femtosecond temporal resolution or even below via single-shot x-ray diffraction. Laser-driven atomic clusters and nanoparticles provide an ideal platform for developing and demonstrating the required technology to extract the ultrafast transient spatiotemporal dynamics from the diffraction images. In this talk, the perspectives and challenges of dynamic x-ray imaging will be discussed using complete self-consistent microscopic electromagnetic simulations of IR pump x-ray probe imaging for the example of clusters. The results of the microscopic particle-in-cell simulations (MicPIC) enable the simulation-assisted reconstruction of corresponding experimental data. This capability is demonstrated by converting recently measured LCLS data into a ultrahigh resolution movie of laser-induced plasma expansion. Finally, routes towards reaching attosecond time resolution in the visualization of complex dynamical processes in matter by x-ray diffraction will be discussed.

X-ray/EUV optics for astronomy, microscopy, polarimetry, and projection lithography; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Diego, CA, July 9-13, 1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B. (Editor); Walker, Arthur B. C., Jr. (Editor)

1991-01-01

Topics discussed in this issue include the fabrication of multilayer X-ray/EUV coatings; the design, characterization, and test of multilayer X-ray/EUV coatings; multilayer X-ray/EUV monochromators and imaging microscopes; X-ray/EUV telescopes; the test and calibration performance of X-ray/EUV instruments; XUV/soft X-ray projection lithography; X-ray/EUV space observatories and missions; X-ray/EUV telescopes for solar research; X-ray/EUV polarimetry; X-ray/EUV spectrographs; and X-ray/EUV filters and gratings. Papers are presented on the deposition-controlled uniformity of multilayer mirrors, interfaces in Mo/Si multilayers, the design and analysis of an aspherical multilayer imaging X-ray microscope, recent developments in the production of thin X-ray reflecting foils, and the ultraprecise scanning technology. Consideration is also given to an active sun telescope array, the fabrication and performance at 1.33 nm of a 0.24-micron-period multilayer grating, a cylindrical proportional counter for X-ray polarimetry, and the design and analysis of the reflection grating arrays for the X-Ray Multi-Mirror Mission.

X-ray optics made from thin plastic foils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnopper, H. W.; Barbera, M.; Ingram, R.; Silver, E.; Romaine, S.; Bandler, S.; Murray, S.; Christensen, F. E.; Hussain, A.; Collura, A.

2000-10-01

New design concepts and materials can be used to produce lightweight, thin foil approximations, to Wolter I and other X-ray optics. Structures are designed around a central hub and spacers that connect two (or three) spoked wheels. Figure defining, thin pins span the distance between the wheels. Thin, metal coated or multilayered, plastic foils can be formed into full cones, cylinders or spirals for X-ray telescopes or lenses. High resolution X-ray scattering data were obtained for single foils at Cu K (8 KeV). Multi-energy (0.28 - 8 KeV) data were obtained with a multichannel plate imager in a 17 m beam line with a point-to-point focusing, cylindrical X-ray lens with 14 shells. The largest shell has a diameter of 175 mm and a length of 100 mm. Typical images have a FWHM of 20 arcsec. The results indicate that a 60 cm diameter, 4.65 m focal length X-ray telescope can have an HPD of considerably less than 2 arcmin. This research is supported, in part by NASA Grant NAG5-5268, ONR Grant N00014-95-1-1248, and by institutional funding from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The SAO multilayer facility receives support from NASA Grant NAG5-5095. This work made use of the MRSEC Shared Experimental Facilities at MIT supported by NSF Grant DMR94-00334.

Water window imaging x ray microscope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A high resolution x ray microscope for imaging microscopic structures within biological specimens has an optical system including a highly polished primary and secondary mirror coated with identical multilayer coatings, the mirrors acting at normal incidence. The coatings have a high reflectivity in the narrow wave bandpass between 23.3 and 43.7 angstroms and have low reflectivity outside of this range. The primary mirror has a spherical concave surface and the secondary mirror has a spherical convex surface. The radii of the mirrors are concentric about a common center of curvature on the optical axis of the microscope extending from the object focal plane to the image focal plane. The primary mirror has an annular configuration with a central aperture and the secondary mirror is positioned between the primary mirror and the center of curvature for reflecting radiation through the aperture to a detector. An x ray filter is mounted at the stage end of the microscope, and film sensitive to x rays in the desired band width is mounted in a camera at the image plane of the optical system. The microscope is mounted within a vacuum chamber for minimizing the absorption of x rays in air from a source through the microscope.

Experiment and application of soft x-ray grazing incidence optical scattering phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shuyan; Li, Cheng; Zhang, Yang; Su, Liping; Geng, Tao; Li, Kun

2017-08-01

For short wavelength imaging systems，surface scattering effects is one of important factors degrading imaging performance. Study of non-intuitive surface scatter effects resulting from practical optical fabrication tolerances is a necessary work for optical performance evaluation of high resolution short wavelength imaging systems. In this paper, Soft X-ray optical scattering distribution is measured by a soft X-ray reflectometer installed by my lab, for different sample mirrors、wavelength and grazing angle. Then aim at space solar telescope, combining these scattered light distributions, and surface scattering numerical model of grazing incidence imaging system, PSF and encircled energy of optical system of space solar telescope are computed. We can conclude that surface scattering severely degrade imaging performance of grazing incidence systems through analysis and computation.

Multilayer and grazing incidence X-ray/EUV optics; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Diego, CA, July 22-24, 1991

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B. (Editor)

1992-01-01

The present conference discusses the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) calibration by means of synchrotron radiation and its X-ray reflectivity, X-ray scattering measurements from thin-foil X-ray mirrors, lobster-eye X-ray optics using microchannel plates, space-based interferometry at EUV and soft X-ray wavelengths, a water-window imaging X-ray telescope, a graded d-spacing multilayer telescope for high energy X-ray astronomy, photographic films for the multispectral solar telescope array, a soft X-ray ion chamber, and the development of hard X-ray optics. Also discussed are X-ray spectroscopy with multilayered optics, a slit aperture for monitoring X-ray experiments, an objective double-crystal spectrometer, a Ly-alpha coronagraph/polarimeter, tungsten/boron nitride multilayers for XUV optical applications, the evaluation of reflectors for soft X-ray optics, the manufacture of elastically bent crystals and multilayer mirrors, and selective photodevices for the VUV.

Optical and X-ray rebrightening in NS X-ray Nova Aql X-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meshcheryakov, A.; Bikmaev, I.; Irtuganov, E.; Sakhibullin, N.; Vlasyuk, V. V.; Spiridonova, O. I.; Khamitov, I.; Medvedev, P.; Pavlinsky, M. N.; Tsygankov, S. S.

2017-06-01

The current outburst in NS X-ray Nova Aql X-1 has started 28 May 2017, as it was reported earlier (see ATel#10441, #10450, #10452). During optical monitoring campaign of Aql X-1, performed at 1.5-m Russian-Turkish telescope (TUBITAK National Observatory) and 1-m SAO RAS optical telescope (Special Astrophysical Observatory) we report a substantial increase of optical brightness of Aql X-1 in the last few days.

SuperHERO: the next generation hard x-ray HEROES telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaskin, Jessica A.; Christe, Steven D.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Kilaru, Kiranmayee; Ramsey, Brian D.; Seller, Paul; Shih, Albert Y.; Stuchlik, David W.; Swartz, Douglas A.; Tennant, Allyn F.; Weddendorf, Bruce; Wilson, Matthew D.; Wilson-Hodge, Colleen A.

2014-07-01

SuperHERO is a new high-resolution, Long Duration Balloon-capable, hard-x-ray (20-75 keV) focusing telescope for making novel astrophysics and heliophysics observations. The SuperHERO payload, currently in its proposal phase, is being developed jointly by the Astrophysics Office at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the Solar Physics Laboratory and the Wallops Flight Facility at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. SuperHERO is a follow-on payload to the High Energy Replicated Optics to Explore the Sun (HEROES) balloon-borne telescope that recently flew from Fort Sumner, NM in September of 2013, and will utilize many of the same features. Significant enhancements to the HEROES payload will be made, including the addition of optics, novel solid-state multi-pixel CdTe detectors, integration of the Wallops Arc-Second Pointer and a significantly lighter gondola suitable for Long Duration Flights.

The Astro-H Soft X-Ray Mirror

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, David; Okajima, Takashi; Serlemitsos, Peter; Soong, Yang

2012-01-01

The Astro-H is led by the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) in collaboration with many other institutions including the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Goddard's contributions include two soft X-ray telescopes (SXTs). The telescopes have an effective area of 562 square cm at 1 keV and 425 square cm at 6 keV with an image quality requirement of 1.7 arc-minutes half power diameter (HPD). The engineering model has demonstrated 1.1 arc-minutes HPD error. The design of the SXT is based on the successful Suzaku mission mirrors with some enhancements to improve the image quality. Two major enhancements are bonding the X-ray mirror foils to alignment bars instead of allowing the mirrors to float, and fabricating alignment bars with grooves within 5 microns of accuracy. An engineering model SXT was recently built and subjected to several tests including vibration, thermal, and X-ray performance in a beamline. Several lessons were learned during this testing that will be incorporated in the flight design. Test results and optical performance are discussed, along with a description of the design of the SXT.

X-Ray and near-infrared imaging: similarities, differences and combinations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pogue, Brian W.

2010-02-01

The integration of x-ray imaging with optical imaging is becoming routine at the pre-clinical level, as both projection and tomography systems are now commercially integrated as packaged systems. Yet, the differences between their capabilities are wide, and there is still perhaps a lack of appreciation about how difference pre-clinical x-ray systems are from clinical x-ray systems. In this survey, the key advantages of each approach, x-ray and optical, are described, and the potential synergies and deficiencies are discussed. In simple terms, the major benefit of optical imaging is in the spectroscopic capabilities, which allow the potential for imaging fluorescent agents in vivo, and the future potential for imaging multiple species at a time with spectral discrimination or spectral fitting of the data. In comparison, multienergy x-ray systems are being realized in clinical use, or automated discrimination of soft versus hard tissues, and the combination of optical imaging with this type of dual-energy x-ray imaging will significantly enhance the capabilities of the hybrid systems. Unfortunately, the power of dual energy imaging is not as possible at the pre-clinical stage, because of the limitations of contrast-resolution and x-ray dose. This is discussed and future human systems outlined.

The hard x-ray imager onboard IXO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Limousin, Olivier; Kokubun, Motohide; Watanabe, Shin; Laurent, Philippe; Arnaud, Monique; Tajima, Hiroyasu

2010-07-01

The Hard X-ray Imager (HXI) is one of the instruments onboard International X-ray Observatory (IXO), to be launched into orbit in 2020s. It covers the energy band of 10-40 keV, providing imaging-spectroscopy with a field of view of 8 x 8 arcmin2. The HXI is attached beneath the Wide Field Imager (WFI) covering 0.1-15 keV. Combined with the super-mirror coating on the mirror assembly, this configuration provides observation of X-ray source in wide energy band (0.1-40.0 keV) simultaneously, which is especially important for varying sources. The HXI sensor part consists of the semiconductor imaging spectrometer, using Si in the medium energy detector and CdTe in the high energy detector as its material, and an active shield covering its back to reduce background in orbit. The HXI technology is based on those of the Japanese-lead new generation X-ray observatory ASTRO-H, and partly from those developed for Simbol-X. Therefore, the technological development is in good progress. In the IXO mission, HXI will provide a major assets to identify the nature of the object by penetrating into thick absorbing materials and determined the inherent spectral shape in the energy band well above the structure around Fe-K lines and edges.

Extra X-rays at the Hub of Our Milky Way Galaxy

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-04-29

NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has captured a new high-energy X-ray view (magenta, Figure 1) of the bustling center of our Milky Way galaxy. The smaller circle shows the area where the NuSTAR image was taken -- the very center of our galaxy, where a giant black hole resides. That region is enlarged to the right, in the larger circle, to show the NuSTAR data. The NuSTAR picture is one of the most detailed ever taken of the center of our galaxy in high-energy X-rays. The X-ray light, normally invisible to our eyes, has been assigned the color magenta. The brightest point of light near the center of the X-ray picture is coming from a spinning dead star, known as a pulsar, which is near the giant black hole. While the pulsar's X-ray emissions were known before, scientists were surprised to find more high-energy X-rays than predicted in the surrounding regions, seen here as the elliptical haze. Astronomers aren't sure what the sources of the extra X-rays are, but one possibility is a population of dead stars. The background picture was captured in infrared light by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The NuSTAR image has an X-ray energy range of 20 to 40 kiloelectron volts. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19334

X Persei - correlation between H-alpha and X-ray variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamanov, R.; Stoyanov, K. A.; Petrov, N.; Nikolov, Y.; Marchev, D.; Wolter, U.

2018-03-01

We performed H-alpha spectroscopic observations of the Be/X-ray binary X Per, optical counterpart of the slow X-ray pulsar 4U 0352+30, using the 2.0m telescope of the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory, Bulgaria and the 1.2m TIGRE telescope located in Mexico.

AXIOM: Advanced X-Ray Imaging Of the Magnetosheath

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sembay, S.; Branduardi-Rayrnont, G.; Eastwood, J. P.; Sibeck, D. G.; Abbey, A.; Brown, P.; Carter, J. A.; Carr, C. M.; Forsyth, C; Kataria, D.;

Hard-X-ray dark-field imaging using a grating interferometer.

PubMed

Pfeiffer, F; Bech, M; Bunk, O; Kraft, P; Eikenberry, E F; Brönnimann, Ch; Grünzweig, C; David, C

2008-02-01

Imaging with visible light today uses numerous contrast mechanisms, including bright- and dark-field contrast, phase-contrast schemes and confocal and fluorescence-based methods. X-ray imaging, on the other hand, has only recently seen the development of an analogous variety of contrast modalities. Although X-ray phase-contrast imaging could successfully be implemented at a relatively early stage with several techniques, dark-field imaging, or more generally scattering-based imaging, with hard X-rays and good signal-to-noise ratio, in practice still remains a challenging task even at highly brilliant synchrotron sources. In this letter, we report a new approach on the basis of a grating interferometer that can efficiently yield dark-field scatter images of high quality, even with conventional X-ray tube sources. Because the image contrast is formed through the mechanism of small-angle scattering, it provides complementary and otherwise inaccessible structural information about the specimen at the micrometre and submicrometre length scale. Our approach is fully compatible with conventional transmission radiography and a recently developed hard-X-ray phase-contrast imaging scheme. Applications to X-ray medical imaging, industrial non-destructive testing and security screening are discussed.

Potential for Imaging Engineered Tissues with X-Ray Phase Contrast

PubMed Central

Appel, Alyssa; Anastasio, Mark A.

2011-01-01

As the field of tissue engineering advances, it is crucial to develop imaging methods capable of providing detailed three-dimensional information on tissue structure. X-ray imaging techniques based on phase-contrast (PC) have great potential for a number of biomedical applications due to their ability to provide information about soft tissue structure without exogenous contrast agents. X-ray PC techniques retain the excellent spatial resolution, tissue penetration, and calcified tissue contrast of conventional X-ray techniques while providing drastically improved imaging of soft tissue and biomaterials. This suggests that X-ray PC techniques are very promising for evaluation of engineered tissues. In this review, four different implementations of X-ray PC imaging are described and applications to tissues of relevance to tissue engineering reviewed. In addition, recent applications of X-ray PC to the evaluation of biomaterial scaffolds and engineered tissues are presented and areas for further development and application of these techniques are discussed. Imaging techniques based on X-ray PC have significant potential for improving our ability to image and characterize engineered tissues, and their continued development and optimization could have significant impact on the field of tissue engineering. PMID:21682604

From X-Ray Telescopes to Neutron Focusing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gubarev, M. V.; Khaykovich, B.; Ramsey, B.; Moncton, D. E.

2011-01-01

In the case of neutrons the refractive index is slightly less than unity for most elements and their isotopes. Consequently, thermal and cold neutrons can be reflected from smooth surfaces at grazing-incidence angles. Hence, the optical technologies developed for x-ray astronomy can be applied for neutron focusing. The focusing capabilities of grazing incidence neutron imaging optics have been successfully demonstrated using nickel mirrors. The mirrors were fabricated using an electroformed nickel replication process at Marshall Space Flight Center. Results of the neutron optics experiments will be presented. Challenges of the neutron imaging optics as well as possible applications of the optics will be discussed.

X-ray phase imaging-From static observation to dynamic observation-

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Momose, A.; Yashiro, W.; Olbinado, M. P.

2012-07-31

We are attempting to expand the technology of X-ray grating phase imaging/tomography to enable dynamic observation. X-ray phase imaging has been performed mainly for static cases, and this challenge is significant since properties of materials (and hopefully their functions) would be understood by observing their dynamics in addition to their structure, which is an inherent advantage of X-ray imaging. Our recent activities in combination with white synchrotron radiation for this purpose are described. Taking advantage of the fact that an X-ray grating interferometer functions with X-rays of a broad energy bandwidth (and therefore high flux), movies of differential phase imagesmore » and visibility images are obtained with a time resolution of a millisecond. The time resolution of X-ray phase tomography can therefore be a second. This study is performed as a part of a project to explore X-ray grating interferometry, and our other current activities are also briefly outlined.« less

Building large area CZT imaging detectors for a wide-field hard X-ray telescope—ProtoEXIST1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, J.; Allen, B.; Grindlay, J.; Chammas, N.; Barthelemy, S.; Baker, R.; Gehrels, N.; Nelson, K. E.; Labov, S.; Collins, J.; Cook, W. R.; McLean, R.; Harrison, F.

2009-07-01

We have constructed a moderately large area (32cm), fine pixel (2.5 mm pixel, 5 mm thick) CZT imaging detector which constitutes the first section of a detector module (256cm) developed for a balloon-borne wide-field hard X-ray telescope, ProtoEXIST1. ProtoEXIST1 is a prototype for the High Energy Telescope (HET) in the Energetic X-ray imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST), a next generation space-borne multi-wavelength telescope. We have constructed a large (nearly gapless) detector plane through a modularization scheme by tiling of a large number of 2cm×2cm CZT crystals. Our innovative packaging method is ideal for many applications such as coded-aperture imaging, where a large, continuous detector plane is desirable for the optimal performance. Currently we have been able to achieve an energy resolution of 3.2 keV (FWHM) at 59.6 keV on average, which is exceptional considering the moderate pixel size and the number of detectors in simultaneous operation. We expect to complete two modules (512cm) within the next few months as more CZT becomes available. We plan to test the performance of these detectors in a near space environment in a series of high altitude balloon flights, the first of which is scheduled for Fall 2009. These detector modules are the first in a series of progressively more sophisticated detector units and packaging schemes planned for ProtoEXIST2 & 3, which will demonstrate the technology required for the advanced CZT imaging detectors (0.6 mm pixel, 4.5m area) required in EXIST/HET.

Image alignment for tomography reconstruction from synchrotron X-ray microscopic images.

PubMed

Cheng, Chang-Chieh; Chien, Chia-Chi; Chen, Hsiang-Hsin; Hwu, Yeukuang; Ching, Yu-Tai

2014-01-01

A synchrotron X-ray microscope is a powerful imaging apparatus for taking high-resolution and high-contrast X-ray images of nanoscale objects. A sufficient number of X-ray projection images from different angles is required for constructing 3D volume images of an object. Because a synchrotron light source is immobile, a rotational object holder is required for tomography. At a resolution of 10 nm per pixel, the vibration of the holder caused by rotating the object cannot be disregarded if tomographic images are to be reconstructed accurately. This paper presents a computer method to compensate for the vibration of the rotational holder by aligning neighboring X-ray images. This alignment process involves two steps. The first step is to match the "projected feature points" in the sequence of images. The matched projected feature points in the x-θ plane should form a set of sine-shaped loci. The second step is to fit the loci to a set of sine waves to compute the parameters required for alignment. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms two previously proposed methods, Xradia and SPIDER. The developed software system can be downloaded from the URL, http://www.cs.nctu.edu.tw/~chengchc/SCTA or http://goo.gl/s4AMx.

Mathematical Design Optimization of Wide-Field X-ray Telescopes: Mirror Nodal Positions and Detector Tilts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, R. F.; O'Dell, S. L.; Ramsey, B. D.; Weisskopf, M. C.

2011-01-01

We describe a mathematical formalism for determining the mirror shell nodal positions and detector tilts that optimize the spatial resolution averaged over a field-of-view for a nested x-ray telescope, assuming known mirror segment surface prescriptions and known detector focal surface. The results are expressed in terms of ensemble averages over variable combinations of the ray positions and wave vectors in the flat focal plane intersecting the optical axis at the nominal on-axis focus, which can be determined by Monte-Carlo ray traces of the individual mirror shells. This work is part of our continuing efforts to provide analytical tools to aid in the design process for wide-field survey x-ray astronomy missions.

Mathematical Design Optimization of Wide-Field X-ray Telescopes: Mirror Nodal Positions and Detector Tilts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, Ronald; O'Dell, Stephen; Ramsey, Brian; Weisskopf, Martin

2011-01-01

We describe a mathematical formalism for determining the mirror shell nodal positions and detector tilts that optimize the spatial resolution averaged over a field-of-view for a nested x-ray telescope, assuming known mirror segment surface prescriptions and known detector focal surface. The results are expressed in terms of ensemble averages over variable combinations of the ray positions and wavevectors in the flat focal plane intersecting the optical axis at the nominal on-axis focus, which can be determined by Monte-Carlo ray traces of the individual mirror shells. This work is part of our continuing efforts to provide analytical tools to aid in the design process for wide-field survey x-ray astronomy missions.

Imaging Schwarzschild multilayer X-ray microscope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B.; Baker, Phillip C.; Shealy, David L.; Core, David B.; Walker, Arthur B. C., Jr.; Barbee, Troy W., Jr.; Kerstetter, Ted

1993-01-01

We have designed, analyzed, fabricated, and tested Schwarzschild multilayer X-ray microscopes. These instruments use flow-polished Zerodur mirror substrates which have been coated with multilayers optimized for maximum reflectivity at normal incidence at 135 A. They are being developed as prototypes for the Water Window Imaging X-Ray Microscope. Ultrasmooth mirror sets of hemlite grade sapphire have been fabricated and they are now being coated with multilayers to reflect soft X-rays at 38 A, within the biologically important 'water window'. In this paper, we discuss the fabrication of the microscope optics and structural components as well as the mounting of the optics and assembly of the microscopes. We also describe the optical alignment, interferometric and visible light testing of the microscopes, present interferometrically measured performance data, and provide the first results of optical imaging tests.

Hard x-ray characterization of a HEFT single-reflection prototype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, Finn E.; Craig, William W.; Hailey, Charles J.; Jimenez-Garate, Mario A.; Windt, David L.; Harrison, Fiona A.; Mao, Peter H.; Ziegler, Eric; Honkimaki, Veijo; Sanchez del Rio, Manuel; Freund, Andreas K.; Ohler, M.

2000-07-01

We have measured the hard X-ray reflectivity and imaging performance from depth graded W/Si multilayer coated mirror segments mounted in a single reflection cylindrical prototype for the hard X-ray telescopes to be flown on the High Energy Focusing Telescope (HEFT) balloon mission. Data have been obtained in the energy range from 18 - 170 keV at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and at the Danish Space Research Institute at 8 keV. The modeling of the reflectivity data demonstrate that the multilayer structure can be well described by the intended power law distribution of the bilayer thicknesses optimized for the telescope performance and we find that all the data is consistent with an interfacial width of 4.5 angstroms. We have also demonstrated that the required 5% uniformity of the coatings is obtained over the mirror surface and we have shown that it is feasible to use similar W/Si coatings for much higher energies than the nominal energy range of HEFT leading the way for designing Gamma-ray telescopes for future astronomical applications. Finally we have demonstrate 35 arcsecond Half Power Diameter imaging performance of the one bounce prototype throughout the energy range of the HEFT telescopes.

On-ground calibration of the Hitomi Hard X-ray Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, Hideyuki; Miyazawa, Takuya; Awaki, Hisamitsu; Matsumoto, Hironori; Babazaki, Yasunori; Bandai, Ayako; Demoto, Tadatsugu; Furuzawa, Akihiro; Haba, Yoshito; Hayashi, Takayuki; Iizuka, Ryo; Ishibashi, Kazunori; Ishida, Manabu; Ishida, Naoki; Itoh, Masayuki; Iwase, Toshihiro; Kato, Hiroyoshi; Kobayashi, Hiroaki; Kosaka, Tatsuro; Kunieda, Hideyo; Kurashima, Shou; Kurihara, Daichi; Kuroda, Yuuji; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Meshino, Yoshifumi; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Miyata, Yuusuke; Nagano, Housei; Namba, Yoshiharu; Ogasaka, Yasushi; Ogi, Keiji; Okajima, Takashi; Saji, Shigetaka; Shimasaki, Fumiya; Sato, Takuro; Sato, Toshiki; Shima, Naotsugu; Sugita, Satoshi; Suzuki, Yoshio; Tachibana, Kenji; Tachibana, Sasagu; Takizawa, Shun'ya; Tamura, Keisuke; Tawara, Yuzuru; Tomikawa, Kazuki; Torii, Tatsuharu; Uesugi, Kentaro; Yamashita, Koujun; Yamauchi, Shigeo

2018-01-01

We present x-ray characteristics of the Hard X-ray Telescopes (HXTs) on board the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) satellite. Measurements were conducted at the SPring-8 BL20B2 beamline and the ISAS/JAXA 27-m beamline. The angular resolution defined by a half-power diameter was 1.9‧ (HXT-1) and 2.1‧ (HXT-2) at 8 keV, 1.9‧ at 30 keV, and 1.8‧ at 50 keV. The effective area was found to be 620 cm2 at 8 keV, 178 cm2 at 30 keV, and 82 cm2 at 50 keV per mirror module. Although the angular resolutions were slightly worse than the requirement (1.7‧), the effective areas sufficiently exceeded the requirements of 150 cm2 at 30 keV and 55 cm2 at 50 keV. The off-axis measurements of the effective areas resulted in the field of view being 6.1‧ at 50 keV, 7.7‧ at 30 keV, and 9.7‧ at 8 keV in diameter. We confirmed that the main component of the stray x-ray light was significantly reduced by mounting the precollimator as designed. Detailed analysis of the data revealed that the angular resolution was degraded mainly by figure errors of mirror foils, and the angular resolution is completely explained by the figure errors, positioning errors of the foils, and conical approximation of the foil shape. We found that the effective areas were ˜80% of the designed values below 40 keV, whereas they steeply decline above 40 keV and become only ˜50%. We investigated this abrupt decline and found that neither the error of the multilayer design nor the errors of the incident angles induced by the positioning errors of the foils can be the cause. The reflection profile of each foil pair from the defocused image strongly suggests that the figure errors of the foils probably bring about the reduction in the effective areas at higher energies.

From Relativistic Electrons to X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lumpkin, A. H.; Garson, A. B.; Anastasio, M. A.

2017-10-09

We report the initial demonstrations of the use of single crystals in indirect x-ray imaging for x-ray phase contrast imaging at the Washington University in St. Louis Computational Bioimaging Laboratory (CBL). Based on single Gaussian peak fits to the x-ray images, we observed a four times smaller system point spread function (21 μm (FWHM)) with the 25-mm diameter single crystals than the reference polycrystalline phosphor’s 80-μm value. Potential fiber-optic plate depth-of-focus aspects and 33-μm diameter carbon fiber imaging are also addressed.

Observations of the structure and evolution of solar flares with a soft X-ray telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vorpahl, J. A.; Gibson, E. G.; Landecker, P. B.; Mckenzie, D. L.; Underwood, J. M.

1975-01-01

Soft X ray flare events were observed with the S-056 X-ray telescope that was part of the ATM complement of instruments aboard SKYLAB. Analyses of these data are reported. The observations are summarized and a detailed discussion of the X-ray flare structures is presented. The data indicated that soft X-ray emitted by a flare come primarily from an intense well-defined core surrounded by a region of fainter, more diffuse emission. An analysis of flare evolution indicates evidence for preliminary heating and energy release prior to the main phase of the flare. Core features are found to be remarkably stable and retain their shape throughout a flare. Most changes in the overall configuration seem to be result of the appearance, disappearance or change in brightness of individual features, rather than the restructuring or reorientation of these features. Brief comparisons with several theories are presented.

Mouse blood vessel imaging by in-line x-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xi; Liu, Xiao-Song; Yang, Xin-Rong; Chen, Shao-Liang; Zhu, Pei-Ping; Yuan, Qing-Xi

2008-10-01

It is virtually impossible to observe blood vessels by conventional x-ray imaging techniques without using contrast agents. In addition, such x-ray systems are typically incapable of detecting vessels with diameters less than 200 µm. Here we show that vessels as small as 30 µm could be detected using in-line phase-contrast x-ray imaging without the use of contrast agents. Image quality was greatly improved by replacing resident blood with physiological saline. Furthermore, an entire branch of the portal vein from the main axial portal vein to the eighth generation of branching could be captured in a single phase-contrast image. Prior to our work, detection of 30 µm diameter blood vessels could only be achieved using x-ray interferometry, which requires sophisticated x-ray optics. Our results thus demonstrate that in-line phase-contrast x-ray imaging, using physiological saline as a contrast agent, provides an alternative to the interferometric method that can be much more easily implemented and also offers the advantage of a larger field of view. A possible application of this methodology is in animal tumor models, where it can be used to observe tumor angiogenesis and the treatment effects of antineoplastic agents.

Femtosecond X-ray Fourier holography imaging of freeflying nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gorkhover, Tais; Ulmer, Anatoli; Ferguson, Ken R.

Ultrafast X-ray imaging on individual fragile specimens such as aerosols1, metastable particles2, superfluid quantum systems3 and live biospecimen4 provides high resolution information, which is inaccessible with conventional imaging techniques. Coherent X-ray diffractive imag- 2 ing, however, suffers from intrinsic loss of phase, and therefore structure recovery is often complicated and not always uniquely-defined4, 5. Here, we introduce the method of in-flight holography, where we use nanoclusters as reference X-ray scatterers in order to encode relative phase information into diffraction patterns of a virus. The resulting hologram contains an unambiguous three-dimensional map of a virus and two nanoclusters with the highestmore » lateral resolution so far achieved via single shot X-ray holography. Our approach unlocks the benefits of holography for ultrafast X-ray imaging of nanoscale, non-periodic systems and paves the way to direct observation of complex electron dynamics down to the attosecond time scale.« less

Differential phase contrast X-ray imaging system and components

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stutman, Daniel; Finkenthal, Michael

2017-11-21

A differential phase contrast X-ray imaging system includes an X-ray illumination system, a beam splitter arranged in an optical path of the X-ray illumination system, and a detection system arranged in an optical path to detect X-rays after passing through the beam splitter.

Proton-induced x-ray fluorescence CT imaging

PubMed Central

Bazalova-Carter, Magdalena; Ahmad, Moiz; Matsuura, Taeko; Takao, Seishin; Matsuo, Yuto; Fahrig, Rebecca; Shirato, Hiroki; Umegaki, Kikuo; Xing, Lei

2015-01-01

Purpose: To demonstrate the feasibility of proton-induced x-ray fluorescence CT (pXFCT) imaging of gold in a small animal sized object by means of experiments and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Methods: First, proton-induced gold x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) was measured as a function of gold concentration. Vials of 2.2 cm in diameter filled with 0%–5% Au solutions were irradiated with a 220 MeV proton beam and x-ray fluorescence induced by the interaction of protons, and Au was detected with a 3 × 3 mm2 CdTe detector placed at 90° with respect to the incident proton beam at a distance of 45 cm from the vials. Second, a 7-cm diameter water phantom containing three 2.2-diameter vials with 3%–5% Au solutions was imaged with a 7-mm FWHM 220 MeV proton beam in a first generation CT scanning geometry. X-rays scattered perpendicular to the incident proton beam were acquired with the CdTe detector placed at 45 cm from the phantom positioned on a translation/rotation stage. Twenty one translational steps spaced by 3 mm at each of 36 projection angles spaced by 10° were acquired, and pXFCT images of the phantom were reconstructed with filtered back projection. A simplified geometry of the experimental data acquisition setup was modeled with the MC TOPAS code, and simulation results were compared to the experimental data. Results: A linear relationship between gold pXRF and gold concentration was observed in both experimental and MC simulation data (R2 > 0.99). All Au vials were apparent in the experimental and simulated pXFCT images. Specifically, the 3% Au vial was detectable in the experimental [contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) = 5.8] and simulated (CNR = 11.5) pXFCT image. Due to fluorescence x-ray attenuation in the higher concentration vials, the 4% and 5% Au contrast were underestimated by 10% and 15%, respectively, in both the experimental and simulated pXFCT images. Conclusions: Proton-induced x-ray fluorescence CT imaging of 3%–5% gold solutions in a small animal

Ethanol fixed brain imaging by phase-contrast X-ray technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeda, Tohoru; Thet-Thet-Lwin; Kunii, Takuya; Sirai, Ryota; Ohizumi, Takahito; Maruyama, Hiroko; Hyodo, Kazuyuki; Yoneyama, Akio; Ueda, Kazuhiro

2013-03-01

The two-crystal phase-contrast X-ray imaging technique using an X-ray crystal interferometer can depict the fine structures of rat's brain such as cerebral cortex, white matter, and basal ganglia. Image quality and contrast by ethanol fixed brain showed significantly better than those by usually used formalin fixation at 35 keV X-ray energy. Image contrast of cortex by ethanol fixation was more than 3-times higher than that by formalin fixation. Thus, the technique of ethanol fixation might be better suited to image cerebral structural detail at 35 keV X-ray energy.

Enhancing Tabletop X-Ray Phase Contrast Imaging with Nano-Fabrication

PubMed Central

Miao, Houxun; Gomella, Andrew A.; Harmon, Katherine J.; Bennett, Eric E.; Chedid, Nicholas; Znati, Sami; Panna, Alireza; Foster, Barbara A.; Bhandarkar, Priya; Wen, Han

2015-01-01

X-ray phase-contrast imaging is a promising approach for improving soft-tissue contrast and lowering radiation dose in biomedical applications. While current tabletop imaging systems adapt to common x-ray tubes and large-area detectors by employing absorptive elements such as absorption gratings or monolithic crystals to filter the beam, we developed nanometric phase gratings which enable tabletop x-ray far-field interferometry with only phase-shifting elements, leading to a substantial enhancement in the performance of phase contrast imaging. In a general sense the method transfers the demands on the spatial coherence of the x-ray source and the detector resolution to the feature size of x-ray phase masks. We demonstrate its capabilities in hard x-ray imaging experiments at a fraction of clinical dose levels and present comparisons with the existing Talbot-Lau interferometer and with conventional digital radiography. PMID:26315891

The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glesener, Lindsay; Krucker, S.; Christe, S.; Ramsey, B.; Ishikawa, S.; Takahashi, T.; Saito, S.

2011-05-01

The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) is a NASA Low Cost Access to Space sounding rocket payload that will launch in late 2011. A larger sensitivity and dynamic range than currently available are needed in order to image faint X-rays from electron beams in the tenuous corona, particularly those near any coronal acceleration region and those that escape into interplanetary space. FOXSI combines fast-replication, nested, grazing-incidence optics with double-sided silicon strip detectors to achieve a dynamic range of >100 and a sensitivity 100 times that of RHESSI. Advances in the fabrication and assembly of the optics at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center provide a spatial resolution of 8 arcseconds, while the silicon detectors, developed by the Astro-H team at ISAS/JAXA, offer an energy resolution of 0.5 keV. FOXSI's first flight will be used to conduct a search for X-ray emission from nonthermal electron beams in quiet Sun nanoflares. In addition, FOXSI will serve as a pathfinder for future space-based solar hard X-ray spectroscopic imagers, which will be able to image nonthermal electrons in flare acceleration sites and provide quantitative measurements such as energy spectra, densities, and energy content in accelerated electrons.