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.

X-ray emitting hot plasma in solar active regions observed by the SphinX spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miceli, M.; Reale, F.; Gburek, S.; Terzo, S.; Barbera, M.; Collura, A.; Sylwester, J.; Kowalinski, M.; Podgorski, P.; Gryciuk, M.

2012-08-01

Aims: The detection of very hot plasma in the quiescent corona is important for diagnosing heating mechanisms. The presence and the amount of such hot plasma is currently debated. The SphinX instrument on-board the CORONAS-PHOTON mission is sensitive to X-ray emission of energies well above 1 keV and provides the opportunity to detect the hot plasma component. Methods: We analysed the X-ray spectra of the solar corona collected by the SphinX spectrometer in May 2009 (when two active regions were present). We modelled the spectrum extracted from the whole Sun over a time window of 17 days in the 1.34-7 keV energy band by adopting the latest release of the APED database. Results: The SphinX broadband spectrum cannot be modelled by a single isothermal component of optically thin plasma and two components are necessary. In particular, the high statistical significance of the count rates and the accurate calibration of the spectrometer allowed us to detect a very hot component at ~7 million K with an emission measure of ~2.7 × 1044 cm-3. The X-ray emission from the hot plasma dominates the solar X-ray spectrum above 4 keV. We checked that this hot component is invariably present in both the high and low emission regimes, i.e. even excluding resolvable microflares. We also present and discuss the possibility of a non-thermal origin (which would be compatible with a weak contribution from thick-target bremsstrahlung) for this hard emission component. Conclusions: Our results support the nanoflare scenario and might confirm that a minor flaring activity is ever-present in the quiescent corona, as also inferred for the coronae of other stars.

Time-resolved hard x-ray spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moy, Kenneth; Cuneo, Michael; McKenna, Ian; Keenan, Thomas; Sanford, Thomas; Mock, Ray

2006-08-01

Wired array studies are being conducted at the SNL Z accelerator to maximize the x-ray generation for inertial confinement fusion targets and high energy density physics experiments. An integral component of these studies is the characterization of the time-resolved spectral content of the x-rays. Due to potential spatial anisotropy in the emitted radiation, it is also critical to diagnose the time-evolved spectral content in a space-resolved manner. To accomplish these two measurement goals, we developed an x-ray spectrometer using a set of high-speed detectors (silicon PIN diodes) with a collimated field-of-view that converged on a 1-cm-diameter spot at the pinch axis. Spectral discrimination is achieved by placing high Z absorbers in front of these detectors. We built two spectrometers to permit simultaneous different angular views of the emitted radiation. Spectral data have been acquired from recent Z shots for the radial and axial (polar) views. UNSPEC 1 has been adapted to analyze and unfold the measured data to reconstruct the x-ray spectrum. The unfold operator code, UFO2, is being adapted for a more comprehensive spectral unfolding treatment.

In-Orbit Performance of the Digital Electronics for the X-Ray Microcalorimeter Onboard the Hitomi Satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsujimoto, M.; Tashiro, M. S.; Ishisaki, Y.; Yamada, S.; Seta, H.; Mitsuda, K.; Boyce, K. R.; Eckart, M. E.; Kilbourne, C. A.; Leutenegger, M. A.; Porter, F. S.; Kelley, R. L.

2018-03-01

The pulse shape processor is the onboard digital electronics unit of the X-ray microcalorimeter instrument—the soft X-ray spectrometer—onboard the Hitomi satellite. It processes X-ray events using the optimum filtering with limited resources. It was operated for 36 days in orbit continuously without issues and met the requirement of processing a 150 s^{-1} event rate during the observation of bright sources. Here, we present the results obtained in orbit, focusing on its performance as the onboard digital signal processing unit of an X-ray microcalorimeter.

Development of mercuric iodide uncooled x ray detectors and spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iwanczyk, Jan S.

1990-01-01

The results obtained in the development of miniature, lowpower, light weight mercuric iodide, HgI2, x ray spectrometers for future space missions are summarized. It was demonstrated that HgI2 detectors can be employed in a high resolution x ray spectrometer, operating in a scanning electron microscope. Also, the development of HgI2 x ray detectors to augment alpha backscattering spectrometers is discussed. These combination instruments allow for the identification of all chemical elements, with the possible exception of hydrogen, and their respective concentrations. Additionally, further investigations of questions regarding radiation damage effects in the HgI2 x ray detectors are reported.

Method of fabricating an imaging X-ray spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alcorn, G. E. (Inventor); Burgess, A. S. (Inventor)

1986-01-01

A process for fabricating an X-ray spectrometer having imaging and energy resolution of X-ray sources is discussed. The spectrometer has an array of adjoinging rectangularly shaped detector cells formed in a silicon body. The walls of the cells are created by laser drilling holes completely through the silicon body and diffusing n(+) phosphorous doping material therethrough. A thermally migrated aluminum electrode is formed centrally through each of the cells.

X-ray spectrometer with a low-cost SiC photodiode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, S.; Lioliou, G.; Barnett, A. M.

2018-04-01

A low-cost Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) 4H-SiC 0.06 mm2 UV p-n photodiode was coupled to a low-noise charge-sensitive preamplifier and used as photon counting X-ray spectrometer. The photodiode/spectrometer was investigated at X-ray energies from 4.95 keV to 21.17 keV: a Mo cathode X-ray tube was used to fluoresce eight high-purity metal foils to produce characteristic X-ray emission lines which were used to characterise the instrument. The energy resolution (full width at half maximum, FWHM) of the spectrometer was found to be 1.6 keV to 1.8 keV, across the energy range. The energy linearity of the detector/spectrometer (i.e. the detector's charge output per photon as a function of incident photon energy across the 4.95 keV to 21.17 keV energy range), as well as the count rate linearity of the detector/spectrometer (i.e. number of detected photons as a function of photon fluence at a specific energy) were investigated. The energy linearity of the detector/spectrometer was linear with an error < ± 0.7 %; the count rate linearity of the detector/spectrometer was linear with an error < ± 2 %. The use of COTS SiC photodiodes as detectors for X-ray spectrometers is attractive for nanosatellite/CubeSat applications (including solar flare monitoring), and for cost sensitive industrial uses.

The superconducting high-resolution soft X-ray spectrometer at the advanced biological and environmental X-ray facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedrich, S.; Drury, O. B.; George, S. J.; Cramer, S. P.

2007-11-01

We have built a 36-pixel superconducting tunnel junction X-ray spectrometer for chemical analysis of dilute samples in the soft X-ray band. It offers an energy resolution of ˜10-20 eV FWHM below 1 keV, a solid angle coverage of ˜10 -3, and can be operated at total rates of up to ˜10 6 counts/s. Here, we describe the spectrometer performance in speciation measurements by fluorescence-detected X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Advanced Biological and Environmental X-ray facility at the ALS synchrotron.

Bragg x-ray survey spectrometer for ITER.

PubMed

Varshney, S K; Barnsley, R; O'Mullane, M G; Jakhar, S

2012-10-01

Several potential impurity ions in the ITER plasmas will lead to loss of confined energy through line and continuum emission. For real time monitoring of impurities, a seven channel Bragg x-ray spectrometer (XRCS survey) is considered. This paper presents design and analysis of the spectrometer, including x-ray tracing by the Shadow-XOP code, sensitivity calculations for reference H-mode plasma and neutronics assessment. The XRCS survey performance analysis shows that the ITER measurement requirements of impurity monitoring in 10 ms integration time at the minimum levels for low-Z to high-Z impurity ions can largely be met.

Alpha proton x ray spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rieder, Rudi; Waeke, H.; Economou, T.

1994-01-01

Mars Pathfinder will carry an alpha-proton x ray spectrometer (APX) for the determination of the elemental chemical composition of Martian rocks and soils. The instrument will measure the concentration of all major and some minor elements, including C, N, and O at levels above typically 1 percent.

Uncooled spectrometer for x-ray astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Martin; Nentvich, Ondrej; Stehlikova, Veronika; Sieger, Ladislav

2017-05-01

In the field of X-ray detection for Astrophysics there are mainly two objectives; first is to create 2D images as a result of sensing radiation by detectors consisting of a pixels matrix and the second is a spectral analysis of the incident radiation. For spectral analysis, the basis is usually the principle of diffraction. This paper describes the new design of X-ray spectrometer based on Timepix detector with optics positioned in front of it. The advantage of this setup is the ability to get the image and spectrum from the same devices. With other modifications is possible to shift detection threshold into areas of soft X-ray radiation.

Porous plug phase separator and superfluid film flow suppression system for the soft x-ray spectrometer onboard Hitomi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ezoe, Yuichiro; DiPirro, Michael; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Ishikawa, Kumi; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Kanao, Kenichi; Kimball, Mark; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Murakami, Masahide; Noda, Hirofumi; Ohashi, Takaya; Okamoto, Atsushi; Satoh, Yohichi; Sato, Kosuke; Shirron, Peter; Tsunematsu, Shoji; Yamaguchi, Hiroya; Yoshida, Seiji

2018-01-01

When using superfluid helium in low-gravity environments, porous plug phase separators are commonly used to vent boil-off gas while confining the bulk liquid to the tank. Invariably, there is a flow of superfluid film from the perimeter of the porous plug down the vent line. For the soft x-ray spectrometer onboard ASTRO-H (Hitomi), its approximately 30-liter helium supply has a lifetime requirement of more than 3 years. A nominal vent rate is estimated as ˜30 μg/s, equivalent to ˜0.7 mW heat load. It is, therefore, critical to suppress any film flow whose evaporation would not provide direct cooling of the remaining liquid helium. That is, the porous plug vent system must be designed to both minimize film flow and to ensure maximum extraction of latent heat from the film. The design goal for Hitomi is to reduce the film flow losses to <2 μg/s, corresponding to a loss of cooling capacity of <40 μW. The design adopts the same general design as implemented for Astro-E and E2, using a vent system composed of a porous plug, combined with an orifice, a heat exchanger, and knife-edge devices. Design, on-ground testing results, and in-orbit performance are described.

X-Ray Background Survey Spectrometer (XBSS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanders, W. T. (Principal Investigator); Paulos, R. J.

1996-01-01

The objective of this investigation was to perform a spectral survey of the low energy diffuse X-ray background using the X-ray Background Survey Spectrometer (XBSS) on board the Space Station Freedom (SSF). XBSS obtains spectra of the X-ray diffuse background in the 11-24 A and 44-84 A wavelength intervals over the entire sky with 15 deg spatial resolution. These X-rays are almost certainly from a very hot (10(exp 6) K) component of the interstellar medium that is contained in regions occupying a large fraction of the interstellar volume near the Sun. Astrophysical plasmas near 10(exp 6) K are rich in emission lines, and the relative strengths of these lines, besides providing information about the physical conditions of the emitting gas, also provide information about its history and heating mechanisms.

A short working distance multiple crystal x-ray spectrometer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dickinson, B.; Seidler, G.T.; Webb, Z.W.; Bradley, J.A.; Nagle, K.P.; Heald, S.M.; Gordon, R.A.; Chou, I.-Ming

2008-01-01

For x-ray spot sizes of a few tens of microns or smaller, a millimeter-sized flat analyzer crystal placed ???1 cm from the sample will exhibit high energy resolution while subtending a collection solid angle comparable to that of a typical spherically bent crystal analyzer (SBCA) at much larger working distances. Based on this observation and a nonfocusing geometry for the analyzer optic, we have constructed and tested a short working distance (SWD) multicrystal x-ray spectrometer. This prototype instrument has a maximum effective collection solid angle of 0.14 sr, comparable to that of 17 SBCA at 1 m working distance. We find good agreement with prior work for measurements of the Mn K?? x-ray emission and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering for MnO, and also for measurements of the x-ray absorption near-edge structure for Dy metal using L??2 partial-fluorescence yield detection. We discuss future applications at third- and fourth-generation light sources. For concentrated samples, the extremely large collection angle of SWD spectrometers will permit collection of high-resolution x-ray emission spectra with a single pulse of the Linac Coherent Light Source. The range of applications of SWD spectrometers and traditional multi-SBCA instruments has some overlap, but also is significantly complementary. ?? 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Performance of the helium dewar and the cryocoolers of the Hitomi soft x-ray spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Takei, Yoh; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Yamasaki, Noriko Y.; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Koyama, Shu; Ishikawa, Kumi; Sugita, Hiroyuki; Sato, Yoichi; Shinozaki, Keisuke; Okamoto, Atsushi; Kitamoto, Shunji; Hoshino, Akio; Sato, Kosuke; Ezoe, Yuichiro; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Yamada, Shinya; Seta, Hiromi; Ohashi, Takaya; Tamagawa, Toru; Noda, Hirofumi; Sawada, Makoto; Tashiro, Makoto; Yatsu, Yoichi; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Kanao, Kenichi; Yoshida, Seiji; Miyaoka, Mikio; Tsunematsu, Shoji; Otsuka, Kiyomi; Narasaki, Katsuhiro; DiPirro, Michael J.; Shirron, Peter J.; Sneiderman, Gary A.; Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Porter, Frederick Scott; Chiao, Meng P.; Eckart, Megan E.

2018-01-01

The soft x-ray spectrometer (SXS) was a cryogenic high-resolution x-ray spectrometer onboard the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) satellite that achieved energy resolution of 5 eV at 6 keV, by operating the detector array at 50 mK using an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR). The cooling chain from room temperature to the ADR heat sink was composed of two-stage Stirling cryocoolers, a He4 Joule-Thomson cryocooler, and superfluid liquid helium and was installed in a dewar. It was designed to achieve a helium lifetime of more than 3 years with a minimum of 30 L. The satellite was launched on February 17, 2016, and the SXS worked perfectly in orbit, until March 26 when the satellite lost its function. It was demonstrated that the heat load on the helium tank was about 0.7 mW, which would have satisfied the lifetime requirement. This paper describes the design, results of ground performance tests, prelaunch operations, and initial operation and performance in orbit of the flight dewar and the cryocoolers.

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

In 2000's, the new generation X-ray observatories (Chandra, XMM-Newton and Suzaku) have revealed various new X-ray phenomena in the Jupiter system. The detected objects include Jupiter's aurorae, disk (middle and low-latitude emission), Io, Europa, the Io Plasma Torus, and radiation belts. For example, Jupiter's aurorae emit time variable X-rays via bremsstrahlung by keV electrons and charge exchange by MeV ions (Gladstone et al. 2002 Nature). A diffuse X-ray emission associated with the Jupiter's radiation belts suggests an inverse Compton scattering of tens MeV electrons (Ezoe et al. 2010 ApJ). Hence, the X-ray emission can be a unique diagnostic tool to investigate key fundamental problems on the Jupiter system such as the relativistic particle acceleration and the Jupiter-satellite reaction. However, since these observations have been done with the X-ray astronomy satellites orbiting the Earth, the photon statistics of X-ray spectra and light curves, and the angular resolution of X-ray images were severely limited. In this context, we have started to study design of an X-ray imaging spectrometer for JMO (Jupiter Magnetospheric Orbiter) which is expected to collaborate with international Jupiter exploration mission JUICE (JUpiter ICy moon Explorer). JUICE is originally EJSM (Europa Jupiter System Mission) but recently renamed JUICE as ESA-lead mission, which is proposed to be launched in 2020's. It consists of one main flight element developed by ESA to explore icy moons of Jupiter, and JMO by JAXA is expected to perform high-latitude (10-30 deg inclination) measurements of the Jupiter system and overview the magnetospheric activities. The in-situ measurements by EJSM JMO provide us with an unprecedented opportunity to observe Jupiter with extremely high photon statistics, high time and angular resolution. To realize the in-situ X-ray instrument for EJSM JMO, stringent mass and power limitations must be fulfilled. Furthermore, the radiation and the contamination

The Mapping X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (MapX)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarrazin, P.; Blake, D. F.; Marchis, F.; Bristow, T.; Thompson, K.

2017-12-01

Many planetary surface processes leave traces of their actions as features in the size range 10s to 100s of microns. The Mapping X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (MapX) will provide elemental imaging at 100 micron spatial resolution, yielding elemental chemistry at a scale where many relict physical, chemical, or biological features can be imaged and interpreted in ancient rocks on planetary bodies and planetesimals. MapX is an arm-based instrument positioned on a rock or regolith with touch sensors. During an analysis, an X-ray source (tube or radioisotope) bombards the sample with X-rays or alpha-particles / gamma-rays, resulting in sample X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). X-rays emitted in the direction of an X-ray sensitive CCD imager pass through a 1:1 focusing lens (X-ray micro-pore Optic (MPO)) that projects a spatially resolved image of the X-rays onto the CCD. The CCD is operated in single photon counting mode so that the energies and positions of individual X-ray photons are recorded. In a single analysis, several thousand frames are both stored and processed in real-time. Higher level data products include single-element maps with a lateral spatial resolution of 100 microns and quantitative XRF spectra from ground- or instrument- selected Regions of Interest (ROI). XRF spectra from ROI are compared with known rock and mineral compositions to extrapolate the data to rock types and putative mineralogies. When applied to airless bodies and implemented with an appropriate radioisotope source for alpha-particle excitation, MapX will be able to analyze biogenic elements C, N, O, P, S, in addition to the cations of the rock-forming elements >Na, accessible with either X-ray or gamma-ray excitation. The MapX concept has been demonstrated with a series of lab-based prototypes and is currently under refinement and TRL maturation.

The NIF x-ray spectrometer calibration campaign at Omega.

PubMed

Pérez, F; Kemp, G E; Regan, S P; Barrios, M A; Pino, J; Scott, H; Ayers, S; Chen, H; Emig, J; Colvin, J D; Bedzyk, M; Shoup, M J; Agliata, A; Yaakobi, B; Marshall, F J; Hamilton, R A; Jaquez, J; Farrell, M; Nikroo, A; Fournier, K B

2014-11-01

The calibration campaign of the National Ignition Facility X-ray Spectrometer (NXS) was carried out at the Omega laser facility. Spherically symmetric, laser-driven, millimeter-scale x-ray sources of K-shell and L-shell emission from various mid-Z elements were designed for the 2-18 keV energy range of the NXS. The absolute spectral brightness was measured by two calibrated spectrometers. We compare the measured performance of the target design to radiation hydrodynamics simulations.

Soft x-ray transmission grating spectrometer for X-ray Surveyor and smaller missions with high resolving power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heilmann, Ralf K.; Bruccoleri, Alexander; Schattenburg, Mark; Kolodziejczak, jeffery; Gaskin, Jessica; O'Dell, Stephen L.

2017-01-01

A number of high priority subjects in astrophysics are addressed by a state-of-the-art soft x-ray grating spectrometer, e.g. the role of Active Galactic Nuclei in galaxy and star formation, characterization of the WHIM and the “missing baryon” problem, characterization of halos around the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, and stellar coronae and surrounding winds and disks. An Explorer-scale, large-area (A > 1,000 cm2), high resolving power (R > 3,000) soft x-ray grating spectrometer is highly feasible based on Critical-Angle Transmission (CAT) grating technology, even for telescopes with angular resolution of 5-10 arcsec. Significantly higher performance could be provided by a CAT grating spectrometer on an X-ray-Surveyor-type mission (A > 4,000 cm2, R > 5,000). CAT gratings combine advantages of blazed reflection gratings (high efficiency, use of higher orders) with those of transmission gratings (low mass, relaxed alignment tolerances and temperature requirements, transparent at higher energies) with minimal mission resource requirements. Blazing is achieved through grazing-incidence reflection off the smooth silicon grating bar sidewalls. Silicon is well matched to the soft x-ray band, and 30% absolute diffraction efficiency has been acheived with clear paths for further improvement. CAT gratings with sidewalls made of high-Z elements allow extension of blazing to higher energies and larger dispersion angles, enabling higher resolving power at shorter wavelengths. X-ray data from CAT gratings coated with a thin layer of platinum using atomic layer deposition demonstrate efficient blazing to higher energies and much larger blaze angles than possible with silicon alone. Measurements of the resolving power of a breadboard CAT grating spectrometer consisting of a Wolter-I slumped-glass focusing optic from GSFC and CAT gratings, taken at the MSFC Stray Light Facility, have demonstrated resolving power > 10,000. Thus currently fabricated CAT gratings are compatible

Soft x-ray imager (SXI) onboard the NeXT satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuru, Takeshi Go; Takagi, Shin-Ichiro; Matsumoto, Hironori; Inui, Tatsuya; Ozawa, Midori; Koyama, Katsuji; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Hayashida, Kiyoshi; Miyata, Emi; Ozawa, Hideki; Touhiguchi, Masakuni; Matsuura, Daisuke; Dotani, Tadayasu; Ozaki, Masanobu; Murakami, Hiroshi; Kohmura, Takayoshi; Kitamoto, Shunji; Awaki, Hisamitsu

2006-06-01

We give overview and the current status of the development of the Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) onboard the NeXT satellite. SXI is an X-ray CCD camera placed at the focal plane detector of the Soft X-ray Telescopes for Imaging (SXT-I) onboard NeXT. The pixel size and the format of the CCD is 24 x 24μm (IA) and 2048 x 2048 x 2 (IA+FS). Currently, we have been developing two types of CCD as candidates for SXI, in parallel. The one is front illumination type CCD with moderate thickness of the depletion layer (70 ~ 100μm) as a baseline plan. The other one is the goal plan, in which we develop back illumination type CCD with a thick depletion layer (200 ~ 300μm). For the baseline plan, we successfully developed the proto model 'CCD-NeXT1' with the pixel size of 12μm x 12μm and the CCD size of 24mm x 48mm. The depletion layer of the CCD has reached 75 ~ 85μm. The goal plan is realized by introduction of a new type of CCD 'P-channel CCD', which collects holes in stead of electrons in the common 'N-channel CCD'. By processing a test model of P-channel CCD we have confirmed high quantum efficiency above 10 keV with an equivalent depletion layer of 300μm. A back illumination type of P-channel CCD with a depletion layer of 200μm with aluminum coating for optical blocking has been also successfully developed. We have been also developing a thermo-electric cooler (TEC) with the function of the mechanically support of the CCD wafer without standoff insulators, for the purpose of the reduction of thermal input to the CCD through the standoff insulators. We have been considering the sensor housing and the onboard electronics for the CCD clocking, readout and digital processing of the frame date.

In-flight calibration of Hitomi Soft X-ray Spectrometer. (1) Background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Sawada, Makoto; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Angellini, Lorella; Boyce, Kevin R.; Eckart, Megan E.; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Kelley, Richard L.; Koyama, Shu; Leutenegger, Maurice A.; Loewenstein, Michael; McCammon, Dan; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Nakashima, Shinya; Porter, Frederick S.; Seta, Hiromi; Takei, Yoh; Tashiro, Makoto S.; Terada, Yukikatsu; Yamada, Shinya; Yamasaki, Noriko Y.

2018-03-01

The X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) instrument of Suzaku provided the first measurement of the non-X-ray background (NXB) of an X-ray calorimeter spectrometer, but the data set was limited. The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) instrument of Hitomi was able to provide a more detailed picture of X-ray calorimeter background, with more than 360 ks of data while pointed at the Earth, and a comparable amount of blank-sky data. These data are important not only for analyzing SXS science data, but also for categorizing the contributions to the NXB in X-ray calorimeters as a class. In this paper, we present the contributions to the SXS NXB, the types and effectiveness of the screening, the interaction of the screening with the broad-band redistribution, and the residual background spectrum as a function of magnetic cut-off rigidity. The orbit-averaged SXS NXB in the range 0.3-12 keV was 4 × 10-2 counts s-1 cm-2. This very low background in combination with groundbreaking spectral resolution gave SXS unprecedented sensitivity to weak spectral lines.

A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science

DOE PAGES

Doriese, W. B.; Abbamonte, P.; Alpert, B. K.; ...

2017-05-01

We describe a series of microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometers designed for a broad suite of measurement applications. The chief advantage of this type of spectrometer is that it can be orders of magnitude more efficient at collecting X-rays than more traditional high-resolution spectrometers that rely on wavelength-dispersive techniques. This advantage is most useful in applications that are traditionally photon-starved and/or involve radiation-sensitive samples. Each energy-dispersive spectrometer is built around an array of several hundred transition-edge sensors (TESs). TESs are superconducting thin films that are biased into their superconducting-to-normal-metal transitions. The spectrometers share a common readout architecture and many design elements, suchmore » as a compact, 65 mK detector package, 8-column time-division-multiplexed superconducting quantum-interference device readout, and a liquid-cryogen-free cryogenic system that is a two-stage adiabatic-demagnetization refrigerator backed by a pulse-tube cryocooler. We have adapted this flexible architecture to mate to a variety of sample chambers and measurement systems that encompass a range of observing geometries. There are two different types of TES pixels employed. The first, designed for X-ray energies below 10 keV, has a best demonstrated energy resolution of 2.1 eV (full-width-at-half-maximum or FWHM) at 5.9 keV. The second, designed for X-ray energies below 2 keV, has a best demonstrated resolution of 1.0 eV (FWHM) at 500 eV. Our team has now deployed seven of these X-ray spectrometers to a variety of light sources, accelerator facilities, and laboratory-scale experiments; these seven spectrometers have already performed measurements related to their applications. Another five of these spectrometers will come online in the near future. We have applied our TES spectrometers to the following measurement applications: synchrotron-based absorption and emission spectroscopy and energy

A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science

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

Doriese, W. B.; Abbamonte, P.; Alpert, B. K.

We describe a series of microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometers designed for a broad suite of measurement applications. The chief advantage of this type of spectrometer is that it can be orders of magnitude more efficient at collecting X-rays than more traditional high-resolution spectrometers that rely on wavelength-dispersive techniques. This advantage is most useful in applications that are traditionally photon-starved and/or involve radiation-sensitive samples. Each energy-dispersive spectrometer is built around an array of several hundred transition-edge sensors (TESs). TESs are superconducting thin films that are biased into their superconducting-to-normal-metal transitions. The spectrometers share a common readout architecture and many design elements, suchmore » as a compact, 65 mK detector package, 8-column time-division-multiplexed superconducting quantum-interference device readout, and a liquid-cryogen-free cryogenic system that is a two-stage adiabatic-demagnetization refrigerator backed by a pulse-tube cryocooler. We have adapted this flexible architecture to mate to a variety of sample chambers and measurement systems that encompass a range of observing geometries. There are two different types of TES pixels employed. The first, designed for X-ray energies below 10 keV, has a best demonstrated energy resolution of 2.1 eV (full-width-at-half-maximum or FWHM) at 5.9 keV. The second, designed for X-ray energies below 2 keV, has a best demonstrated resolution of 1.0 eV (FWHM) at 500 eV. Our team has now deployed seven of these X-ray spectrometers to a variety of light sources, accelerator facilities, and laboratory-scale experiments; these seven spectrometers have already performed measurements related to their applications. Another five of these spectrometers will come online in the near future. We have applied our TES spectrometers to the following measurement applications: synchrotron-based absorption and emission spectroscopy and energy

A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doriese, W. B.; Abbamonte, P.; Alpert, B. K.; Bennett, D. A.; Denison, E. V.; Fang, Y.; Fischer, D. A.; Fitzgerald, C. P.; Fowler, J. W.; Gard, J. D.; Hays-Wehle, J. P.; Hilton, G. C.; Jaye, C.; McChesney, J. L.; Miaja-Avila, L.; Morgan, K. M.; Joe, Y. I.; O'Neil, G. C.; Reintsema, C. D.; Rodolakis, F.; Schmidt, D. R.; Tatsuno, H.; Uhlig, J.; Vale, L. R.; Ullom, J. N.; Swetz, D. S.

2017-05-01

We describe a series of microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometers designed for a broad suite of measurement applications. The chief advantage of this type of spectrometer is that it can be orders of magnitude more efficient at collecting X-rays than more traditional high-resolution spectrometers that rely on wavelength-dispersive techniques. This advantage is most useful in applications that are traditionally photon-starved and/or involve radiation-sensitive samples. Each energy-dispersive spectrometer is built around an array of several hundred transition-edge sensors (TESs). TESs are superconducting thin films that are biased into their superconducting-to-normal-metal transitions. The spectrometers share a common readout architecture and many design elements, such as a compact, 65 mK detector package, 8-column time-division-multiplexed superconducting quantum-interference device readout, and a liquid-cryogen-free cryogenic system that is a two-stage adiabatic-demagnetization refrigerator backed by a pulse-tube cryocooler. We have adapted this flexible architecture to mate to a variety of sample chambers and measurement systems that encompass a range of observing geometries. There are two different types of TES pixels employed. The first, designed for X-ray energies below 10 keV, has a best demonstrated energy resolution of 2.1 eV (full-width-at-half-maximum or FWHM) at 5.9 keV. The second, designed for X-ray energies below 2 keV, has a best demonstrated resolution of 1.0 eV (FWHM) at 500 eV. Our team has now deployed seven of these X-ray spectrometers to a variety of light sources, accelerator facilities, and laboratory-scale experiments; these seven spectrometers have already performed measurements related to their applications. Another five of these spectrometers will come online in the near future. We have applied our TES spectrometers to the following measurement applications: synchrotron-based absorption and emission spectroscopy and energy-resolved scattering

A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science.

PubMed

Doriese, W B; Abbamonte, P; Alpert, B K; Bennett, D A; Denison, E V; Fang, Y; Fischer, D A; Fitzgerald, C P; Fowler, J W; Gard, J D; Hays-Wehle, J P; Hilton, G C; Jaye, C; McChesney, J L; Miaja-Avila, L; Morgan, K M; Joe, Y I; O'Neil, G C; Reintsema, C D; Rodolakis, F; Schmidt, D R; Tatsuno, H; Uhlig, J; Vale, L R; Ullom, J N; Swetz, D S

2017-05-01

We describe a series of microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometers designed for a broad suite of measurement applications. The chief advantage of this type of spectrometer is that it can be orders of magnitude more efficient at collecting X-rays than more traditional high-resolution spectrometers that rely on wavelength-dispersive techniques. This advantage is most useful in applications that are traditionally photon-starved and/or involve radiation-sensitive samples. Each energy-dispersive spectrometer is built around an array of several hundred transition-edge sensors (TESs). TESs are superconducting thin films that are biased into their superconducting-to-normal-metal transitions. The spectrometers share a common readout architecture and many design elements, such as a compact, 65 mK detector package, 8-column time-division-multiplexed superconducting quantum-interference device readout, and a liquid-cryogen-free cryogenic system that is a two-stage adiabatic-demagnetization refrigerator backed by a pulse-tube cryocooler. We have adapted this flexible architecture to mate to a variety of sample chambers and measurement systems that encompass a range of observing geometries. There are two different types of TES pixels employed. The first, designed for X-ray energies below 10 keV, has a best demonstrated energy resolution of 2.1 eV (full-width-at-half-maximum or FWHM) at 5.9 keV. The second, designed for X-ray energies below 2 keV, has a best demonstrated resolution of 1.0 eV (FWHM) at 500 eV. Our team has now deployed seven of these X-ray spectrometers to a variety of light sources, accelerator facilities, and laboratory-scale experiments; these seven spectrometers have already performed measurements related to their applications. Another five of these spectrometers will come online in the near future. We have applied our TES spectrometers to the following measurement applications: synchrotron-based absorption and emission spectroscopy and energy-resolved scattering

Pump–probe spectrometer for measuring x-ray induced strain

DOE PAGES

Loether, A.; Adams, B. W.; DiCharia, A.; ...

2016-04-20

A hard x-ray pump–probe spectrometer using a multi-crystal Bragg reflector is demonstrated at a third generation synchrotron source. This device derives both broadband pump and monochromatic probe pulses directly from a single intense, broadband x-ray pulse centered at 8.767 keV. In conclusion, we present a proof-of-concept experiment which directly measures x-ray induced crystalline lattice strain.

A von Hamos x-ray spectrometer based on a segmented-type diffraction crystal for single-shot x-ray emission spectroscopy and time-resolved resonant inelastic x-ray scattering studies

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

Szlachetko, J.; Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-406 Kielce; Nachtegaal, M.

2012-10-15

We report on the design and performance of a wavelength-dispersive type spectrometer based on the von Hamos geometry. The spectrometer is equipped with a segmented-type crystal for x-ray diffraction and provides an energy resolution in the order of 0.25 eV and 1 eV over an energy range of 8000 eV-9600 eV. The use of a segmented crystal results in a simple and straightforward crystal preparation that allows to preserve the spectrometer resolution and spectrometer efficiency. Application of the spectrometer for time-resolved resonant inelastic x-ray scattering and single-shot x-ray emission spectroscopy is demonstrated.

Atmospheric electron-induced x-ray spectrometer development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilcox, Jaroslava Z.; Urgiles, Eduardo; Toda, Risaku; Crisp, Joy

2005-01-01

This paper extends the work reported at the IEEE Aerospace conference in 2001 and 2003 where the concept and progress in the development of the so called atmospheric Electron X-ray Spectrometer (AEXS) has been described.

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Ken; Winebarger, Amy R.; Savage, Sabrina; Champey, Patrick; Cheimets, Peter N.; Hertz, Edward; Bruccoleri, Alexander R.; Golub, Leon; Ramsey, Brian; Ranganathan, Jaganathan; Marquez, Vanessa; Allured, Ryan; Parker, Theodore; Heilmann, Ralf K.; Schattenburg, Mark L.

2017-08-01

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a NASA sounding rocket instrument designed to obtain spatially resolved soft X-ray spectra of the solar atmosphere in the 6-24 Å (0.5-2.0 keV) range. The instrument consists of a single shell Wolter Type-I telescope, a slit, and a spectrometer comprising a matched pair of grazing incidence parabolic mirrors and a planar varied-line space diffraction grating. The instrument is designed to achieve a 50 mÅ spectral resolution and 5 arcsecond spatial resolution along a +/-4-arcminute long slit, and launch is planned for 2019. We report on the status and our approaches for fabrication and alignment for this novel optical system. The telescope and spectrometer mirrors are replicated nickel shells, and are currently being fabricated at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The diffraction grating is currently under development by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); because of the strong line spacing variation across the grating, it will be fabricated through e-beam lithography.

Rest-wavelength fiducials for the ITER core imaging x-ray spectrometer.

PubMed

Beiersdorfer, P; Brown, G V; Graf, A T; Bitter, M; Hill, K W; Kelley, R L; Kilbourne, C A; Leutenegger, M A; Porter, F S

2012-10-01

Absolute wavelength references are needed to derive the plasma velocities from the Doppler shift of a given line emitted by a moving plasma. We show that such reference standards exist for the strongest x-ray line in neonlike W(64+), which has become the line of choice for the ITER (Latin "the way") core imaging x-ray spectrometer. Close-by standards are the Hf Lβ(3) line and the Ir Lα(2) line, which bracket the W(64+) line by ±30 eV; other standards are given by the Ir Lα(1) and Lα(2) lines and the Hf Lβ(1) and Lβ(2) lines, which bracket the W(64+) line by ±40 and ±160 eV, respectively. The reference standards can be produced by an x-ray tube built into the ITER spectrometer. We present spectra of the reference lines obtained with an x-ray microcalorimeter and compare them to spectra of the W(64+) line obtained both with an x-ray microcalorimeter and a crystal spectrometer.

Rest-wavelength Fiducials for the ITER Core Imaging X-ray Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beiersdorfer, P.; Brown, G. V.; Graf, A. T.; Bitter, M.; Hill, K. W.; Kelley, R. L.; Kilbourne, C. A.; Leutenegger, M. A.; Porter, F. S.

2012-01-01

Absolute wavelength references are needed to derive the plasma velocities from the Doppler shift of a given line emitted by a moving plasma. We show that such reference standards exist for the strongest x-ray line in neonlike W64+, which has become the line of choice for the ITER (Latin the way) core imaging x-ray spectrometer. Close-by standards are the Hf L3 line and the Ir L2 line, which bracket the W64+ line by 30 eV; other standards are given by the Ir L1 and L2 lines and the Hf L1 and L2 lines, which bracket the W64+ line by 40 and 160 eV, respectively. The reference standards can be produced by an x-ray tube built into the ITER spectrometer. We present spectra of the reference lines obtained with an x-ray microcalorimeter and compare them to spectra of the W64+ line obtained both with an x-ray microcalorimeter and a crystal spectrometer

Venus Measurements by the MESSENGER Gamma-Ray and X-Ray Spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhodes, E. A.; Starr, R. D.; Goldsten, J. O.; Schlemm, C. E.; Boynton, W. V.

2007-12-01

The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS), which is a part of the Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer Instrument, and the X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) on the MESSENGER spacecraft made calibration measurements during the Venus flyby on June 5, 2007. The purpose of these instruments is to determine elemental abundances on the surface of Mercury. The GRS measures gamma-rays emitted from element interactions with cosmic rays impinging on the surface, while the XRS measures X-ray emissions induced on the surface by the incident solar flux. The GRS sensor is a high-resolution high-purity Ge detector cooled by a Stirling cryocooler, surrounded by a borated-plastic anticoincidence shield. The GRS is sensitive to gamma-rays up to ~10 MeV and can identify most major elements, sampling down to depths of about ten centimeters. Only the shield was powered on for this flyby in order to conserve cooler lifetime. Gamma-rays were observed coming from Venus as well as from the spacecraft. Although the Venus gamma-rays originate from its thick atmosphere rather than its surface, the GRS data from this encounter will provide useful calibration data from a source of known composition. In particular, the data will be useful for determining GRS sensitivity and pointing options for the Mercury flybys, the first of which will be in January 2008. The X-ray spectrum of a planetary surface is dominated by a combination of the fluorescence and scattered solar X-rays. The most prominent fluorescent lines are the Kα lines from the major elements Mg, Al, Si, S, Ca, Ti, and Fe (1-10 keV). The sampling depth is less than 100 u m. The XRS is similar in design to experiments flown on Apollo 15 and 16 and the NEAR-Shoemaker mission. Three large-area gas-proportional counters view the planet, and a small Si-PIN detector mounted on the spacecraft sunshade monitors the Sun. The energy resolution of the gas proportional counters (~850 eV at 5.9 keV) is sufficient to resolve the X-ray lines above 2 keV, but Al and Mg

X-MIME: An Imaging X-ray Spectrometer for Detailed Study of Jupiter's Icy Moons and the Planet's X-ray Aurora

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, R. F.; Ramsey, B. D.; Waite, J. H.; Rehak, P.; Johnson, R. E.; Cooper, J. F.; Swartz, D. A.

2004-01-01

Remote observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the XMM-Newton Observatory have shown that the Jovian system is a source of x-rays with a rich and complicated structure. The planet's polar auroral zones and its disk are powerful sources of x-ray emission. Chandra observations revealed x-ray emission from the Io Plasma Torus and from the Galilean moons Io, Europa, and possibly Ganymede. The emission from these moons is certainly due to bombardment of their surfaces of highly energetic protons, oxygen and sulfur ions from the region near the Torus exciting atoms in their surfaces and leading to fluorescent x-ray emission lines. Although the x-ray emission from the Galilean moons is faint when observed from Earth orbit, an imaging x-ray spectrometer in orbit around these moons, operating at 200 eV and above with 150 eV energy resolution, would provide a detailed mapping (down to 40 m spatial resolution) of the elemental composition in their surfaces. Such maps would provide important constraints on formation and evolution scenarios for the surfaces of these moons. Here we describe the characteristics of X-MIME, an imaging x-ray spectrometer under going a feasibility study for the JIMO mission, with the ultimate goal of providing unprecedented x-ray studies of the elemental composition of the surfaces of Jupiter's icy moons and Io, as well as of Jupiter's auroral x-ray emission.

Direct measurement of clinical mammographic x-ray spectra using a CdTe spectrometer.

PubMed

Santos, Josilene C; Tomal, Alessandra; Furquim, Tânia A; Fausto, Agnes M F; Nogueira, Maria S; Costa, Paulo R

2017-07-01

To introduce and evaluate a method developed for the direct measurement of mammographic x-ray spectra using a CdTe spectrometer. The assembly of a positioning system and the design of a simple and customized alignment device for this application is described. A positioning system was developed to easily and accurately locate the CdTe detector in the x-ray beam. Additionally, an alignment device to line up the detector with the central axis of the radiation beam was designed. Direct x-ray spectra measurements were performed in two different clinical mammography units and the measured x-ray spectra were compared with computer-generated spectra. In addition, the spectrometer misalignment effect was evaluated by comparing the measured spectra when this device is aligned relatively to when it is misaligned. The positioning and alignment of the spectrometer have allowed the measurements of direct mammographic x-ray spectra in agreement with computer-generated spectra. The most accurate x-ray spectral shape, related with the minimal HVL value, and high photon fluence for measured spectra was found with the spectrometer aligned according to the proposed method. The HVL values derived from both simulated and measured x-ray spectra differ at most 1.3 and 4.5% for two mammography devices evaluated in this study. The experimental method developed in this work allows simple positioning and alignment of a spectrometer for x-ray spectra measurements given the geometrical constraints and maintenance of the original configurations of mammography machines. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Hard X-ray and low-energy gamma-ray spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gehrels, N.; Crannell, C. J.; Orwig, L. E.; Forrest, D. J.; Lin, R. P.; Starr, R.

1988-01-01

Basic principles of operation and characteristics of scintillation and semi-conductor detectors used for solar hard X-ray and gamma-ray spectrometers are presented. Scintillation materials such as NaI offer high stopping power for incident gamma rays, modest energy resolution, and relatively simple operation. They are, to date, the most often used detector in solar gamma-ray spectroscopy. The scintillator BGO has higher stopping power than NaI, but poorer energy resolution. The primary advantage of semi-conductor materials such as Ge is their high-energy resolution. Monte-Carlo simulations of the response of NaI and Ge detectors to model solar flare inputs show the benefit of high resoluton for studying spectral lines. No semi-conductor material besides Ge is currently available with adequate combined size and purity to make general-use hard X-ray and gamma-ray detectors for solar studies.

Thermal detectors as single photon X-ray spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moseley, S. H.; Kelley, R. L.; Mather, J. C.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Szymkowiak, A. E.; Mccammon, D.

1985-01-01

In a thermal detector employed for X-ray spectroscopy applications, the energy of an X-ray is converted to heat in a small mass, and the energy of that X-ray inferred from the size of the temperature rise. The present investigation is concerned with the possibility to make an extremely low heat capacity calorimeter which can be employed as a thermal detector. Several types of calorimeters were fabricated and tested at temperatures as low as approximately 0.05 K. The obtained devices make use of thermistors constructed of melt-doped silicon, nuclear transmutation doped (NTD) germanium, and ion-implanted silicon with a variety of materials for the support and electrical leads. The utility of these microcalorimeters as X-ray spectrometers could be verified.

High Resolution, Non-Dispersive X-Ray Calorimeter Spectrometers on EBITs and Orbiting Observatories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, Frederick S.

2010-01-01

X-ray spectroscopy is the primary tool for performing atomic physics with Electron beam ion trap (EBITs). X-ray instruments have generally fallen into two general categories, 1) dispersive instruments with very high spectral resolving powers but limited spectral range, limited count rates, and require an entrance slit, generally, for EBITs, defined by the electron beam itself, and 2) non-dispersive solid-state detectors with much lower spectral resolving powers but that have a broad dynamic range, high count rate ability and do not require a slit. Both of these approaches have compromises that limit the type and efficiency of measurements that can be performed. In 1984 NASA initiated a program to produce a non-dispersive instrument with high spectral resolving power for x-ray astrophysics based on the cryogenic x-ray calorimeter. This program produced the XRS non-dispersive spectrometers on the Astro-E, Astro-E2 (Suzaku) orbiting observatories, the SXS instrument on the Astro-H observatory, and the planned XMS instrument on the International X-ray Observatory. Complimenting these spaceflight programs, a permanent high-resolution x-ray calorimeter spectrometer, the XRS/EBIT, was installed on the LLNL EBIT in 2000. This unique instrument was upgraded to a spectral resolving power of 1000 at 6 keV in 2003 and replaced by a nearly autonomous production-class spectrometer, the EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS), in 2007. The ECS spectrometer has a simultaneous bandpass from 0.07 to over 100 keV with a spectral resolving power of 1300 at 6 keV with unit quantum efficiency, and 1900 at 60 keV with a quantum efficiency of 30%. X-ray calorimeters are event based, single photon spectrometers with event time tagging to better than 10 us. We are currently developing a follow-on instrument based on a newer generation of x-ray calorimeters with a spectral resolving power of 3000 at 6 keV, and improved timing and measurement cadence. The unique capabilities of the x-ray

Study of X-ray transients with Scanning Sky Monitor (SSM) onboard AstroSat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramadevi, M. C.; Ravishankar, B. T.; Sarwade, Abhilash R.; Vaishali, S.; Iyer, Nirmal Kumar; Nandi, Anuj; Girish, V.; Agarwal, Vivek Kumar; Baby, Blessy Elizabeth; Hasan, Mohammed; Seetha, S.; Bhattacharya, Dipankar

2018-02-01

Scanning Sky Monitor (SSM) onboard AstroSat is an X-ray sky monitor in the energy range 2.5-10 keV. SSM scans the sky for X-ray transient sources in this energy range of interest. If an X-ray transient source is detected in outburst by SSM, the information will be provided to the astronomical community for follow-up observations to do a detailed study of the source in various other bands. SSM instrument, since its power-ON in orbit, has observed a number of X-ray sources. This paper discusses observations of few X-ray transients by SSM. The flux reported by SSM for few sources during its Performance Verification phase (PV phase) is studied and the results are discussed.

Cosmic gamma-ray bursts detected in the RELEC experiment onboard the Vernov satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogomolov, A. V.; Bogomolov, V. V.; Iyudin, A. F.; Kuznetsova, E. A.; Minaev, P. Yu.; Panasyuk, M. I.; Pozanenko, A. S.; Prokhorov, A. V.; Svertilov, S. I.; Chernenko, A. M.

2017-08-01

The RELEC scientific instrumentation onboard the Vernov spacecraft launched on July 8, 2014, included the DRGE gamma-ray and electron spectrometer. This instrument incorporates a set of scintillation phoswich detectors, including four identical X-ray and gamma-ray detectors in the energy range from 10 keV to 3 MeV with a total area of 500 cm2 directed toward the nadir, and an electron spectrometer containing three mutually orthogonal detector units with a geometry factor of 2 cm2 sr, which is also sensitive to X-rays and gamma-rays. The goal of the space experiment with the DRGE instrument was to investigate phenomena with fast temporal variability, in particular, terrestrial gammaray flashes (TGFs) and magnetospheric electron precipitations. However, the detectors of the DRGE instrument could record cosmic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and allowed one not only to perform a detailed analysis of the gamma-ray variability but also to compare the time profiles with the measurements made by other instruments of the RELEC scientific instrumentation (the detectors of optical and ultraviolet flashes, the radio-frequency and low-frequency analyzers of electromagnetic field parameters). We present the results of our observations of cosmicGRB 141011A and GRB 141104A, compare the parameters obtained in the GBM/Fermi and KONUS-Wind experiments, and estimate the redshifts and E iso for the sources of these GRBs. The detectability of GRBs and good agreement between the independent estimates of their parameters obtained in various experiments are important factors of the successful operation of similar detectors onboard the Lomonosov spacecraft.

Laboratory-based micro-X-ray fluorescence setup using a von Hamos crystal spectrometer and a focused beam X-ray tube

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

Kayser, Y., E-mail: yves.kayser@psi.ch; Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen-PSI; Błachucki, W.

2014-04-15

The high-resolution von Hamos bent crystal spectrometer of the University of Fribourg was upgraded with a focused X-ray beam source with the aim of performing micro-sized X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements in the laboratory. The focused X-ray beam source integrates a collimating optics mounted on a low-power micro-spot X-ray tube and a focusing polycapillary half-lens placed in front of the sample. The performances of the setup were probed in terms of spatial and energy resolution. In particular, the fluorescence intensity and energy resolution of the von Hamos spectrometer equipped with the novel micro-focused X-ray source and a standard high-power water-cooled X-raymore » tube were compared. The XRF analysis capability of the new setup was assessed by measuring the dopant distribution within the core of Er-doped SiO{sub 2} optical fibers.« less

X-ray evaluation of crystals for stellar spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexandropolos, N. G. (Editor)

1974-01-01

The report consists of three parts. The first part is an analysis of the principles involved in X-ray crystal evaluation and how they are applied to a number of crystals. The principles of crystal evaluation analysis as they apply to the special problems of X-ray astronomy are presented. A number of crystals were evaluated, and the energy dependence of the diffraction properties of (002) PET, (111) Ge, (101) ADP, (001) KAP, and (001) RAP are reported. The second part is a compilation of the diffraction properties of a number of crystals as reported by other authors. In the third part some technical details of a triple crystal spectrometer built by the author at Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn are given. This spectrometer seems to be a most appropriate instrument for evaluation of crystal properties. (Modified author abstract)

A compact high-resolution X-ray ion mobility spectrometer

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

Reinecke, T.; Kirk, A. T.; Heptner, A.

For the ionization of gaseous samples, most ion mobility spectrometers employ radioactive ionization sources, e.g., containing {sup 63}Ni or {sup 3}H. Besides legal restrictions, radioactive materials have the disadvantage of a constant radiation with predetermined intensity. In this work, we replaced the {sup 3}H source of our previously described high-resolution ion mobility spectrometer with 75 mm drift tube length with a commercially available X-ray source. It is shown that the current configuration maintains the resolving power of R = 100 which was reported for the original setup containing a {sup 3}H source. The main advantage of an X-ray source ismore » that the intensity of the radiation can be adjusted by varying its operating parameters, i.e., filament current and acceleration voltage. At the expense of reduced resolving power, the sensitivity of the setup can be increased by increasing the activity of the source. Therefore, the performance of the setup can be adjusted to the specific requirements of any application. To investigate the relation between operating parameters of the X-Ray source and the performance of the ion mobility spectrometer, parametric studies of filament current and acceleration voltage are performed and the influence on resolving power, peak height, and noise is analyzed.« less

A preliminary design study for a cosmic X-ray spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The results are described of theoretical and experimental investigations aimed at the development of a curved crystal cosmic X-ray spectrometer to be used at the focal plane of the large orbiting X-ray telescope on the third High Energy Astronomical Observatory. The effort was concentrated on the development of spectrometer concepts and their evaluation by theoretical analysis, computer simulation, and laboratory testing with breadboard arrangements of crystals and detectors. In addition, a computer-controlled facility for precision testing and evaluation of crystals in air and vacuum was constructed. A summary of research objectives and results is included.

The hard X-ray burst spectrometer event listing, 1980 - 1985

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennis, B. R.; Orwig, L. E.; Kiplinger, A. L.; Gibson, B. R.; Kennard, G. S.; Tolbert, A. K.

1985-01-01

This event listing is a comprehensive reference for the hard X-ray bursts detected with the Hard X-Ray Burst Spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission from the time of launch on February 14, 1980 to September 1985. Over 8000 X-ray events were detected in the energy range from 30 to approx. 500 keV with the vast majority being solar flares. The listing includes the start time, peak time, duration and peak rate of each event.

The hard X-ray burst spectrometer event listing 1980-1987

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennis, B. R.; Orwig, L. E.; Kiplinger, A. L.; Schwartz, R. A.; Gibson, B. R.; Kennard, G. S.; Tolbert, A. K.; Biesecker, D. A.; Labow, G. J.; Shaver, A.

1988-01-01

This event listing is a comprehensive reference for the Hard X-ray bursts detected with the Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission from the time of launch 14 February 1980 to December 1987. Over 8600 X-ray events were detected in the energy range from 30 to approx. 600 keV with the vast majority being solar flares. The listing includes the start time, peak time, duration and peak rate of each event.

In-orbit performance of a helium dewar for the soft X-ray spectrometer onboard ASTRO-H

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Seiji; Miyaoka, Mikio; Kanao, Ken'ichi; Tsunematsu, Shoji; Otsuka, Kiyomi; Hoshika, Shunji; Narasaki, Katsuhiro; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Yamasaki, Noriko; Takei, Yoh; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Ezoe, Yuichiro; Sato, Yoichi; Okamoto, Atsushi; Noda, Hirofumi; DiPirro, Michael; Shirron, Peter

2018-04-01

ASTRO-H was an X-ray astronomy satellite that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) developed to study the evolution of the universe and physical phenomena yet to be discovered. The primary scientific instrument of ASTRO-H was the Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS). Its detectors were to be cooled to 50 m K using a complex cryogenic system with a multistage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and a cryogenic system developed by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. (SHI). SHI's cryogenic system was required to cool the ADR's heatsink to 1.3 K or less in orbit for three years or longer. To meet these requirements, SHI developed a hybrid cryogenic system consisting of a liquid helium tank, a 4 K Joule-Thomson cooler, and two two-stage Stirling coolers. ASTRO-H was launched from Tanegashima Space Center on February 17, 2016. The initial operation of the SXS cryogenic system in orbit was completed successfully. The cooling performance was as expected and could have exceeded the lifetime requirement of three years. This paper describes results of ground tests, results of top-off filling of superfluid liquid helium just before launch, and cooling performance in orbit.

Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer: A Science-Oriented, University 3U CubeSat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, James P.; Woods, Thomas N.; Caspi, Amir; Chamberlin, Phillip C.; Moore, Christopher; Jones, Andrew; Kohnert, Rick; Li, Xinlin; Palo, Scott; Solomon, Stanley C.

2016-01-01

The miniature x-ray solar spectrometer is a three-unit CubeSat developed at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Over 40 students contributed to the project with professional mentorship and technical contributions from professors in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at University of Colorado, Boulder and from Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics scientists and engineers. The scientific objective of the miniature x-ray solar spectrometer is to study processes in the dynamic sun, from quiet sun to solar flares, and to further understand how these changes in the sun influence the Earth's atmosphere by providing unique spectral measurements of solar soft x-rays. The enabling technology providing the advanced solar soft x-ray spectral measurements is the Amptek X123, a commercial off-the-shelf silicon drift detector. The Amptek X123 has a low mass (approx. 324 g after modification), modest power consumption (approx. 2.50 W), and small volume (6.86 x 9.91 x 2.54 cm), making it ideal for a CubeSat. This paper provides an overview of the miniature x-ray solar spectrometer mission: the science objectives, project history, subsystems, and lessons learned, which can be useful for the small-satellite community.

Mapping alpha-Particle X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (Map-X)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blake, D. F.; Sarrazin, P.; Bristow, T.

2014-01-01

Many planetary surface processes (like physical and chemical weathering, water activity, diagenesis, low-temperature or impact metamorphism, and biogenic activity) leave traces of their actions as features in the size range 10s to 100s of micron. The Mapping alpha-particle X-ray Spectrometer ("Map-X") is intended to provide chemical imaging at 2 orders of magnitude higher spatial resolution than previously flown instruments, yielding elemental chemistry at or below the scale length where many relict physical, chemical, and biological features can be imaged and interpreted in ancient rocks.

Ground Calibration of the Astro-H (Hitomi) Soft X-Ray Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eckart, M. E.; Adams, J. S.; Boyce, K. R.; Brown, G. V.; Chiao, Meng P.; Fujimoto, R. J.; Haas, D.; Den Herder, J. W.; Ishisaki, Y.; Kelley, R. L.;

A high-resolving-power x-ray spectrometer for the OMEGA EP Laser (invited)

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

Nilson, P. M., E-mail: pnil@lle.rochester.edu; Ehrne, F.; Mileham, C.

A high-resolving-power x-ray spectrometer has been developed for the OMEGA EP Laser System based on a spherically bent Si [220] crystal with a radius of curvature of 330 mm and a Spectral Instruments (SI) 800 Series charge-coupled device. The instrument measures time-integrated x-ray emission spectra in the 7.97- to 8.11-keV range, centered on the Cu K{sub α1} line. To demonstrate the performance of the spectrometer under high-power conditions, K{sub α1,2} emission spectra were measured from Cu foils irradiated by the OMEGA EP laser with 100-J, 1-ps pulses at focused intensities above 10{sup 18} W/cm{sup 2}. The ultimate goal is tomore » couple the spectrometer to a picosecond x-ray streak camera and measure temperature-equilibration dynamics inside rapidly heated materials. The plan for these ultrafast streaked x-ray spectroscopy studies is discussed.« less

X-ray rocking curve measurements of bent crystals. [used in High Resolution Spectrometer in Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hakim, M. B.; Muney, W. S.; Fowler, W. B.; Woodgate, B. E.

1988-01-01

A three-crystal laboratory X-ray spectrometer is used to measure the Bragg reflection from concave cylindrically curved crystals to be used in the high-resolution X-ray spectrometer of the NASA Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF). The first two crystals, in the dispersive (1.1) arrangement, select a narrow collimated monochromatic beam in the Cu K-alpha(1) line at 1.5 A (8.1 keV), which illuminates the test crystal. The angular centroids of rocking curves measured along the surface provide a measure of the conformity of the crystal to the desired radius of curvature. Individual and combined rocking-curve widths and areas provide a measure of the resolution and efficiency at 1.54 A. The crystals analyzed included LiF(200), PET, and acid phthalates such as TAP.

The effects of radiation damage on the spectral resolution of the Chandrayaan-1 x-ray spectrometer over the full mission duration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, T. E.; Smith, D. R.

2012-07-01

The Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS) was launched onboard the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission in October 2008. The instrument consisted of 24 swept-charge device silicon X-ray detectors providing a total collecting area of ~24 cm2, corresponding to a 14° field of view (FWHM), with the ability to measure X-rays from 0.8 - 10 keV. During the 10 months the spacecraft was located in orbit around the Moon a number of solar flare X-ray events were detected, along with calibration data from X-ray sources housed inside the movable door of the instrument. This paper presents a further study of the degradation in spectral resolution of the measured X-ray calibration lines, adding a final calibration point towards the end of mission lifetime to the known results from the midpoint of the mission, giving a more detailed analysis of the extent of the radiation damage. The radiation environment the detectors were subjected to is discussed in light of the actual radiation damage effects on the spectral resolution observed in flight.

Precision mechanical structure of an ultra-high-resolution spectrometer for inelastic X-ray scattering instrument

DOEpatents

Shu, Deming; Shvydko, Yuri; Stoupin, Stanislav A.; Khachatryan, Ruben; Goetze, Kurt A.; Roberts, Timothy

2015-04-14

A method and an ultrahigh-resolution spectrometer including a precision mechanical structure for positioning inelastic X-ray scattering optics are provided. The spectrometer includes an X-ray monochromator and an X-ray analyzer, each including X-ray optics of a collimating (C) crystal, a pair of dispersing (D) element crystals, anomalous transmission filter (F) and a wavelength (W) selector crystal. A respective precision mechanical structure is provided with the X-ray monochromator and the X-ray analyzer. The precision mechanical structure includes a base plate, such as an aluminum base plate; positioning stages for D-crystal alignment; positioning stages with an incline sensor for C/F/W-crystal alignment, and the positioning stages including flexure-based high-stiffness structure.

Study of high resolution x-ray spectrometer concepts for NIF experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Delgado-Aparicio, L.; Efthimion, P.; Gao, L.; Maddox, J.; Pablant, N. A.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Chen, H.; Coppari, F.; Ma, T.; Nora, R.; Scott, H.; Schneider, M.; Mancini, R.

2015-11-01

Options have been investigated for DIM-insertable (Diagnostic Instrument Manipulator) high resolution (E/ ΔE ~ 3000 - 5000) Bragg crystal x-ray spectrometers for experiments on the NIF. Of interest are time integrated Cu K- and Ta L-edge absorption spectra and time resolved Kr He- β emission from compressed symcaps for inference of electron temperature from dielectronic satellites and electron density from Stark broadening. Cylindrical and conical von Hamos, Johann, and advanced high throughput designs have been studied. Predicted x-ray intensities, spectrometer throughputs, spectral resolution, and spatial focusing properties, as well as lab evaluations of some spectrometer candidates will be presented. Performed under the auspices of the US DOE by PPPL under contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and by LLNL under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Modular soft x-ray spectrometer for applications in energy sciences and quantum materials

DOE PAGES

Chuang, Yi -De; Shao, Yu -Cheng; Cruz, Alejandro; ...

2017-01-27

Over the past decade, the advances in grating-based soft X-ray spectrometers have revolutionized the soft X-ray spectroscopies in materials research. However, these novel spectrometers are mostly dedicated designs, which cannot be easily adopted for applications with diverging demands. Here we present a versatile spectrometer design concept based on the Hettrick-Underwood optical scheme that uses modular mechanical components. The spectrometer’s optics chamber can be used with gratings operated in either inside or outside orders, and the detector assembly can be reconfigured accordingly. The spectrometer can be designed to have high spectral resolution, exceeding 10 000 resolving power when using small sourcemore » (~1μm) and detector pixels (~5μm) with high line density gratings (~3000 lines/mm), or high throughput at moderate resolution. We report two such spectrometers with slightly different design goals and optical parameters in this paper. We show that the spectrometer with high throughput and large energy window is particularly useful for studying the sustainable energy materials. We demonstrate that the extensive resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) map of battery cathode material LiNi 1/3Co 1/3Mn 1/3O 2 can be produced in few hours using such a spectrometer. Unlike analyzing only a handful of RIXS spectra taken at selected excitation photon energies across the elemental absorption edges to determine various spectral features like the localized dd excitations and non-resonant fluorescence emissions, these features can be easily identified in the RIXS maps. Studying such RIXS maps could reveal novel transition metal redox in battery compounds that are sometimes hard to be unambiguously identified in X-ray absorption and emission spectra. As a result, we propose that this modular spectrometer design can serve as the platform for further customization to meet specific scientific demands.« less

Modular soft x-ray spectrometer for applications in energy sciences and quantum materials

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

Chuang, Yi -De; Shao, Yu -Cheng; Cruz, Alejandro

Over the past decade, the advances in grating-based soft X-ray spectrometers have revolutionized the soft X-ray spectroscopies in materials research. However, these novel spectrometers are mostly dedicated designs, which cannot be easily adopted for applications with diverging demands. Here we present a versatile spectrometer design concept based on the Hettrick-Underwood optical scheme that uses modular mechanical components. The spectrometer’s optics chamber can be used with gratings operated in either inside or outside orders, and the detector assembly can be reconfigured accordingly. The spectrometer can be designed to have high spectral resolution, exceeding 10 000 resolving power when using small sourcemore » (~1μm) and detector pixels (~5μm) with high line density gratings (~3000 lines/mm), or high throughput at moderate resolution. We report two such spectrometers with slightly different design goals and optical parameters in this paper. We show that the spectrometer with high throughput and large energy window is particularly useful for studying the sustainable energy materials. We demonstrate that the extensive resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) map of battery cathode material LiNi 1/3Co 1/3Mn 1/3O 2 can be produced in few hours using such a spectrometer. Unlike analyzing only a handful of RIXS spectra taken at selected excitation photon energies across the elemental absorption edges to determine various spectral features like the localized dd excitations and non-resonant fluorescence emissions, these features can be easily identified in the RIXS maps. Studying such RIXS maps could reveal novel transition metal redox in battery compounds that are sometimes hard to be unambiguously identified in X-ray absorption and emission spectra. As a result, we propose that this modular spectrometer design can serve as the platform for further customization to meet specific scientific demands.« less

The Astro-H High Resolution Soft X-Ray Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelley, Richard L.; Akamatsu, Hiroki; Azzarell, Phillip; Bialas, Tom; Boyce, Kevin R.; Brown, Gregory V.; Canavan, Edgar; Chiao, Meng P.; Costantini, Elisa; DiPirro, Michael J.;

The Astro-H high resolution soft x-ray spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelley, Richard L.; Akamatsu, Hiroki; Azzarello, Phillipp; Bialas, Tom; Boyce, Kevin R.; Brown, Gregory V.; Canavan, Edgar; Chiao, Meng P.; Costantini, Elisa; DiPirro, Michael J.; Eckart, Megan E.; Ezoe, Yuichiro; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Haas, Daniel; den Herder, Jan-Willem; Hoshino, Akio; Ishikawa, Kumi; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Iyomoto, Naoko; Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Kimball, Mark O.; Kitamoto, Shunji; Konami, Saori; Koyama, Shu; Leutenegger, Maurice A.; McCammon, Dan; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Moseley, Harvey; Murakami, Hiroshi; Murakami, Masahide; Noda, Hirofumi; Ogawa, Mina; Ohashi, Takaya; Okamoto, Atsushi; Ota, Naomi; Paltani, Stéphane; Porter, F. S.; Sakai, Kazuhiro; Sato, Kosuke; Sato, Yohichi; Sawada, Makoto; Seta, Hiromi; Shinozaki, Keisuke; Shirron, Peter J.; Sneiderman, Gary A.; Sugita, Hiroyuki; Szymkowiak, Andrew E.; Takei, Yoh; Tamagawa, Toru; Tashiro, Makoto; Terada, Yukikatsu; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; de Vries, Cor P.; Yamada, Shinya; Yamasaki, Noriko Y.; Yatsu, Yoichi

2016-07-01

We present the overall design and performance of the Astro-H (Hitomi) Soft X-Ray Spectrometer (SXS). The instrument uses a 36-pixel array of x-ray microcalorimeters at the focus of a grazing-incidence x-ray mirror Soft X-Ray Telescope (SXT) for high-resolution spectroscopy of celestial x-ray sources. The instrument was designed to achieve an energy resolution better than 7 eV over the 0.3-12 keV energy range and operate for more than 3 years in orbit. The actual energy resolution of the instrument is 4-5 eV as demonstrated during extensive ground testing prior to launch and in orbit. The measured mass flow rate of the liquid helium cryogen and initial fill level at launch predict a lifetime of more than 4 years assuming steady mechanical cooler performance. Cryogen-free operation was successfully demonstrated prior to launch. The successful operation of the SXS in orbit, including the first observations of the velocity structure of the Perseus cluster of galaxies, demonstrates the viability and power of this technology as a tool for astrophysics.

The X-ray Spectrometer - A cryogenic instrument on the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breon, Susan R.; Hopkins, Richard A.; Nieczkoski, Stephen J.

1991-01-01

The X-ray Spectrometer (XRS) is an instrument on the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), the third of NASA's Great Observatories scheduled for launch in 1998. The XRS detectors have a resolution of approximately 10 eV over the range 0.3 - 10 keV. To achieve this resolution, the detectors are maintained at or below 0.1 Kelvin using an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator inside a superfluid helium dewar. In addition, split-Stirling-cycle mechanical coolers are used to extend the anticipated on-orbit helium lifetime to a minimum of 4 years. This paper describes the challenges of developing this hybrid cryogenic system and presents an overview of the current design of the system.

Preliminary testing of a prototype portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patten, L. L.; Anderson, N. B.; Stevenson, J. J.

1982-01-01

A portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer for use as an analyzer in mineral resource investigative work was built and tested. The prototype battery powered spectrometer, measuring 11 by 12 by 5 inches and weighing only about 15 pounds, was designed specifically for field use. The spectrometer has two gas proportional counters and two radioactive sources, Cd (10a) and Fe (55). Preliminary field and laboratory tests on rock specimens and rock pulps have demonstrated the capability of the spectrometer to detect 33 elements to date. Characteristics of the system present some limitations, however, and further improvements are recommended.

High Performance Non-Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometers for Charge Exchange Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter Frederick; Adams, J.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Brown, G. V.; Karkatoua, D.; Kelley, R. L.; Kilbourne, C. A.; Lautenagger, M.

2010-01-01

Currently, the only measurements of cosmological charge exchange have been made using low resolution, non-dispersive spectrometers like the PSPC on ROSAT and the CCD instruments on Chandra and XMM/Newton. However, upcoming cryogenic spectrometers on Astro-H and IXO will add vast new capabilities to investigate charge exchange in local objects such as comets and planetary atmospheres. They may also allow us to observe charge exchange in extra-solar objects such as galactic supernova remnants. With low spectral resolution instruments such as CCDs, x-ray emission due to charge exchange recombination really only provides information on the acceptor species, such as the solar wind. With the new breed of x-ray calorimeter instruments, emission from charge exchange becomes highly diagnostic allowing one to uniquely determine the acceptor species, ionization state, donor species and ionization state, and the relative velocity of the interaction. We will describe x-ray calorimeter instrumentation and its potential for charge exchange measurements in the near term. We will also touch on the instrumentation behind a decade of high resolution measurements of charge exchange using an x-ray calorimeter at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Two Years of Chemical Sampling on Meridiani Planum by the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer Onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bruckner, J.; Gellert, R.; Clark, B.C.; Dreibus, G.; Rieder, R.; Wanke, H.; d'Uston, C.; Economou, T.; Klingelhofer, G.; Lugmair, G.;

In-flight performance of pulse-processing system of the ASTRO-H/Hitomi soft x-ray spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Yamada, Shinya; Seta, Hiromi; Tashiro, Makoto S.; Takeda, Sawako; Terada, Yukikatsu; Kato, Yuka; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Koyama, Shu; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Sawada, Makoto; Boyce, Kevin R.; Chiao, Meng P.; Watanabe, Tomomi; Leutenegger, Maurice A.; Eckart, Megan E.; Porter, Frederick Scott; Kilbourne, Caroline Anne

2018-01-01

We summarize results of the initial in-orbit performance of the pulse shape processor (PSP) of the soft x-ray spectrometer instrument onboard ASTRO-H (Hitomi). Event formats, kind of telemetry, and the pulse-processing parameters are described, and the parameter settings in orbit are listed. The PSP was powered-on 2 days after launch, and the event threshold was lowered in orbit. The PSP worked fine in orbit, and there was neither memory error nor SpaceWire communication error until the break-up of spacecraft. Time assignment, electrical crosstalk, and the event screening criteria are studied. It is confirmed that the event processing rate at 100% central processing unit load is ˜200 c / s / array, compliant with the requirement on the PSP.

The differential absorption hard x-ray spectrometer at the Z facility

DOE PAGES

Bell, Kate S.; Coverdale, Christine A.; Ampleford, David J.; ...

2017-08-03

The Differential Absorption Hard X-ray (DAHX) spectrometer is a diagnostic developed to measure time-resolved radiation between 60 keV and 2 MeV at the Z Facility. It consists of an array of 7 Si PIN diodes in a tungsten housing that provides collimation and coarse spectral resolution through differential filters. DAHX is a revitalization of the Hard X-Ray Spectrometer (HXRS) that was fielded on Z prior to refurbishment in 2006. DAHX has been tailored to the present radiation environment in Z to provide information on the power, spectral shape, and time profile of the hard emission by plasma radiation sources drivenmore » by the Z Machine.« less

The hard X-ray burst spectrometer event listing 1980, 1981 and 1982

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennis, B. R.; Frost, K. J.; Orwig, L. E.; Kiplinger, A.; Dennis, H. E.; Gibson, B. R.; Kennard, G. S.; Tolbert, A. K.

1983-01-01

A comprehensive reference for the hard X-ray bursts detected with the Hard X-Ray Burst Spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission for the time of launch on February 14, 1980 to March 1983 is provided. Over 6300 X-ray events were detected in the energy range from 30 to approx 500 keV with the vast majority being solar flares. The listing includes the start time, peak time, duration and peak rate of each event.

SPECTIX, a PETAL+ X-ray spectrometer: design, calibration and preliminary tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reverdin, C.; Bastiani, S.; Batani, D.; Brambrink, E.; Boutoux, G.; Duval, A.; Hulin, S.; Jakubowska, K.; Koenig, M.; Lantuéjoul-Thfoin, I.; Lecherbourg, L.; Szabo, C. I.; Vauzour, B.

2018-01-01

The present article describes the design, the calibration and preliminary tests of the X-ray transmission crystal spectrometer SPECTIX (Spectromètre PEtal à Cristaux en Transmission X) built in the framework of the PETAL (PETawatt Aquitaine Laser) project and located in the Laser MégaJoule (LMJ) facility [1,2]. SPECTIX aims at characterizing the hard x-ray Kα emission generated by the interaction of the PETAL ps ultra high-energy laser with a target. The broad spectral range covered by this spectrometer (7 to 150 keV) is achieved by using two measurement channels composed by two distinct crystals. Due to the harsh environment experienced by the spectrometer during a LMJ-PETAL shot, passive detection with image plates is used. Shielding has been dimensioned in order to protect the detector against PETAL shot products. It includes a magnetic dipole to remove electrons entering the spectrometer, a 20 mm thick tungsten frontal collimation and a 6 mm thick lead housing. The SPECTIX performances, including the shielding efficiency, have been tested during an experimental campain performed at the PICO 2000 laser facility at LULI. Improvements inferred from these tests are currently being implemented. Full commissioning of SPECTIX is planned on PETAL shots at the end of 2017.

LabVIEW control software for scanning micro-beam X-ray fluorescence spectrometer.

PubMed

Wrobel, Pawel; Czyzycki, Mateusz; Furman, Leszek; Kolasinski, Krzysztof; Lankosz, Marek; Mrenca, Alina; Samek, Lucyna; Wegrzynek, Dariusz

2012-05-15

Confocal micro-beam X-ray fluorescence microscope was constructed. The system was assembled from commercially available components - a low power X-ray tube source, polycapillary X-ray optics and silicon drift detector - controlled by an in-house developed LabVIEW software. A video camera coupled to optical microscope was utilized to display the area excited by X-ray beam. The camera image calibration and scan area definition software were also based entirely on LabVIEW code. Presently, the main area of application of the newly constructed spectrometer is 2-dimensional mapping of element distribution in environmental, biological and geological samples with micrometer spatial resolution. The hardware and the developed software can already handle volumetric 3-D confocal scans. In this work, a front panel graphical user interface as well as communication protocols between hardware components were described. Two applications of the spectrometer, to homogeneity testing of titanium layers and to imaging of various types of grains in air particulate matter collected on membrane filters, were presented. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis and implementation of a space resolving spherical crystal spectrometer for x-ray Thomson scattering experiments.

PubMed

Harding, E C; Ao, T; Bailey, J E; Loisel, G; Sinars, D B; Geissel, M; Rochau, G A; Smith, I C

2015-04-01

The application of a space-resolving spectrometer to X-ray Thomson Scattering (XRTS) experiments has the potential to advance the study of warm dense matter. This has motivated the design of a spherical crystal spectrometer, which is a doubly focusing geometry with an overall high sensitivity and the capability of providing high-resolution, space-resolved spectra. A detailed analysis of the image fluence and crystal throughput in this geometry is carried out and analytical estimates of these quantities are presented. This analysis informed the design of a new spectrometer intended for future XRTS experiments on the Z-machine. The new spectrometer collects 6 keV x-rays with a spherically bent Ge (422) crystal and focuses the collected x-rays onto the Rowland circle. The spectrometer was built and then tested with a foam target. The resulting high-quality spectra prove that a spherical spectrometer is a viable diagnostic for XRTS experiments.

Advanced X-ray Imaging Crystal Spectrometer for Magnetic Fusion Tokamak Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S. G.; Bak, J. G.; Bog, M. G.; Nam, U. W.; Moon, M. K.; Cheon, J. K.

2008-03-01

An advanced X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer is currently under development using a segmented position sensitive detector and time-to-digital converter (TDC) based delay-line readout electronics for burning plasma diagnostics. The proposed advanced XICS utilizes an eight-segmented position sensitive multi-wire proportional counter and supporting electronics to increase the spectrometer performance includes the photon count-rate capability and spatial resolution.

Calibration of the Microcalorimeter Spectrometer On-Board the Hitomi (Astro-H) Observatory (invited)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eckart, M. E.; Boyce, K. R.; Brown, G. V.; Chiao, M. P.; Fujimoto, R.; Haas, D.; Den Herder, J.-W.; Ishisaki, Y.; Kelley, R. L.; Kilbourne, C. A.;

The High Resolution Microcalorimeter Soft X-Ray Spectrometer for the Astro-H Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelley, Richard L.; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; den Herder, Jan-Willem A.; Aarts, Henri J. M.; Azzarello, Philipp; Boyce, Kevin R.; Brown, Gregory V.; Chiao, Meng P.; de Vries, Cor P.; DiPirro, Michael J.;

Designing the X-Ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer for Optimal Science Return

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ptak, Andrew; Bandler, Simon R.; Bookbinder, Jay; Kelley, Richard L.; Petre, Robert; Smith, Randall K.; Smith, Stephen

2013-01-01

Recent advances in X-ray microcalorimeters enable a wide range of possible focal plane designs for the X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (XMS) instrument on the future Advanced X-ray Spectroscopic Imaging Observatory (AXSIO) or X-ray Astrophysics Probe (XAP). Small pixel designs (75 microns) oversample a 5-10" PSF by a factor of 3-6 for a 10 m focal length, enabling observations at both high count rates and high energy resolution. Pixel designs utilizing multiple absorbers attached to single transition-edge sensors can extend the focal plane to cover a significantly larger field of view, albeit at a cost in maximum count rate and energy resolution. Optimizing the science return for a given cost and/or complexity is therefore a non-trivial calculation that includes consideration of issues such as the mission science drivers, likely targets, mirror size, and observing efficiency. We present a range of possible designs taking these factors into account and their impacts on the science return of future large effective-area X-ray spectroscopic missions.

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winebarger, A. R.; Savage, S. L.; Kobayashi, K.; Champey, P. R.; McKenzie, D. E.; Golub, L.; Testa, P.; Reeves, K.; Cheimets, P.; Cirtain, J. W.; Walsh, R. W.; Bradshaw, S. J.; Warren, H.; Mason, H. E.; Del Zanna, G.

2017-12-01

For over four decades, X-ray, EUV, and UV spectral observations have been used to measure physical properties of the solar atmosphere. At wavelengths below 10 nm, however, observations of the solar corona with simultaneous spatial and spectral resolution are limited, and not since the late 1970's have spatially resolved solar X-ray spectra been measured. Because the soft X-ray regime is dominated by emission lines formed at high temperatures, X-ray spectroscopic techniques yield insights to fundamental physical processes that are not accessible by any other means. Using a novel implementation of corrective optics, the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) will measure, for the first time, the solar spectrum from 0.6- 2.4 nm with a 6 arcsec resolution over an 8 arcmin slit. The MaGIXS mission will address on of the fundamental problems of coronal physics: the nature of coronal heating. There are several observables in the MaGIXS wavelength range that will constrain the heating frequency and hence discriminate between competing coronal heating theories. In this presentation, we will present the MaGIXS scientific motivation and provide an update on instrument development. MaGIXS will be launched from White Sands Missile Range in the summer of 2019.

Monolithic CMOS imaging x-ray spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenter, Almus; Kraft, Ralph; Gauron, Thomas; Murray, Stephen S.

2014-07-01

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) in collaboration with SRI/Sarnoff is developing monolithic CMOS detectors optimized for x-ray astronomy. The goal of this multi-year program is to produce CMOS x-ray imaging spectrometers that are Fano noise limited over the 0.1-10keV energy band while incorporating the many benefits of CMOS technology. These benefits include: low power consumption, radiation "hardness", high levels of integration, and very high read rates. Small format test devices from a previous wafer fabrication run (2011-2012) have recently been back-thinned and tested for response below 1keV. These devices perform as expected in regards to dark current, read noise, spectral response and Quantum Efficiency (QE). We demonstrate that running these devices at rates ~> 1Mpix/second eliminates the need for cooling as shot noise from any dark current is greatly mitigated. The test devices were fabricated on 15μm, high resistivity custom (~30kΩ-cm) epitaxial silicon and have a 16 by 192 pixel format. They incorporate 16μm pitch, 6 Transistor Pinned Photo Diode (6TPPD) pixels which have ~40μV/electron sensitivity and a highly parallel analog CDS signal chain. Newer, improved, lower noise detectors have just been fabricated (October 2013). These new detectors are fabricated on 9μm epitaxial silicon and have a 1k by 1k format. They incorporate similar 16μm pitch, 6TPPD pixels but have ~ 50% higher sensitivity and much (3×) lower read noise. These new detectors have undergone preliminary testing for functionality in Front Illuminated (FI) form and are presently being prepared for back thinning and packaging. Monolithic CMOS devices such as these, would be ideal candidate detectors for the focal planes of Solar, planetary and other space-borne x-ray astronomy missions. The high through-put, low noise and excellent low energy response, provide high dynamic range and good time resolution; bright, time varying x-ray features could be temporally and

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.

Double axis, two-crystal x-ray spectrometer.

PubMed

Erez, G; Kimhi, D; Livnat, A

1978-05-01

A two-crystal double axis x-ray spectrometer, capable of goniometric accuracy on the order of 0.1", has been developed. Some of its unique design features are presented. These include (1) a modified commercial thrust bearing which furnishes a precise, full circle theta:2theta coupling, (2) a new tangent drive system design in which a considerable reduction of the lead screw effective pitch is achieved, and (3) an automatic step scanning control which eliminates most of the mechanical deficiencies of the tangent drive by directly reading the tangent arm displacement.

A multi-cone x-ray imaging Bragg crystal spectrometer

DOE PAGES

Bitter, M.; Hill, K. W.; Gao, Lan; ...

2016-08-26

This article describes a new x-ray imaging Bragg crystal spectrometer, which—in combination with a streak camera or a gated strip detector—can be used for time-resolved measurements of x-ray line spectra at the National Ignition Facility and other high power laser facilities. The main advantage of this instrument is that it produces perfect images of a point source for each wavelength in a selectable spectral range and that the detector plane can be perpendicular to the crystal surface or inclined by an arbitrary angle with respect to the crystal surface. Furthermore, these unique imaging properties are obtained by bending the x-raymore » diffracting crystal into a certain shape, which is generated by arranging multiple cones with different aperture angles on a common nodal line.« less

Future Development Trajectories for Imaging X-rays Spectrometers Based on Microcalorimeters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Bandler, Simon R.

2013-01-01

Future development trajectories for imaging x-ray spectrometers based on microcalorimeters. Since their invention 30 years ago, the capability of X-ray microcalorimeters has increased steadily, with continual improvements in energy resolution, speed, and array size. Arrays of up to 1024 pixels have been produced, and resolution better than 1 eV at 1.5 keV has been achieved. These detectors can be optimized for the highest priority science, such as designing for the highest resolving power at low energies at the expense of dynamic range, or the greatest focal-plane coverage at the expense of speed. Three types of X-ray microcalorimeters presently dominate the field, each characterized by the thermometer technology. The first two types use temperature-sensitive resistors: semiconductors in the metal-insulator transition and superconductors operated in the superconducting-normal transition. The third type uses a magnetically coupled thermometer, and is at an earlier stage of development than the other two. The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) on Astro-H, expected to launch in 2015, will use an array of silicon thermistors with HgTe X-ray absorbers that will operate at 50 mK. Both the semiconductor and superconductor calorimeters have been implemented in small arrays. Kilopixel arrays of the superconducting calorimeters are being produced, and much larger arrays may require the non-dissipative advantage of magnetically coupled thermometers. I will project the development trajectories of these detectors and their read-out technologies and assess what their capabilities and limitations will be 10 - 20 years from now.

A seven-crystal Johann-type hard x-ray spectrometer at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource

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

Sokaras, D.; Weng, T.-C.; Nordlund, D.

2013-05-15

We present a multicrystal Johann-type hard x-ray spectrometer ({approx}5-18 keV) recently developed, installed, and operated at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource. The instrument is set at the wiggler beamline 6-2 equipped with two liquid nitrogen cooled monochromators - Si(111) and Si(311) - as well as collimating and focusing optics. The spectrometer consists of seven spherically bent crystal analyzers placed on intersecting vertical Rowland circles of 1 m of diameter. The spectrometer is scanned vertically capturing an extended backscattering Bragg angular range (88 Degree-Sign -74 Degree-Sign ) while maintaining all crystals on the Rowland circle trace. The instrument operates in atmosphericmore » pressure by means of a helium bag and when all the seven crystals are used (100 mm of projected diameter each), has a solid angle of about 0.45% of 4{pi} sr. The typical resolving power is in the order of (E/{Delta}E){approx}10 000. The spectrometer's high detection efficiency combined with the beamline 6-2 characteristics permits routine studies of x-ray emission, high energy resolution fluorescence detected x-ray absorption and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering of very diluted samples as well as implementation of demanding in situ environments.« less

The complete Hard X Ray Burst Spectrometer event list, 1980-1989

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennis, B. R.; Orwig, L. E.; Kennard, G. S.; Labow, G. J.; Schwartz, R. A.; Shaver, A. R.; Tolbert, A. K.

1991-01-01

This event list is a comprehensive reference for all Hard X ray bursts detected with the Hard X Ray Burst Spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission from the time of launch on Feb. 14, 1980 to the end of the mission in Dec. 1989. Some 12,776 events were detected in the energy range 30 to 600 keV with the vast majority being solar flares. This list includes the start time, peak time, duration, and peak rate of each event.

Apollo lunar orbital sciences program alpha and X-ray spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The development of the alpha and X-ray spectrometers which were used on the Apollo 15 and 16 flights is discussed. Specific subjects presented are: (1) lunar program management, (2) scientific and technical approach, (3) major test programs, (4) reliability, quality assurance, and safety, and (5) subcontract management.

Lightning x-rays inside thunderclouds, in-flight measurements on-board an A350

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Deursen, Alexander; Kochkin, Pavlo; de Boer, Alte; Bardet, Michiel; Boissin, Jean-François

2015-04-01

Thunderstorms emit bursts of energetic radiation. Moreover, lightning stepped leader produces x-ray pulses. The phenomena, their interrelation and impact on Earth's atmosphere and near space are not fully understood yet. The In-flight Lightning Strike Damage Assessment System ILDAS was developed in an EU FP6 project ( http://ildas.nlr.nl/ ) to provide information on threat that lightning poses to aircraft. It is intended to localize the lightning attachment points in order to reduce maintenance time and to build statics on lightning current. The system consists of 2 E-field sensors and a varying number of H-field sensors. It has recently been enhanced by two LaBr3 scintillation detectors inside the aircraft. The scintillation detectors are sensitive to x- and gamma-rays above 30 keV. The entire system is installed on-board of an A-350 aircraft and digitizes data with 100Msamples/sec rate when triggered by lightning. A continuously monitoring channel counts the number of occurrences that the x-ray signal exceeds a set of trigger levels. In the beginning of 2014 the aircraft flew through thunderstorm cells collecting the data from the sensors. The x-rays generated by the lightning flash are measured in synchronization better than 40 ns with the lightning current information during a period of 1 second around the strike. The continuous channel stores x-ray information with very limited time and amplitude resolution during the whole flight. That channel would allow x-rays from cosmic ray background, TGFs and continuous gamma-ray glow of thundercloud outside the 1 s time window. In the EGU2014 we presented the ILDAS system and showed that the x-ray detection works as intended. Fast x-ray bursts have been detected during stepped/dart stepped leaders and during interception of lightning. Data analysis of continuous channel recordings will be presented as well.

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.

Towards 10 meV resolution: The design of an ultrahigh resolution soft X-ray RIXS spectrometer

DOE PAGES

Dvorak, Joseph; Jarrige, Ignace; Bisogni, Valentina; ...

2016-11-10

Here we present the optical design of the Centurion soft X-ray resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectrometer to be located on the SIX beamline at NSLS-II. The spectrometer is designed to reach a resolving power of 100 000 at 1000 eV at its best resolution. It is also designed to have continuously variable 2θ motion over a range of 112° using a custom triple rotating flange. We have analyzed several possible spectrometer designs capable of reaching the target resolution. After careful analysis, we have adopted a Hettrick-Underwood spectrometer design, with an additional plane mirror to maintain a fixed direction formore » the outgoing beam. The spectrometer can cancel defocus and coma aberrations at all energies, has an erect focal plane, and minimizes mechanical motions of the detector. When the beamline resolution is accounted for, the net spectral resolution will be 14 meV at 1000 eV. Lastly, this will open up many low energy excitations to study and will expand greatly the power of soft X-ray RIXS.« less

Towards 10 meV resolution: The design of an ultrahigh resolution soft X-ray RIXS spectrometer

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

Dvorak, Joseph; Jarrige, Ignace; Bisogni, Valentina

Here we present the optical design of the Centurion soft X-ray resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectrometer to be located on the SIX beamline at NSLS-II. The spectrometer is designed to reach a resolving power of 100 000 at 1000 eV at its best resolution. It is also designed to have continuously variable 2θ motion over a range of 112° using a custom triple rotating flange. We have analyzed several possible spectrometer designs capable of reaching the target resolution. After careful analysis, we have adopted a Hettrick-Underwood spectrometer design, with an additional plane mirror to maintain a fixed direction formore » the outgoing beam. The spectrometer can cancel defocus and coma aberrations at all energies, has an erect focal plane, and minimizes mechanical motions of the detector. When the beamline resolution is accounted for, the net spectral resolution will be 14 meV at 1000 eV. Lastly, this will open up many low energy excitations to study and will expand greatly the power of soft X-ray RIXS.« less

Comparison of hard X-ray spectra obtained by spectrometers on Hinotori and SMM and detection of 'superhot' component

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nitta, Nariaki

1988-01-01

Hard X-ray spectra in solar flares obtained by the broadband spectrometers aboard Hinotori and SMM are compared. Within the uncertainty brought about by assuming the typical energy of the background X-rays, spectra by the Hinotori spectrometer are usually consistent with those by the SMM spectrometer for flares in 1981. On the contrary, flares in 1982 persistently show 20-50-percent higher flux by Hinotori than by SMM. If this discrepancy is entirely attributable to errors in the calibration of energy ranges, the errors would be about 10 percent. Despite such a discrepancy in absolute flux, in the the decay phase of one flare, spectra revealed a hard X-ray component (probably a 'superhot' component) that could be explained neither by emission from a plasma at about 2 x 10 to the 7th K nor by a nonthermal power-law component. Imaging observations during this period show hard X-ray emission nearly cospatial with soft X-ray emission, in contrast with earlier times at which hard and soft X-rays come from different places.

Analysis and implementation of a space resolving spherical crystal spectrometer for x-ray Thomson scattering experiments

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

Harding, E. C.; Ao, T.; Bailey, J. E.

2015-04-15

The application of a space-resolving spectrometer to X-ray Thomson Scattering (XRTS) experiments has the potential to advance the study of warm dense matter. This has motivated the design of a spherical crystal spectrometer, which is a doubly focusing geometry with an overall high sensitivity and the capability of providing high-resolution, space-resolved spectra. A detailed analysis of the image fluence and crystal throughput in this geometry is carried out and analytical estimates of these quantities are presented. This analysis informed the design of a new spectrometer intended for future XRTS experiments on the Z-machine. The new spectrometer collects 6 keV x-raysmore » with a spherically bent Ge (422) crystal and focuses the collected x-rays onto the Rowland circle. The spectrometer was built and then tested with a foam target. The resulting high-quality spectra prove that a spherical spectrometer is a viable diagnostic for XRTS experiments.« less

On the alignment and focusing of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Champey, Patrick; Winebarger, Amy; Kobayashi, Ken; Savage, Sabrina; Cirtain, Jonathan; Cheimets, Peter; Hertz, Edward; Golub, Leon; Ramsey, Brian; McCracken, Jeff; Marquez, Vanessa; Allured, Ryan; Heilmann, Ralf K.; Schattenburg, Mark; Bruccoleri, Alexander

2016-07-01

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a NASA sounding rocket instrument that is designed to observe soft X-ray emissions from 24 - 6.0 Å (0.5 - 2.0 keV energies) in the solar atmosphere. For the first time, high-temperature, low-emission plasma will be observed directly with 5 arcsecond spatial resolution and 22 mÅ spectral resolution. The unique optical design consists of a Wolter - I telescope and a 3-optic grazing- incidence spectrometer. The spectrometer utilizes a finite conjugate mirror pair and a blazed planar, varied line spaced grating, which is directly printed on a silicon substrate using e-beam lithography. The grating design is being finalized and the grating will be fabricated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Izentis LLC. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is producing the nickel replicated telescope and spectrometer mirrors using the same facilities and techniques as those developed for the ART-XC and FOXSI mirrors. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) will mount and align the optical sub-assemblies based on previous experience with similar instruments, such as the Hinode X-Ray Telescope (XRT). The telescope and spectrometer assembly will be aligned in visible light through the implementation of a theodolite and reference mirrors, in addition to the centroid detector assembly (CDA) - a device designed to align the AXAF-I nested mirrors. Focusing of the telescope and spectrometer will be achieved using the X-ray source in the Stray Light Facility (SLF) at MSFC. We present results from an alignment sensitivity analysis performed on the on the system and we also discuss the method for aligning and focusing MaGIXS.

On the Alignment and Focusing of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Champey, Patrick; Winebarger, Amy; Kobayashi, Ken; Savage, Sabrina; Cirtain, Jonathan; Cheimets, Peter; Hertz, Edward; Golub, Leon; Ramsey, Brian; McCracken, Jeff

2016-01-01

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a NASA sounding rocket instrument that is designed to observe soft X-ray emissions from 24 - 6.0 A (0.5 - 2.0 keV energies) in the solar atmosphere. For the rst time, high-temperature, low-emission plasma will be observed directly with 5 arcsecond spatial resolution and 22 mA spectral resolution. The unique optical design consists of a Wolter - I telescope and a 3-optic grazing- incidence spectrometer. The spectrometer utilizes a nite conjugate mirror pair and a blazed planar, varied line spaced grating, which is directly printed on a silicon substrate using e-beam lithography. The grating design is being nalized and the grating will be fabricated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Izentis LLC. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is producing the nickel replicated telescope and spectrometer mirrors using the same facilities and techniques as those developed for the ART-XC and FOXSI mirrors. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) will mount and align the optical sub-assemblies based on previous experience with similar instruments, such as the Hinode X-Ray Telescope (XRT). The telescope and spectrometer assembly will be aligned in visible light through the implementation of a theodolite and reference mirrors, in addition to the centroid detector assembly (CDA) { a device designed to align the AXAF-I nested mirrors. Focusing of the telescope and spectrometer will be achieved using the X-ray source in the Stray Light Facility (SLF) at MSFC. We present results from an alignment sensitivity analysis performed on the on the system and we also discuss the method for aligning and focusing MaGIXS.

Johann Spectrometer for High Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy

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

Machek, Pavel; Froeba, Michael; Welter, Edmund

2007-01-19

A newly designed vacuum Johann spectrometer with a large focusing analyzer crystal for inelastic x-ray scattering and high resolution fluorescence spectroscopy has been installed at the DORIS III storage ring. Spherically bent crystals with a maximum diameter of 125 mm, and cylindrically bent crystals are employed as dispersive optical elements. Standard radius of curvature of the crystals is 1000 mm, however, the design of the mechanical components also facilitates measurements with smaller and larger bending radii. Up to four crystals are mounted on a revolving crystal changer which enables crystal changes without breaking the vacuum. The spectrometer works at fixedmore » Bragg angle. It is preferably designed for the measurements in non-scanning mode with a broad beam spot, and offers a large flexibility to set the sample to the optimum position inside the Rowland circle. A deep depletion CCD camera is employed as a position sensitive detector to collect the energy-analyzed photons on the circumference of the Rowland circle. The vacuum in the spectrometer tank is typically 10-6 mbar. The sample chamber is separated from the tank either by 25 {mu}m thick Kapton windows, which allows samples to be measured under ambient conditions, or by two gate valves. The spectrometer is currently installed at wiggler beamline W1 whose working range is 4-10.5 keV with typical flux at the sample of 5x1010photons/s/mm2. The capabilities of the spectrometer are illustrated by resonant inelastic experiments on 3d transition metals and rare earth compounds, and by chemical shift measurements on chromium compounds.« less

Micro-X-ray fluorescence spectrometer with x-ray single bounce metallic capillary optics for light element analysis (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mroczka, Robert; Żukociński, Grzegorz; Łopucki, Rafał

2017-05-01

In the last 20 years, , due to the rapid development of X-ray optics, micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (micro-XRF) has become a powerful tool to determine the spatial distribution of major, minor, and trace elements within a sample. Micro-X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) spectrometers for light element analysis (6 <= Z <= 14) using glass polycapillary optics are usually designed and applied to confocal geometry. Two such X-ray optics systems are used in this setup. The first one focuses the primary beam on the sample; the second restricts the field of view of the detector. In order to be able to analyze a wider range of elements especialy with (6 <= Z <= 14), both sample and detector are under vacuum. Depth resolution varies between 100 μm at 1 keV fluorescence energy (Na-Kα) and 30 μm for 17.5 keV (Mo-Kα) [1,2]. In order to improve resolution at energies below 9 keV, our group designed similar spectrometer (in cooperation with PREVAC) but instead of primary polycapillary optics we applied single bounce metallic capillaries optics , designed and manufactured in our Laboratory. The vacuum chumber is currently under construction and is expected to be fully operational in September this year. Single bounce gold capillaries with elliptic internal shape have recently been redesigned and developed in our Laboratory. Surface roughness was reduced up to 0.5 nm and slope error to 0.3 mrad. For these capillaries an expected depth resolution varies from 3 μm (1 keV) and 10 µm for 9 keV (Cu-Kα). The spectrometer equipped with gold capillaries offers the possibility of elemental analysis with better depth resolution than is offerred by glass polycapillaries at energies below 9 keV. Furthermore, we will compare the capabilities and limitations of this spectrometer with others, that use laboratory and/or synchrotron sources. Acknowledgments: This work was supported and co-funded by the European Union as part of the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland for

An Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer for Mars-96 and Mars Pathfinder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rieder, R.; Wanke, H.; Economou, T.

1996-09-01

Mars Pathfinder and the Russian Mars-96 will carry an Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) for the determination of the chemical composition of Martian rocks and soil. The instrument will measure the concentration of all major and many minor elements, including C,N and O, at levels above typically 1%. The method employed consist of bombarding a sample of 50 mm diameter with alpha particles from a radioactive source (50 mCi of Cm-244) and measuring: (i) backscattered alpha particles (alpha mode) (ii) protons from (a,p) reactions with some light elements (proton mode) (iii) characteristic X-rays emitted from the sample (X-ray mode). The APXS has a long standing space heritage, going back to Surveyor V,VI and VII (1967/68) and the Soviet Phobos (1988) missions. The present design is the result of an endeavour to reduce mass and power consumption to 600g/ 300mW. It consist of a sensor head containing the alpha sources, a telescope of a silicon detectors for the detection of the alpha particles and protons and a separate X-ray detector with its preamplifier, and an electronics box (80x70x60 mm) containing a microcontroller based multichannel spectrometer. The paper will describe the APXS flight hardware and present results obtained with the flight instrument that will show the instrument capabili- ties and the expected results to be obtained during surface operations on Mars.

X-ray crystal spectrometer upgrade for ITER-like wall experiments at JETa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shumack, A. E.; Rzadkiewicz, J.; Chernyshova, M.; Jakubowska, K.; Scholz, M.; Byszuk, A.; Cieszewski, R.; Czarski, T.; Dominik, W.; Karpinski, L.; Kasprowicz, G.; Pozniak, K.; Wojenski, A.; Zabolotny, W.; Conway, N. J.; Dalley, S.; Figueiredo, J.; Nakano, T.; Tyrrell, S.; Zastrow, K.-D.; Zoita, V.

2014-11-01

The high resolution X-Ray crystal spectrometer at the JET tokamak has been upgraded with the main goal of measuring the tungsten impurity concentration. This is important for understanding impurity accumulation in the plasma after installation of the JET ITER-like wall (main chamber: Be, divertor: W). This contribution provides details of the upgraded spectrometer with a focus on the aspects important for spectral analysis and plasma parameter calculation. In particular, we describe the determination of the spectrometer sensitivity: important for impurity concentration determination.

X-ray crystal spectrometer upgrade for ITER-like wall experiments at JET.

PubMed

Shumack, A E; Rzadkiewicz, J; Chernyshova, M; Jakubowska, K; Scholz, M; Byszuk, A; Cieszewski, R; Czarski, T; Dominik, W; Karpinski, L; Kasprowicz, G; Pozniak, K; Wojenski, A; Zabolotny, W; Conway, N J; Dalley, S; Figueiredo, J; Nakano, T; Tyrrell, S; Zastrow, K-D; Zoita, V

2014-11-01

The high resolution X-Ray crystal spectrometer at the JET tokamak has been upgraded with the main goal of measuring the tungsten impurity concentration. This is important for understanding impurity accumulation in the plasma after installation of the JET ITER-like wall (main chamber: Be, divertor: W). This contribution provides details of the upgraded spectrometer with a focus on the aspects important for spectral analysis and plasma parameter calculation. In particular, we describe the determination of the spectrometer sensitivity: important for impurity concentration determination.

A compact and versatile tender X-ray single-shot spectrometer for online XFEL diagnostics.

PubMed

Rehanek, Jens; Milne, Christopher J; Szlachetko, Jakub; Czapla-Masztafiak, Joanna; Schneider, Jörg; Huthwelker, Thomas; Borca, Camelia N; Wetter, Reto; Patthey, Luc; Juranić, Pavle

2018-01-01

One of the remaining challenges for accurate photon diagnostics at X-ray free-electron lasers (FELs) is the shot-to-shot, non-destructive, high-resolution characterization of the FEL pulse spectrum at photon energies between 2 keV and 4 keV, the so-called tender X-ray range. Here, a spectrometer setup is reported, based on the von Hamos geometry and using elastic scattering as a fingerprint of the FEL-generated spectrum. It is capable of pulse-to-pulse measurement of the spectrum with an energy resolution (ΔE/E) of 10 -4 , within a bandwidth of 2%. The Tender X-ray Single-Shot Spectrometer (TXS) will grant to experimental scientists the freedom to measure the spectrum in a single-shot measurement, keeping the transmitted beam undisturbed. It will enable single-shot reconstructions for easier and faster data analysis.

Common observations of solar X-rays from SPHINX/CORONAS-PHOTON and XRS/MESSENGER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kepa, Anna; Sylwester, Janusz; Sylwester, Barbara; Siarkowski, Marek; Mrozek, Tomasz; Gryciuk, Magdalena; Phillips, Kenneth

SphinX was a soft X-ray spectrophotometer constructed in the Space Research Centre of Polish Academy of Sciences. The instrument was launched on 30 January 2009 aboard CORONAS-PHOTON satellite as a part of TESIS instrument package. SphinX measured total solar X-ray flux in the energy range from 1 to 15 keV during the period of very low solar activity from 20 February to 29 November 2009. For these times the solar detector (X-ray Spectrometer - XRS) onboard MESSENGER also observed the solar X-rays from a different vantage point. XRS measured the radiation in similar energy range. We present results of the comparison of observations from both instruments and show the preliminary results of physical analysis of spectra for selected flares.

Development of high resolution x-ray spectrometers for the investigation of bioinorganic chemistry in metalloproteins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drury, Owen Byron

We have built an X-ray spectrometer for synchrotron-based high-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy. The spectrometer uses four 9-pixel arrays of superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) as sensors. They infer the energy of an absorbed X-ray from a temporary increase in tunneling current. The STJs are operated in a two-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) that uses liquid nitrogen and helium for precooling to 77 K and 4.2 K, and gallium gadolinium garnet and iron ammonium sulfate to attain a base temperature below 0.1 K. The sensors are held at the end of a 40-cm-long cold finger within ˜1 cm of a sample located inside the vacuum chamber of a synchrotron beam line end station. The spectrometer has an energy resolution between 10 eV and 20 eV FWHM below 1 keV, can be operated at rates up to ˜106 counts/s. STJ spectrometers are suited for chemical analysis of dilute samples by fluorescence-detected X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in cases where conventional germanium detectors do not have enough energy resolution. We have used this STJ spectrometer at the Advanced Light Source synchrotron for spectroscopy on the lower energy X-ray absorption edges of the elements Mo, S, Fe and N. These elements play an important role in biological nitrogen fixation at the metalloprotein nitrogenase, and we have examined if STJ spectrometers can be used to provide new insights into some of the open questions regarding the reaction mechanism of this protein. We have taken X-ray absorption near-edge spectra (XANES) and extended fine structure spectra (EXAFS) of an Fe 6N(CO)15-compound containing a single N atom inside a cluster of six Fe atoms, as postulated to exist inside the Fe-S cluster of the FeMo-cofactor (FeMo-co) in nitrogenase. The STJ detector has enabled the first-ever extended range EXAFS scans on nitrogen through the oxygen K-edge, enabling a comparison with N EXAFS on FeMo-co. We have taken iron L23-edge spectra of the Fe-S cluster in FeMo-co, which can be

Elemental analysis using a handheld X-Ray fluorescence spectrometer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Groover, Krishangi D.; Izbicki, John

2016-06-24

The U.S. Geological Survey is collecting geologic samples from local stream channels, aquifer materials, and rock outcrops for studies of trace elements in the Mojave Desert, southern California. These samples are collected because geologic materials can release a variety of elements to the environment when exposed to water. The samples are to be analyzed with a handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer to determine the concentrations of up to 27 elements, including chromium.

X-Ray Spectrometer For ROSAT II (SPECTROSAT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Predehl, Peter; Brauninger, Heinrich

1986-01-01

The objective transmission grating was one of the earliest inventions in the field of X-ray astronomy and has been incorporated into Skylab, HERO-P, and EXOTAT. In recent years there have been advances in grating technology and spectrometer design. A high precision mechanical ruling and replication process for manufacturing large self-supporting transmission gratings has been developed by an industrial manufacturer in cooperation with the Max-Planck-Institute (MPI). Theoretical analyses have determined the optimum configuration of the grating facets and the grating surface in order to correct third order aberations and obtain maximum resolving power. We have verified experimentally that the predicted efficiencies may be achieved. In addition, an experimental study of large grating assemblies for space telescopes was made in industry with scientific guidance by MPI. Main objectives of this study were the determination of mechanical loads during launch, as well as the design, construction and fabrication of a representative model of a ROSAT grating ring. Performancy studies including instrument pro-perties as well as the simulated radiation from hot plasmas have shown the ability of SPECTROSAT to perform high efficiency, high resolution line-spectroscopy on a wide variety of cosmic X-ray sources.

The Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility. Observing the Universe in X-Rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neal, V.

1984-01-01

An overview of the Advanced X ray Astronophysics Facility (AXAF) program is presented. Beginning with a brief introduction to X ray astrophysics, the AXAF observatory is described including the onboard instrumentation and system capabilities. Possible X ray sources suitable for AXAF observation are identified and defined.

Thermal design of the hard x-ray imager and the soft gamma-ray detector onboard ASTRO-H

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noda, Hirofumi; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Makishima, Kazuo; Iwata, Naoko; Ogawa, Hiroyuki; Ohta, Masayuki; Sato, Goro; Kawaharada, Madoka; Watanabe, Shin; Kokubun, Motohide; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Ohno, Masanori; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Uchiyama, Hideki; Ito, Shuji; Fukuzawa, Keita

2014-07-01

The Hard X-ray Imager and the Soft Gamma-ray Detector, onboard the 6th Japanese X-ray satellite ASTRO-H, aim at unprecedentedly-sensitive observations in the 5-80 keV and 40-600 keV bands, respectively. Because their main sensors are composed of a number of semi-conductor devices, which need to be operated in a temperature of -20 to -15°C, heat generated in the sensors must be efficiently transported outwards by thermal conduction. For this purpose, we performed thermal design, with the following three steps. First, we additionally included thermally-conductive parts, copper poles and graphite sheets. Second, constructing a thermal mathematical model of the sensors, we estimated temperature distributions in thermal equilibria. Since the model had rather large uncertainties in contact thermal conductions, an accurate thermal dummy was constructed as our final step. Vacuum measurement with the dummy successfully reduced the conductance uncertainties. With these steps, we confirmed that our thermal design of the main sensors satisfies the temperature requirement.

Search for Thermal X-ray Features from the Crab nebula with Hitomi Soft X-ray Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsujimoto, M.; Mori, K.; Lee, S.; Yamaguchi, H.; Tominaga, N.; Moriya, T.; Sato, T.; Bamba, A.

2017-10-01

The Crab nebula originates from a core-collapse SN in 1054. It has an anomalously low observed ejecta mass for a Fe-core collapse SN. Intensive searches were made for an undetected massive shell to solve this discrepancy. An alternative idea is that the SN1054 is an electron-capture (EC) explosion with a lower explosion energy than Fe-core collapse SNe. In the X-rays, imaging searches were performed for the plasma emission from the shell in the Crab outskirts. However, the extreme brightness hampers access to its vicinity. We used spectroscopic technique using the X-ray micro-calorimeter onboard Hitomi. We searched for the emission or absorption features by the thermal plasma and set a new limit. We re-evaluated the existing data to claim that the X-ray plasma mass is < 1 M_{⊙} for a wide range of assumed parameters. We further performed hydrodynamic simulation for two SN models (Fe core versus EC) under two environments (uniform ISM versus progenitor wind). We found that the observed mass limit can be compatible with both SN models if the environment has a low density of <0.03 cm^{-3} (Fe core) or <0.1 cm^{-3} (EC) for the uniform density, or <10^{14} g cm^{-1} for the wind density parameter for the wind environment.

NEAR Gamma Ray Spectrometer Characterization and Repair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Groves, Joel Lee; Vajda, Stefan

1998-01-01

This report covers the work completed in the third year of the contract. The principle activities during this period were (1) the characterization of the NEAR 2 Gamma Ray Spectrometer using a neutron generator to generate complex gamma ray spectra and a large Ge Detecter to identify all the major peaks in the spectra; (2) the evaluation and repair of the Engineering Model Unit of the Gamma Ray Spectrometer for the NEAR mission; (3) the investigation of polycapillary x-ray optics for x-ray detection; and (4) technology transfer from NASA to forensic science.

Design Study of an X-ray Crystal Spectrometer for the HANBIT Mirror Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S. G.; Hwang, S. M.; Bitter, M. L.

1997-11-01

X-ray crystal spectroscopy is expected to play a major role for the diagnostics of the reactor-like plasmas produced in future large tokamaks, such as KSTAR and ITER. However, it is also desirable to extend the observable spectral range to longer wavelengths (7-15 dotA), which is of interest for the diagnostics of plasmas with much lower electron densities (10^11-10^12 cm-3) and electron temperatures (100 - 200 eV) in other magnetic-confinement experiments, such as the HANBIT mirror machine. The construction of crystal spectrometers for this wavelength range and these plasma conditions is challenging because of the low X-ray emissivity and the fact that the low-energy X-rays are strongly attenuated by even very thin foils or windows. New types of detectors other than the presently used multi-wire proportional counters are therefore needed to obtain a high detection efficiency. In this paper, we present a design study for a vacuum spectrometer with a CCD array detector and detailed estimates of the instrument performance for the observation of spectra from O, Ne and Al ions.

The transient gamma-ray spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owens, A.; Baker, R.; Cline, T. L.; Gehrels, N.; Jermakian, J.; Nolan, T.; Ramaty, R.; Smith, G.; Stilwell, D. E.; Teegarden, B. J.

1991-01-01

The authors describe the Transient Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (TGRS) to be flown onboard the WIND spacecraft. This instrument is designed to detect cosmic gamma-ray bursts over the energy range of 20 keV to 10 MeV with an expected spectroscopic resolution of 2 keV at 1 MeV (E/Delta-E = 500). The active detection element is a 215-cu cm high-purity n-type Ge crystal cooled to cryogenic temperatures by a passive radiative cooler. The geometric field of view (FOV) defined by the cooler is 170 deg FWFM. Burst data are stored directly in an onboard 2.75-Mb burst memory with an absolute timing accuracy of +/-1.5 ms. This capacity is sufficient to store the entire spectral data set of all but the largest bursts. In addition to burst measurements, the instrument will also study solar flares, search for possible diffuse background lines, and monitor the 511-keV positron annihilation radiation from the galactic center. The experiment is scheduled to be launched on a Delta II launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral on December 31, 1992.

Progress report on the Astro-H Soft X-Ray Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelley, Richard L.; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa

2016-04-01

We describe the initial in-orbit operations and performance of the Astro-H Soft X-Ray Spectrometer (SXS). Astro-H, JAXA's sixth X-ray observatory, is scheduled for launch on February 12, 2016, from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan abord an H-IIA rocket. The instrument is based on a 36-pixel array of microcalorimeters designed for high resolution over the 0.3-12 keV energy band at the focus of a high throughput, grazing-incidence x-ray mirror. The instrument is the result of a joint collaboration between the JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science and many partners in Japan, and the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and collaborators in the US. The principal components of the spectrometer are the microcalorimeter detector system, a low-temperature anticoincidence detector, a 3-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) to maintain 50 mK operation under both cryogen and cryogen-free operation, a hybrid liquid helium/cryogen-free dewar with both Stirling and Joule-Thomson coolers, electronics for reading out the array, processing the x-ray data for spectroscopy, and operating the ADR and cryocoolers. The dewar is closed out by an aperture system with five thin-film filters designed to provide high x-ray transmission with low heat loads to the dewar and detector system, and prevent contamination from condensing on the filters. The instrument was designed to have better than 7 eV energy resolution, and was demonstrated to achieve 4-5 eV resolution across the array at the full spacecraft level of integration during extensive ground testing prior to launch. The overall cooling chain has been designed to provide a lifetime of at least 3 years in orbit, and continue to operate without liquid helium to provide redundancy and the longest operational lifetime for the instrument. In this presentation, we will describe the early phases of the SXS instrument in orbit and provide a sense of the astronomical results that can be expected. This presentation is

Surface chemistry of the Moon: New views from Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Spectrometer and future potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narendranath, Shyama; Athiray, Subramania; Parameswaran, Sreekumar; Grande, Manuel

2015-04-01

X-ray remote sensing is an established technique for chemical mapping of atmosphere-less inner solar system bodies. Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS) [Grande et al, 2009], on-board the first Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 [Bhandari et al, 2004], was flown with the objective [Crawford et al, 2009] of globally mapping the abundances of the major rock-forming elements Mg, Al, Si, Ca ,Ti and Fe with a spatial resolution of 25 km on the lunar surface. The instrument was developed by the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), UK in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). X-ray fluorescence (XRF) observations measure the abundance irrespective of the mineral structure. XRF spectral analysis can uniquely identify and quantify elemental signatures from all commonly occurring elements. C1XS is one of the first instruments to unambiguously map the abundance of elements from Na to Fe at scales of tens of kilometers. Because of the exceptionally low solar activity in 2009, the strongest solar flare observed was of C3 class and hence global mapping could not be achieved. However from the available coverage of ~ 5%, we have determined elemental abundances accurately through a detailed calibration of the instrument and inversion methodology [Narendranath et al, 2010; Athiray et al, 2013]. The end-to-end capacity to derive independent and accurate global surface chemical abundances using x-ray signatures was clearly demonstrated with C1XS. We present results from a comprehensive analysis of all data from C1XS with emphasis on the new finding of enhanced sodium in the southern lunar highlands that suggests possible new lithologies [Narendranath et al, 2011; Athiray et al, 2014]. It is generally believed that lunar highlands are mainly composed of plagioclase feldspar with lower amounts of the mafic minerals. Plagioclase in lunar samples have been found to have an anorthite content as high as An98 with the average highlands estimated to be An95

The Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) CubeSats: New soft X-ray spectrometer to investigate properties of hot plasma in the quiet Sun, active regions, and flares.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, C. S.; Dennis, B. R.; Woods, T. N.

2017-12-01

Detection of soft X-rays from the Sun provides direct information on coronal plasma at temperatures in excess of 1 MK. The Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) CubeSats provides new spectrally resolved measurements from 0.8 -12 keV. The MinXSS spectral resolving power (R 40 at 5.9 keV) allows plasma abundances to be determined for Fe, Mg, Ni, Ca, Si, S, and Ar. Long-term temporal variations during quiet-Sun times allow active region contributions to be extracted from the full solar flux. The MinXSS 10 second time cadence allows short-term variations of the soft X-ray flux, temperature, and abundances to be determined during flares. The MinXSS spectroscopic observations, combined with the imaging spectroscopy from the Hinode X-ray Telescope (XRT) and the Reuven Ramaty Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), hold great potential for advancing our understanding of solar dynamics.

Regolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) Aboard the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masterson, R. A.; Chodas, M.; Bayley, L.; Allen, B.; Hong, J.; Biswas, P.; McMenamin, C.; Stout, K.; Bokhour, E.; Bralower, H.; Carte, D.; Chen, S.; Jones, M.; Kissel, S.; Schmidt, F.; Smith, M.; Sondecker, G.; Lim, L. F.; Lauretta, D. S.; Grindlay, J. E.; Binzel, R. P.

2018-02-01

The Regolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) is the student collaboration experiment proposed and built by an MIT-Harvard team, launched aboard NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission. REXIS complements the scientific investigations of other OSIRIS-REx instruments by determining the relative abundances of key elements present on the asteroid's surface by measuring the X-ray fluorescence spectrum (stimulated by the natural solar X-ray flux) over the range of energies 0.5 to 7 keV. REXIS consists of two components: a main imaging spectrometer with a coded aperture mask and a separate solar X-ray monitor to account for the Sun's variability. In addition to element abundance ratios (relative to Si) pinpointing the asteroid's most likely meteorite association, REXIS also maps elemental abundance variability across the asteroid's surface using the asteroid's rotation as well as the spacecraft's orbital motion. Image reconstruction at the highest resolution is facilitated by the coded aperture mask. Through this operation, REXIS will be the first application of X-ray coded aperture imaging to planetary surface mapping, making this student-built instrument a pathfinder toward future planetary exploration. To date, 60 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels have been involved with the REXIS project, with the hands-on experience translating to a dozen Master's and Ph.D. theses and other student publications.

Atmospheric Electron-Induced X-Ray Spectrometer (AEXS) Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilcox, Jaroslava Z.; Urgiles, Eduardo; Toda, Risaku; George, Thomas; Douglas, Susanne; Crisp, Joy

2005-01-01

This paper describes the progress in the development of the so-called Atmospheric Electron X-ray Spectrometer (AEXS) instrument in our laboratory at JPL. The AEXS is a novel miniature instrument concept based on the excitation of characteristic X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and luminescence spectra using a focused electron beam, for non-destructive evaluation of surfaces of samples in situ, in planetary ambient atmosphere. In situ operation is obtained through the use of a thin electron transmissive membrane to isolate the vacuum within the AEXS electron source from the outside ambient atmosphere. By using a focused electron beam, the impinging electrons on samples in the external atmosphere excite XRF spectra from the irradiated spots with high-to-medium spatial resolution. The XRF spectra are analyzed using an energy-dispersive detector to determine surface elemental composition. The use of high- intensity electron beam results in rapid spectrum acquisition (several minutes), and consequently low energy consumption (several tens of Joules) per acquired XRF spectrum in comparison to similar portable instruments.

Engineering design of the Regolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) instrument: an OSIRIS-REx student collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Michael; Chodas, Mark; Smith, Matthew J.; Masterson, Rebecca A.

2014-07-01

OSIRIS-REx is a NASA New Frontiers mission scheduled for launch in 2016 that will travel to the asteroid Bennu and return a pristine sample of the asteroid to Earth. The REgolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) is a student collaboration instrument on-board the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. REXIS is a NASA risk Class D instrument, and its design and development is largely student led. The engineering team consists of MIT graduate and undergraduate students and staff at the MIT Space Systems Laboratory. The primary goal of REXIS is the education of science and engineering students through participation in the development of light hardware. In light, REXIS will contribute to the mission by providing an elemental abundance map of the asteroid and by characterizing Bennu among the known meteorite groups. REXIS is sensitive to X-rays between 0.5 and 7 keV, and uses coded aperture imaging to map the distribution of iron with 50 m spatial resolution. This paper describes the science goals, concept of operations, and overall engineering design of the REXIS instrument. Each subsystem of the instrument is addressed with a high-level description of the design. Critical design elements such as the Thermal Isolation Layer (TIL), radiation cover, coded-aperture mask, and Detector Assembly Mount (DAM) are discussed in further detail.

Dual x-ray fluorescence spectrometer and method for fluid analysis

DOEpatents

Wilson, Bary W.; Shepard, Chester L.

2005-02-22

Disclosed are an X-ray fluorescence (SRF) spectrometer and method for on-site and in-line determination of contaminant elements in lubricating oils and in fuel oils on board a marine vessel. An XRF source block 13 contains two radionuclide sources 16, 17 (e.g. Cd 109 and Fe 55), each oriented 180 degrees from the other to excite separate targets. The Cd 109 source 16 excites sample lube oil flowing through a low molecular weight sample line 18. The Fe 55 source 17 excites fuel oil manually presented to the source beam inside a low molecular weight vial 26 or other container. Two separate detectors A and B are arranged to detect the fluorescent x-rays from the targets, photons from the analyte atoms in the lube oil for example, and sulfur identifying x-rays from bunker fuel oil for example. The system allows both automated in-line and manual on-site analysis using one set of signal processing and multi-channel analyzer electronics 34, 37 as well as one computer 39 and user interface 43.

Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering spectrometer with 25meV resolution at the Cu K -edge

DOE PAGES

Ketenoglu, Didem; Harder, Manuel; Klementiev, Konstantin; ...

2015-06-27

An unparalleled resolution is reported with an inelastic X-ray scattering instrument at the CuK-edge. Based on a segmented concave analyzer, featuring single-crystal quartz (SiO 2) pixels, the spectrometer delivers a resolution near 25meV (FWHM) at 8981eV. Besides the quartz analyzer, the performance of the spectrometer relies on a four-bounce Si(553) high-resolution monochromator and focusing Kirkpatrick–Baez optics. The measured resolution agrees with the ray-tracing simulation of an ideal spectrometer. The performance of the spectrometer is demonstrated by reproducing the phonon dispersion curve of a beryllium single-crystal.

A compact dispersive refocusing Rowland circle X-ray emission spectrometer for laboratory, synchrotron, and XFEL applications

DOE PAGES

Holden, William M.; Hoidn, Oliver R.; Ditter, Alexander S.; ...

2017-07-27

X-ray emission spectroscopy is emerging as an important complement to x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, providing a characterization of the occupied electronic density of states local to the species of interest. Here, we present details of the design and performance of a compact x-ray emission spectrometer that uses a dispersive refocusing Rowland (DRR) circle geometry to achieve excellent performance for the 2-2.5 keV range, i.e., especially for the K-edge emission from sulfur and phosphorous. The DRR approach allows high energy resolution even for unfocused x-ray sources. This property enables high count rates in laboratory studies, approaching those of insertion-device beamlinesmore » at third-generation synchrotrons, despite use of only a low-powered, conventional x-ray tube. The spectrometer, whose overall scale is set by use of a 10-cm diameter Rowland circle and a new small-pixel complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor x-ray camera, is easily portable to synchrotron or x-ray free electron laser beamlines. Photometrics from measurements at the Advanced Light Source show excellent overall instrumental efficiency. In addition, the compact size of this instrument lends itself to future multiplexing to gain large factors in net collection efficiency or its implementation in controlled gas gloveboxes either in the lab or in an endstation.« less

New Solar Irradiance Measurements from the Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer Cubesat

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

Woods, Thomas N.; Jones, Andrew; Kohnert, Richard

The goal of the Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer ( MinXSS ) CubeSat is to explore the energy distribution of soft X-ray (SXR) emissions from the quiescent Sun, active regions, and during solar flares and to model the impact on Earth's ionosphere and thermosphere. The energy emitted in the SXR range (0.1–10 keV) can vary by more than a factor of 100, yet we have limited spectral measurements in the SXRs to accurately quantify the spectral dependence of this variability. The MinXSS primary science instrument is an Amptek, Inc. X123 X-ray spectrometer that has an energy range of 0.5–30 keV withmore » a nominal 0.15 keV energy resolution. Two flight models have been built. The first, MinXSS -1, has been making science observations since 2016 June 9 and has observed numerous flares, including more than 40 C-class and 7 M-class flares. These SXR spectral measurements have advantages over broadband SXR observations, such as providing the capability to derive multiple-temperature components and elemental abundances of coronal plasma, improved irradiance accuracy, and higher resolution spectral irradiance as input to planetary ionosphere simulations. MinXSS spectra obtained during the M5.0 flare on 2016 July 23 highlight these advantages and indicate how the elemental abundance appears to change from primarily coronal to more photospheric during the flare. MinXSS -1 observations are compared to the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite ( GOES ) X-ray Sensor (XRS) measurements of SXR irradiance and estimated corona temperature. Additionally, a suggested improvement to the calibration of the GOES XRS data is presented.« less

Portable x-ray fluorescence spectrometer for environmental monitoring of inorganic pollutants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, III, Benton C. (Inventor); Thornton, Michael G. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A portable x-ray fluorescence spectrometer has a portable sensor unit containing a battery, a high voltage power supply, an x-ray tube which produces a beam x-ray radiation directed toward a target sample, and a detector for fluorescent x-rays produced by the sample. If a silicon-lithium detector is used, the sensor unit also contains either a thermoelectric or thermochemical cooler, or a small dewar flask containing liquid nitrogen to cool the detector. A pulse height analyzer (PHA) generates a spectrum of data for each sample consisting of the number of fluorescent x-rays detected as a function of their energy level. The PHA can also store spectrum data for a number of samples in the field. A processing unit can be attached to the pulse height analyzer to upload and analyze the stored spectrum data for each sample. The processing unit provides a graphic display of the spectrum data for each sample, and provides qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the elemental composition of the sample by comparing the peaks in the sample spectrum against known x-ray energies for various chemical elements. An optional filtration enclosure can be used to filter particles from a sample suspension, either in the form of a natural suspension or a chemically created precipitate. The sensor unit is then temporarily attached to the filtration unit to analyze the particles collected by the filter medium.

Soft gamma-ray detector (SGD) onboard the ASTRO-H mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukazawa, Yasushi; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Watanabe, Shin; Blandford, Roger; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Harayama, Atsushi; Kataoka, Jun; Kawaharada, Madoka; Kokubun, Motohide; Laurent, Philippe; Lebrun, François; Limousin, Olivier; Madejski, Grzegorz M.; Makishima, Kazuo; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Mori, Kunishiro; Nakamori, Takeshi; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Noda, Hirofumi; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Saito, Shin'ya; Sato, Goro; Sato, Rie; Takeda, Shin'ichiro; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Tanaka, Yasuyuki; Terada, Yukikatsu; Uchiyama, Hideki; Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Yamaoka, Kazutaka; Yatsu, Yoichi; Yonetoku, Daisuke; Yuasa, Takayuki

2014-07-01

The Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD) is one of observational instruments onboard the ASTRO-H, and will provide 10 times better sensitivity in 60{600 keV than the past and current observatories. The SGD utilizes similar technologies to the Hard X-ray Imager (HXI) onboard the ASTRO-H. The SGD achieves low background by constraining gamma-ray events within a narrow field-of-view by Compton kinematics, in addition to the BGO active shield. In this paper, we will present the results of various tests using engineering models and also report the flight model production and evaluations.

Goddard X-ray astronomy contributions to the IAU/COSPAR (1982)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holt, S. S.; Petre, R.; Shafer, R. A.; Urry, C. M.; Mushotzky, R. F.

1982-01-01

The relation of X-ray flux to both the continuum flux in the optical and radio bands, and to the line emission properties of these objects were studied. The Einstein Observatory, because of increased sensitivity and improved angular resolution, increased substantially the number of known X-ray emitting active galactic nuclei. The Einstein imaging instruments detected morphology in AGN X-ray emission, in particular from jetlike structures in Cen-A, M87, and 3C273. The improved energy resolution and sensitivity of the spectrometers onboard the Observatory provide information on the geometry and ionization structure of the region responsible for the broad optical emission lines in a few AGN's. This information, combined with theoretical modeling and IUE and optical observations, allows the construction of a moderately detailed picture of the broad line region in these objects.

Thermal design and performance of the REgolith x-ray imaging spectrometer (REXIS) instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stout, Kevin D.; Masterson, Rebecca A.

2014-08-01

The REgolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) instrument is a student collaboration instrument on the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission scheduled for launch in September 2016. The REXIS science mission is to characterize the elemental abundances of the asteroid Bennu on a global scale and to search for regions of enhanced elemental abundance. The thermal design of the REXIS instrument is challenging due to both the science requirements and the thermal environment in which it will operate. The REXIS instrument consists of two assemblies: the spectrometer and the solar X-ray monitor (SXM). The spectrometer houses a 2x2 array of back illuminated CCDs that are protected from the radiation environment by a one-time deployable cover and a collimator assembly with coded aperture mask. Cooling the CCDs during operation is the driving thermal design challenge on the spectrometer. The CCDs operate in the vicinity of the electronics box, but a 130 °C thermal gradient is required between the two components to cool the CCDs to -60 °C in order to reduce noise and obtain science data. This large thermal gradient is achieved passively through the use of a copper thermal strap, a large radiator facing deep space, and a two-stage thermal isolation layer between the electronics box and the DAM. The SXM is mechanically mounted to the sun-facing side of the spacecraft separately from the spectrometer and characterizes the highly variable solar X-ray spectrum to properly interpret the data from the asteroid. The driving thermal design challenge on the SXM is cooling the silicon drift detector (SDD) to below -30 °C when operating. A two-stage thermoelectric cooler (TEC) is located directly beneath the detector to provide active cooling, and spacecraft MLI blankets cover all of the SXM except the detector aperture to radiatively decouple the SXM from the flight thermal environment. This paper describes the REXIS thermal system requirements, thermal design, and analyses, with

Modeling contamination migration on the Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, Stephen L.; Swartz, Douglas A.; Anderson, Scot K.; Chen, Kenny C.; Giordano, Rino J.; Knollenberg, Perry J.; Morris, Peter A.; Plucinsky, Paul P.; Tice, Neil W.; Tran, Hien

2005-01-01

During its first 5 years of operation, the cold (-60 C) optical blocking filter of the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS), on board the Chandra X-ray Observatory, has accumulated a contaminating layer that attenuates the low-energy x rays. To assist in assessing the likelihood of successfully baking off the contaminant, members of the Chandra Team developed contamination-migration simulation software. The simulation follows deposition onto and (temperature-dependent) vaporization from surfaces comprising a geometrical model of the Observatory. A separate thermal analysis, augmented by on-board temperature monitoring, provides temperatures for each surface of the same geometrical model. This paper describes the physical basis for the simulations, the methodologies, and the predicted migration of the contaminant for various bake-out scenarios and assumptions.

Monitoring the Health and Safety of the ACIS Instrument On-Board the Chandra X-ray Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virani, Shanil N.; Ford, Peter G.; DePasquale, Joseph M.; Plucinsky, Paul P.

2002-12-01

The Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), NASA's latest "Great Observatory", was launched on July 23, 1999 and reached its final orbit on August 7, 1999. The CXO is in a highly elliptical orbit, approximately 140,000 km × 10,000 km, and has a period of approximately 63.5 hours (≍2.65 days). Communication with the CXO nominally consists of 1-hour contacts spaced 8-hours apart. Thus, once a communication link has been established, it is very important that the health and safety status of the scientific instruments as well as the Observatory itself be determined as quickly as possible. In this paper, we focus exclusively on the automated health and safety monitoring scripts developed for the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) during those 1-hour contacts. ACIS is one of the two focal plane instruments on-board the CXO. We present an overview of the real-time ACIS Engineering Data Web Page and the alert schemes developed for monitoring the instrument status during each communication contact. A suite of HTML and PERL scripts monitors the instrument hardware house-keeping electronics (i.e., voltages and currents) and temperatures during each contact. If a particular instrument component is performing either above or below pre- established operating parameters, a sequence of email and alert pages are spawned to the Science Operations Team of the Chandra X-ray Observatory Center so that the anomaly can be quickly investigated and corrective actions taken if necessary. We also briefly discuss the tools used to monitor the real-time science telemetry reported by the ACIS flight software. The authors acknowledge support for this research from NASA contract NAS8-39073.

Dual crystal x-ray spectrometer at 1.8 keV for high repetition-rate single-photon counting spectroscopy experiments

DOE PAGES

Gamboa, E. J.; Bachmann, B.; Kraus, D.; ...

2016-08-01

The recent development of high-repetition rate x-ray free electron lasers (FEL), makes it possible to perform x-ray scattering and emission spectroscopy measurements from thin foils or gasses heated to high-energy density conditions by integrating over many experimental shots. Since the expected signal may be weaker than the typical CCD readout noise over the region-of-interest, it is critical to the success of this approach to use a detector with high-energy resolution so that single x-ray photons may be isolated. We describe a dual channel x-ray spectrometer developed for the Atomic and Molecular Optics endstation at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)more » for x-ray spectroscopy near the K-edge of aluminum. The spectrometer is based on a pair of curved PET (002) crystals coupled to a single pnCCD detector which simultaneously measures x-ray scattering and emission in the forward and backward directions. Furthermore, the signals from single x-ray photons are accumulated permitting continuous single-shot acquisition at 120 Hz.« less

The hard X-ray burst spectrometer on the solar maximum mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orwig, L. E.; Frost, K. J.; Dennis, B. R.

1979-01-01

The primary scientific objective of the spectrometer is to provide a greater understanding of the role of energetic electrons in solar flares. This will be achieved by observations of high energy X-rays in the energy range from 20 to 200 keV with time resolution of 0.128s on a continuous basis and as short as 1 ms for limited intervals. The X-ray detector is an actively shielded CsI(Na) crystal with a thickness of 0.635 cm and a sensitive area of 71 sq cm. In the first year after launch, it is expected that approximately 1000 flares above the sensitivity threshold of 0.2 photons/(sq cm s) lasting for one second, will be detected.

Searches for Decaying Sterile Neutrinos with the X-Ray Quantum Calorimeter Sounding Rocket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldfinger, David; XQC Collaboration

2016-01-01

Rocket borne X-ray spectrometers can produce high-resolution spectra for wide field-of-view observations. This is useful in searches for dark matter candidates that produce X-ray lines in the Milky Way, such as decaying keV scale sterile neutrinos. In spite of exposure times and effective areas that are significantly smaller than satellite observatories, similar sensitivity to decaying sterile neutrinos can be attained due to the high spectral resolution and large field of view. We present recent results of such a search analyzing the telemetered data from the 2011 flight of the X-Ray Quantum Colorimeter instrument as well as ongoing progress in expanding the data set to include the more complete onboard data over additional flights.

Rapid soft X-ray fluctuations in solar flares observed with the X-ray polychromator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zarro, D. M.; Saba, J. L. R.; Strong, K. T.

1986-01-01

Three flares observed by the Soft X-Ray Polychromator on the Solar Maximum Mission were studied. Flare light curves from the Flat Crystal Spectrometer and Bent Crystal Spectrometer were examined for rapid signal variations. Each flare was characterized by an initial fast (less than 1 min) burst, observed by the Hard X-Ray Burst Spectrometer (HXRBS), followed by softer gradual X-ray emission lasting several minutes. From an autocorrelation function analysis, evidence was found for quasi-periodic fluctuations with rise and decay times of 10 s in the Ca XIX and Fe XXV light curves. These variations were of small amplitude (less than 20%), often coincided with hard X-ray emissions, and were prominent during the onset of the gradual phase after the initial hard X-ray burst. It is speculated that these fluctuations were caused by repeated energy injections in a coronal loop that had already been heated and filled with dense plasma associated with the initial hard X-ray burst.

Effects of thermal expansion of the crystal lattice on x-ray crystal spectrometers used for fusion research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado-Aparicio, L.; Bitter, M.; Podpaly, Y.; Rice, J.; Burke, W.; Sanchez del Rio, M.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Bell, R.; Feder, R.; Gao, C.; Hill, K.; Johnson, D.; Lee, S. G.; Marmar, E.; Pablant, N.; Reinke, M. L.; Scott, S.; Wilson, R.

2013-12-01

X-ray imaging crystal spectrometers with high spectral and spatial resolution are currently being used on magnetically confined fusion devices to infer the time history profiles of ion and electron temperatures as well as plasma flow velocities. The absolute measurement of flow velocities is important for optimizing various discharge scenarios and evaluating the radial electric field in tokamak and stellarator plasmas. Recent studies indicate that the crystal temperature must be kept constant to within a fraction of a degree to avoid changes of the interplanar 2d-spacing by thermal expansion that cause changes in the Bragg angle, which could be misinterpreted as Doppler shifts. For the instrumental parameters of the x-ray crystal spectrometer on Alcator C-Mod, where those thermal effects were investigated, a change of the crystal temperature by 1 °C causes a change of the lattice spacing of the order of Δd = 1 × 10-5 Å introducing a fictitious velocity drift of the order of ˜3 km s-1. This effect must be considered for x-ray imaging crystals spectrometers installed on LHD, KSTAR, EAST, J-TEXT, NSTX and, in the future, W7-X and ITER.

A spaceworthy ADR - Recent developments. [Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator for X ray spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Serlemitsos, Aristides T.; Warner, Brent A.; Sansebastian, Marcelino; Kunes, Evan

1990-01-01

Recent developments concerning the performance and reliability of a spaceworthy adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) for the AXAF X-ray spectrometer are considered. They include a procedure for growing the salt pill around a harness made up of 6080 gold-plated copper wires, a totally modular gas gap heat switch, and a suspension system utilizing Kevlar fibers.

New Solar Irradiance Measurements from the Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer CubeSat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woods, Thomas N.; Caspi, Amir; Chamberlin, Phillip C.; Jones, Andrew; Kohnert, Richard; Mason, James Paul; Moore, Christopher S.; Palo, Scott; Rouleau, Colden; Solomon, Stanley C.; Machol, Janet; Viereck, Rodney

2017-02-01

The goal of the Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) CubeSat is to explore the energy distribution of soft X-ray (SXR) emissions from the quiescent Sun, active regions, and during solar flares and to model the impact on Earth's ionosphere and thermosphere. The energy emitted in the SXR range (0.1-10 keV) can vary by more than a factor of 100, yet we have limited spectral measurements in the SXRs to accurately quantify the spectral dependence of this variability. The MinXSS primary science instrument is an Amptek, Inc. X123 X-ray spectrometer that has an energy range of 0.5-30 keV with a nominal 0.15 keV energy resolution. Two flight models have been built. The first, MinXSS-1, has been making science observations since 2016 June 9 and has observed numerous flares, including more than 40 C-class and 7 M-class flares. These SXR spectral measurements have advantages over broadband SXR observations, such as providing the capability to derive multiple-temperature components and elemental abundances of coronal plasma, improved irradiance accuracy, and higher resolution spectral irradiance as input to planetary ionosphere simulations. MinXSS spectra obtained during the M5.0 flare on 2016 July 23 highlight these advantages and indicate how the elemental abundance appears to change from primarily coronal to more photospheric during the flare. MinXSS-1 observations are compared to the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) X-ray Sensor (XRS) measurements of SXR irradiance and estimated corona temperature. Additionally, a suggested improvement to the calibration of the GOES XRS data is presented.

Wavelength calibration of x-ray imaging crystal spectrometer on Joint Texas Experimental Tokamak

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

Yan, W.; Chen, Z. Y., E-mail: zychen@hust.edu.cn; Jin, W.

2014-11-15

The wavelength calibration of x-ray imaging crystal spectrometer is a key issue for the measurements of plasma rotation. For the lack of available standard radiation source near 3.95 Å and there is no other diagnostics to measure the core rotation for inter-calibration, an indirect method by using tokamak plasma itself has been applied on joint Texas experimental tokamak. It is found that the core toroidal rotation velocity is not zero during locked mode phase. This is consistent with the observation of small oscillations on soft x-ray signals and electron cyclotron emission during locked-mode phase.

Spatial resolution of a spherical x-ray crystal spectrometer at various magnifications

DOE PAGES

Gao, Lan; Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; ...

2016-08-23

Here, a high spatial resolution of a few μm is often required for probing small-scale high-energy-density plasmas using high resolution x-ray imaging spectroscopy. This resolution can be achieved by adjusting system magnification to overcome the inherent limitation of the detector pixel size. Laboratory experiments on investigating the relation between spatial resolution and system magnification for a spherical crystal spectrometer are presented. Tungsten Lβ 2 rays from a tungsten-target micro-focus x-ray tube were diffracted by a Ge 440 crystal, which was spherically bent to a radius of 223 mm, and imaged onto an x-ray CCD with 13-μm pixel size. The source-to-crystalmore » (p) and crystal-to-detector (q) distances were varied to produce spatial magnifications ( M = q/p) ranging from 2 to 10. The inferred instrumental spatial width reduces with increasing system magnification M. However, the experimental measurement at each M is larger than the theoretical value of pixel size divided by M. Future work will focus on investigating possible broadening mechanisms that limit the spatial resolution.« less

Tunable hard X-ray spectrometer utilizing asymmetric planes of a quartz transmission crystal

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

Seely, John F., E-mail: seelyjf@gmail.com; Feldman, Uri; Henins, Albert

2016-05-15

A Cauchois type hard x-ray spectrometer was developed that utilizes the (301) diffraction planes at an asymmetric angle of 23.51° to the normal to the surface of a cylindrically curved quartz transmission crystal. The energy coverage is tunable by rotating the crystal and the detector arm, and spectra were recorded in the 8 keV to 20 keV range with greater than 2000 resolving power. The high resolution results from low aberrations enabled by the nearly perpendicular angle of the diffracted rays with the back surface of the crystal. By using other asymmetric planes of the same crystal and rotating tomore » selected angles, the spectrometer can operate with high resolution up to 50 keV.« less

Plane-grating flat-field soft x-ray spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hague, C. F.; Underwood, J. H.; Avila, A.; Delaunay, R.; Ringuenet, H.; Marsi, M.; Sacchi, M.

2005-02-01

We describe a soft x-ray spectrometer covering the 120-800 eV range. It is intended for resonant inelastic x-ray scattering experiments performed at third generation synchrotron radiation (SR) facilities and has been developed with SOLEIL, the future French national SR source in mind. The Hettrick-Underwood principle is at the heart of the design using a combination of varied line-spacing plane grating and spherical-mirror to provide a flat-field image. It is slitless for optimum acceptance. This means the source size determines the resolving power. A spot size of ⩽5μm is planned at SOLEIL which, according to simulations, should ensure a resolving power ⩾1000 over the whole energy range. A 1024×1024 pixel charge-coupled device (CCD) with a 13μm×13μm pixel size is used. This is an improvement on the use of microchannel-plate detectors, both as concerns efficiency and spatial resolution. Additionally spectral line curvature is avoided by the use of a horizontal focusing mirror concentrating the beam in the nondispersing direction. It allows for readout using a binning mode to reduce the intrinsically large CCD readout noise. Preliminary results taken at beamlines at Elettra (Trieste) and at BESSY (Berlin) are presented.

AEGIS: An Astrophysics Experiment for Grating and Imaging Spectroscopy---a Soft X-ray, High-resolution Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huenemoerder, David; Bautz, M. W.; Davis, J. E.; Heilmann, R. K.; Houck, J. C.; Marshall, H. L.; Neilsen, J.; Nicastro, F.; Nowak, M. A.; Schattenburg, M. L.; Schulz, N. S.; Smith, R. K.; Wolk, S.; AEGIS Team

2012-01-01

AEGIS is a concept for a high-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopic observatory developed in response to NASA's request for definitions of the next X-ray astronomy mission. At a small fraction of the cost of the once-planned International X-ray Observatory (IXO), AEGIS has capabilities that surpass IXO grating spectrometer requirements, and which are far superior to those of existing soft X-ray spectrometers. AEGIS incorporates innovative technology in X-ray optics, diffraction gratings and detectors. The mirror uses high area-to-mass ratio segmented glass architecture developed for IXO, but with smaller aperture and larger graze angles optimized for high-throughput grating spectroscopy with low mass and cost. The unique Critical Angle Transmission gratings combine low mass and relaxed figure and alignment tolerances of Chandra transmission gratings but with high diffraction efficiency and resolving power of blazed reflection gratings. With more than an order of magnitude better performance over Chandra and XMM grating spectrometers, AEGIS can obtain high quality spectra of bright AGN in a few hours rather than 10 days. Such high resolving power allows detailed kinematic studies of galactic outflows, hot gas in galactic haloes, and stellar accretion flows. Absorption line spectroscopy will be used to study large scale structure, cosmic feedback, and growth of black holes in thousands of sources to great distances. AEGIS will enable powerful multi-wavelength investigations, for example with Hubble/COS in the UV to characterize the intergalactic medium. AEGIS will be the first observatory with sufficient resolution below 1 keV to resolve thermally-broadened lines in hot ( 10 MK) plasmas. Here we describe key science investigations enable by Aegis, its scientific payload and mission plan. Acknowledgements: Support was provided in part by: NASA SAO contract SV3-73016 to MIT for the Chandra X-ray Center and Science Instruments; NASA grant NNX08AI62G; and the MKI

Soft X-ray spectrometer design for warm dense plasma measurements on DARHT Axis-I

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

Ramey, Nicholas Bryan; Perry, John Oliver; Coleman, Joshua Eugene

2017-07-11

A preliminary design study is being performed on a soft X-ray spectrometer to measure K-shell spectra emitted by a warm dense plasma generated on Axis-I of the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Testing (DARHT) facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The 100-ns-long intense, relativistic electron pulse with a beam current of 1.7 kA and energy of 19.8 MeV deposits energy into a thin metal foil heating it to a warm dense plasma. The collisional ionization of the target by the electron beam produces an anisotropic angular distribution of K-shell radiation and a continuum of both scattered electrons and Bremsstrahlung up to themore » beam energy of 19.8 MeV. The principal goal of this project is to characterize these angular distributions to determine the optimal location to deploy the soft X-ray spectrometer. In addition, a proof-of-principle design will be presented. The ultimate goal of the spectrometer is to obtain measurements of the plasma temperature and density to benchmark equation-of-state models of the warm dense matter regime.« less

High resolution, high rate X-ray spectrometer

DOEpatents

Goulding, Frederick S.; Landis, Donald A.

1987-01-01

A pulse processing system (10) for use in an X-ray spectrometer in which a ain channel pulse shaper (12) and a fast channel pulse shaper (13) each produce a substantially symmetrical triangular pulse (f, p) for each event detected by the spectrometer, with the pulse width of the pulses being substantially independent of the magnitude of the detected event and with the pulse width of the fast pulses (p) being substantially shorter than the pulse width of the main channel pulses (f). A pile-up rejector circuit (19) allows output pulses to be generated, with amplitudes linearly related to the magnitude of the detected events, whenever the peak of a main channel pulse (f) is not affected by a preceding or succeeding main channel pulse, while inhibiting output pulses wherein peak magnitudes of main channel pulses are affected by adjacent pulses. The substantially symmetrical triangular main channel pulses (f) are generated by the weighted addition (27-31) of successive RC integrations (24, 25, 26) of an RC differentiated step wave (23). The substantially symmetrical triangular fast channel pulses (p) are generated by the RC integration ( 43) of a bipolar pulse (o) in which the amplitude of the second half is 1/e that of the first half, with the RC time constant of integration being equal to one-half the width of the bipolar pulse.

A new spectrometer for total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis of light elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streli, Christina; Wobrauschek, Peter; Unfried, Ernst; Aiginger, Hannes

1993-10-01

A new spectrometer for total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis (TXRF) of light elements as C, N, O, F, Na,… has been designed, constructed and realized. This was done under the aspect of optimizing all relevant parameters for excitation and detection under the conditions of Total Reflection in a vacuum chamber. A commercially available Ge(HP) detector with a diamond window offering a high transparency for low energy radiation was used. As excitation sources a special self-made windowless X-ray tube with Cu-target as well as a standard fine-focus Cr-tube were applied. Detection limits achieved are in the ng range for Carbon and Oxygen.

Calibration of a High Resolution X-ray Spectrometer for High-Energy-Density Plasmas on NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraus, B.; Gao, L.; Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Efthimion, P.; Schneider, M. B.; Chen, H.; Ayers, J.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Liedahl, D.; Macphee, A. G.; Thorn, D. B.; Bettencourt, R.; Kauffman, R.; Le, H.; Nelson, D.

2017-10-01

A high-resolution, DIM-based (Diagnostic Instrument Manipulator) x-ray crystal spectrometer has been calibrated for and deployed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to diagnose plasma conditions and mix in ignition capsules near stagnation times. Two conical crystals in the Hall geometry focus rays from the Kr He- α, Ly- α, and He- β complexes onto a streak camera for time-resolved spectra, in order to measure electron density and temperature by observing Stark broadening and relative intensities of dielectronic satellites. Signals from these two crystals are correlated with a third crystal that time-integrates the intervening energy range. The spectrometer has been absolutely calibrated using a microfocus x-ray source, an array of CCD and single-photon-counting detectors, and K- and L-absorption edge filters. Measurements of the integrated reflectivity, energy range, and energy resolution for each crystal will be presented. The implications of the calibration on signal levels from NIF implosions and x-ray filter choices will be discussed. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. DoE by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory under contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

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.

A novel portable energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer with triaxial geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pessanha, S.; Alves, M.; Sampaio, J. M.; Santos, J. P.; Carvalho, M. L.; Guerra, M.

2017-01-01

The X-ray fluorescence technique is a powerful analytical tool with a broad range of applications such as quality control, environmental contamination by heavy metals, cultural heritage, among others. For the first time, a portable energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer was assembled, with orthogonal triaxial geometry between the X-ray tube, the secondary target, the sample and the detector. This geometry reduces the background of the measured spectra by reducing significantly the Bremsstrahlung produced in the tube through polarization in the secondary target and in the sample. Consequently, a practically monochromatic excitation energy is obtained. In this way, a better peak-background ratio is obtained compared to similar devices, improving the detection limits and leading to superior sensitivity. The performance of this setup is compared with the one of a benchtop setup with triaxial geometry and a portable setup with planar geometry. Two case studies are presented concerning the analysis of a 18th century paper document, and the bone remains of an individual buried in the early 19th century.

In-flight calibration of Hitomi Soft X-ray Spectrometer. (3) Effective area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Okajima, Takashi; Eckart, Megan E.; Hayashi, Takayuki; Hoshino, Akio; Iizuka, Ryo; Kelley, Richard L.; Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Leutenegger, Maurice A.; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Mori, Hideyuki; Porter, Frederick S.; Sato, Kosuke; Sato, Toshiki; Serlemitsos, Peter J.; Szymkowiak, Andrew; Yaqoob, Tahir

2018-03-01

We present the result of the in-flight calibration of the effective area of the Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) on board the Hitomi X-ray satellite using an observation of the Crab nebula. We corrected for artifacts when observing high count rate sources with the X-ray microcalorimeter. We then constructed a spectrum in the 0.5-20 keV band, which we modeled with a single power-law continuum attenuated by interstellar extinction. We evaluated the systematic uncertainty of the spectral parameters by various calibration items. In the 2-12 keV band, the SXS result is consistent with the literature values in flux (2.20 ± 0.08 × 10-8 erg s-1 cm-2 with a 1 σ statistical uncertainty) but is softer in the power-law index (2.19 ± 0.11). The discrepancy is attributable to the systematic uncertainty of about +6%/-7% and +2%/-5% respectively for the flux and the power-law index. The softer spectrum is affected primarily by the systematic uncertainty of the Dewar gate valve transmission and the event screening.

X-ray spectrometer having 12 000 resolving power at 8 keV energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seely, John F.; Hudson, Lawrence T.; Henins, Albert; Feldman, Uri

2017-10-01

An x-ray spectrometer employing a thin (50 μm) silicon transmission crystal was used to record high-resolution Cu Kα spectra from a laboratory x-ray source. The diffraction was from the (331) planes that were at an angle of 13.26° to the crystal surface. The components of the spectral lines resulting from single-vacancy (1s) and double-vacancy (1s and 3d) transitions were observed. After accounting for the natural lifetime widths from reference double-crystal spectra and the spatial resolution of the image plate detector, the intrinsic broadening of the transmission crystal was measured to be as small as 0.67 eV and the resolving power 12 000, the highest resolving power achieved by a compact (0.5 m long) spectrometer employing a single transmission crystal operating in the hard x-ray region. By recording spectra with variable source-to-crystal distances and comparing to the calculated widths from various geometrical broadening mechanisms, the primary contributions to the intrinsic crystal broadening were found to be the source height at small distances and the crystal apertured height at large distances. By reducing these two effects, using a smaller source size and vignetting the crystal height, the intrinsic crystal broadening is then limited by the crystal thickness and the rocking curve width and would be 0.4 eV at 8 keV energy (20 000 resolving power).

The Mapping X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (MAPX)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blake, David; Sarrazin, Philippe; Bristow, Thomas; Downs, Robert; Gailhanou, Marc; Marchis, Franck; Ming, Douglas; Morris, Richard; Sole, Vincente Armando; Thompson, Kathleen;

Design, implementation, and performance of the Astro-H soft x-ray spectrometer aperture assembly and blocking filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Adams, Joseph S.; Arsenovic, Petar; Ayers, Travis; Chiao, Meng P.; DiPirro, Michael J.; Eckart, Megan E.; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Kazeva, John D.; Kripps, Kari L.; Lairson, Bruce M.; Leutenegger, Maurice A.; Lopez, Heidi C.; McCammon, Dan; McGuinness, Daniel S.; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Moseley, Samuel J.; Porter, F. Scott; Schweiss, Andrea N.; Takei, Yoh; Thorpe, Rosemary Schmidt; Watanabe, Tomomi; Yamasaki, Noriko Y.; Yoshida, Seiji

2018-01-01

The calorimeter array of the JAXA Astro-H (renamed Hitomi) soft x-ray spectrometer (SXS) was designed to provide unprecedented spectral resolution of spatially extended cosmic x-ray sources and of all cosmic x-ray sources in the Fe-K band around 6 keV. The properties that made the SXS array a powerful x-ray spectrometer also made it sensitive to photons from the entire electromagnetic band as well as particles. If characterized as a bolometer, it would have had a noise equivalent power of <4 × 10 ? 18 W / (Hz)0.5. Thus, it was imperative to shield the detector from thermal radiation from the instrument and optical and UV photons from the sky. In addition, it was necessary to shield the coldest stages of the instrument from the thermal radiation emanating from the warmer stages. These needs were addressed by a series of five thin-film radiation-blocking filters, anchored to the nested temperature stages, that blocked long-wavelength radiation while minimizing x-ray attenuation. The aperture assembly was a system of barriers, baffles, filter carriers, and filter mounts that supported the filters and inhibited their potential contamination. The three outer filters also had been equipped with thermometers and heaters for decontamination. We present the requirements, design, implementation, and performance of the SXS aperture assembly and blocking filters.

The LCLS variable-energy hard X-ray single-shot spectrometer

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

Rich, David; Zhu, Diling; Turner, James

2016-01-01

The engineering design, implementation, operation and performance of the new variable-energy hard X-ray single-shot spectrometer (HXSSS) for the LCLS free-electron laser (FEL) are reported. The HXSSS system is based on a cylindrically bent Si thin crystal for dispersing the incident polychromatic FEL beam. A spatially resolved detector system consisting of a Ce:YAG X-ray scintillator screen, an optical imaging system and a low-noise pixelated optical camera is used to record the spectrograph. The HXSSS provides single-shot spectrum measurements for users whose experiments depend critically on the knowledge of the self-amplified spontaneous emission FEL spectrum. It also helps accelerator physicists for themore » continuing studies and optimization of self-seeding, various improved mechanisms for lasing mechanisms, and FEL performance improvements. The designed operating energy range of the HXSSS is from 4 to 20 keV, with the spectral range of order larger than 2% and a spectral resolution of 2 × 10 -5or better. Those performance goals have all been achieved during the commissioning of the HXSSS.« less

The LCLS variable-energy hard X-ray single-shot spectrometer

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

Rich, David; Zhu, Diling; Turner, James

The engineering design, implementation, operation and performance of the new variable-energy hard X-ray single-shot spectrometer (HXSSS) for the LCLS free-electron laser (FEL) are reported. The HXSSS system is based on a cylindrically bent Si thin crystal for dispersing the incident polychromatic FEL beam. A spatially resolved detector system consisting of a Ce:YAG X-ray scintillator screen, an optical imaging system and a low-noise pixelated optical camera is used to record the spectrograph. The HXSSS provides single-shot spectrum measurements for users whose experiments depend critically on the knowledge of the self-amplified spontaneous emission FEL spectrum. It also helps accelerator physicists for themore » continuing studies and optimization of self-seeding, various improved mechanisms for lasing mechanisms, and FEL performance improvements. The designed operating energy range of the HXSSS is from 4 to 20 keV, with the spectral range of order larger than 2% and a spectral resolution of 2 × 10 -5or better. Those performance goals have all been achieved during the commissioning of the HXSSS.« less

High-resolution Bent-crystal Spectrometer for the Ultra-soft X-ray Region

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Beiersdorfer, P.; von Goeler, S.; Bitter, M.; Hill, K. W.; Hulse, R. A.; Walling, R. S.

1988-10-01

A multichannel vacuum Brag-crystal spectrometer has been developed for high-resolution measurements of the line emission from tokamak plasmas in the wavelength region between 4 and 25 angstrom. The spectrometer employs a bent crystal in Johann geometry and a microchannel-plate intensified photodiode array. The instrument is capable of measuring high-resolution spectra (lambda/..delta..lambda approx. 3000) with fast time resolution (4 msec per spectrum) and good spatial resolution (3 cm). The spectral bandwidth is ..delta..lambda/lambda{sub 0} = 8 angstrom. A simple tilt mechanism allows access to different wavelength intervals. In order to illustrate the utility of the new spectrometer, time- and space-resolved measurements of the n = 3 to n = 2 spectrum of selenium from the Princeton Large Torus tokamak plasmas are presented. The data are used to determine the plasma transport parameters and to infer the radial distribution of fluorinelike, neonlike, and sodiumlike ions of selenium in the plasma. The new ultra-soft x-ray spectrometer has thus enabled us to demonstrate the utility of high-resolution L-shell spectroscopy of neonlike ions as a fusion diagnostic.

The Instruments and Capabilities of the Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) CubeSats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Christopher S.; Caspi, Amir; Woods, Thomas N.; Chamberlin, Phillip C.; Dennis, Brian R.; Jones, Andrew R.; Mason, James P.; Schwartz, Richard A.; Tolbert, Anne K.

2018-02-01

The Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) CubeSat is the first solar science oriented CubeSat mission flown for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, with the main objective of measuring the solar soft X-ray (SXR) flux and a science goal of determining its influence on Earth's ionosphere and thermosphere. These observations can also be used to investigate solar quiescent, active region, and flare properties. The MinXSS X-ray instruments consist of a spectrometer, called X123, with a nominal 0.15 keV full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) resolution at 5.9 keV and a broadband X-ray photometer, called XP. Both instruments are designed to obtain measurements from 0.5 - 30 keV at a nominal time cadence of 10 s. A description of the MinXSS instruments, performance capabilities, and relation to the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 0.1 - 0.8 nm flux is given in this article. Early MinXSS results demonstrate the capability of measuring variations of the solar spectral soft X-ray (SXR) flux between 0.8 - 12 keV from at least GOES A5-M5 (5 × 10^{-8} - 5 ×10^{-5} W m^{-2}) levels and of inferring physical properties (temperature and emission measure) from the MinXSS data alone. Moreover, coronal elemental abundances can be inferred, specifically for Fe, Ca, Si, Mg, S, Ar, and Ni, when the count rate is sufficiently high at each elemental spectral feature. Additionally, temperature response curves and emission measure loci demonstrate the MinXSS sensitivity to plasma emission at different temperatures. MinXSS observations coupled with those from other solar observatories can help address some of the most compelling questions in solar coronal physics. Finally, simultaneous observations by MinXSS and the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) can provide the most spectrally complete soft X-ray solar flare photon flux measurements to date.

Automating X-ray Fluorescence Analysis for Rapid Astrobiology Surveys.

PubMed

Thompson, David R; Flannery, David T; Lanka, Ravi; Allwood, Abigail C; Bue, Brian D; Clark, Benton C; Elam, W Timothy; Estlin, Tara A; Hodyss, Robert P; Hurowitz, Joel A; Liu, Yang; Wade, Lawrence A

2015-11-01

A new generation of planetary rover instruments, such as PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) and SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) selected for the Mars 2020 mission rover payload, aim to map mineralogical and elemental composition in situ at microscopic scales. These instruments will produce large spectral cubes with thousands of channels acquired over thousands of spatial locations, a large potential science yield limited mainly by the time required to acquire a measurement after placement. A secondary bottleneck also faces mission planners after downlink; analysts must interpret the complex data products quickly to inform tactical planning for the next command cycle. This study demonstrates operational approaches to overcome these bottlenecks by specialized early-stage science data processing. Onboard, simple real-time systems can perform a basic compositional assessment, recognizing specific features of interest and optimizing sensor integration time to characterize anomalies. On the ground, statistically motivated visualization can make raw uncalibrated data products more interpretable for tactical decision making. Techniques such as manifold dimensionality reduction can help operators comprehend large databases at a glance, identifying trends and anomalies in data. These onboard and ground-side analyses can complement a quantitative interpretation. We evaluate system performance for the case study of PIXL, an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Experiments on three representative samples demonstrate improved methods for onboard and ground-side automation and illustrate new astrobiological science capabilities unavailable in previous planetary instruments. Dimensionality reduction-Planetary science-Visualization.

The Mapping X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (mapx)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blake, D. F.; Sarrazin, P.; Bristow, T.; Downs, R. T.; Gailhanou, M.; Marchis, F.; Ming, D. W.; Morris, R. V.; Sole, V. A.; Thompson, K.; Walter, P.; Wilson, M.; Yen, A. S.; Webb, S.

2016-12-01

MapX will provide elemental imaging at ≤100 µm spatial resolution over 2.5 X 2.5 cm areas, yielding elemental chemistry at or below the scale length where many relict physical, chemical, and biological features can be imaged and interpreted in ancient rocks. MapX is a full-frame spectroscopic imager positioned on soil or regolith with touch sensors. During an analysis, an X-ray source (tube or radioisotope) bombards the sample surface with X-rays or α-particles / γ-rays, resulting in sample X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). Fluoresced X-rays pass through an X-ray lens (X-ray µ-Pore Optic, "MPO") that projects a spatially resolved image of the X-rays onto a CCD. The CCD is operated in single photon counting mode so that the positions and energies of individual photons are retained. In a single analysis, several thousand frames are stored and processed. A MapX experiment provides elemental maps having a spatial resolution of ≤100 µm and quantitative XRF spectra from Regions of Interest (ROI) 2 cm ≤ x ≤ 100 µm. ROI are compared with known rock and mineral compositions to extrapolate the data to rock types and putative mineralogies. The MapX geometry is being refined with ray-tracing simulations and with synchrotron experiments at SLAC. Source requirements are being determined through Monte Carlo modeling and experiment using XMIMSIM [1], GEANT4 [2] and PyMca [3] and a dedicated XRF test fixture. A flow-down of requirements for both tube and radioisotope sources is being developed from these experiments. In addition to Mars lander and rover missions, MapX could be used for landed science on other airless bodies (Phobos/Deimos, Comet nucleus, asteroids, the Earth's moon, and the icy satellites of the outer planets, including Europa. [1] Schoonjans, T. et al.(2012). Spectrachim. Acta Part B, 70, 10-23. [2] Agostinelli, S. et al. (2003). Nucl. Instr. and Methods in Phys. Research A, 506, 250-303. [3] V.A. Solé et al. (2007). Spectrochim. Acta Part B, 62, 63-68.

Advancing the technology of monolithic CMOS detectors for use as x-ray imaging spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenter, Almus; Kraft, Ralph; Gauron, Thomas; Amato, Stephen

2017-08-01

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) in collaboration with SRI/Sarnoff has been engaged in a multi year effort to advance the technology of monolithic back-thinned CMOS detectors for use as X-ray imaging spectrometers. The long term goal of this campaign is to produce X-ray Active Pixel Sensor (APS) detectors with Fano limited performance over the 0.1-10keV band while incorporating the many benefits of CMOS technology. These benefits include: low power consumption, radiation "hardness", high levels of integration, and very high read rates. Such devices would be ideal for candidate post 2020 decadal missions such as LYNX and for smaller more immediate applications such as CubeX. Devices from a recent fabrication have been back-thinned, packaged and tested for soft X-ray response. These devices have 16μm pitch, 6 Transistor Pinned Photo Diode (6TPPD) pixels with ˜135μV/electron sensitivity and a highly parallel signal chain. These new detectors are fabricated on 10μm epitaxial silicon and have a 1k by 1k format. We present details of our camera design and device performance with particular emphasis on those aspects of interest to single photon counting X-ray astronomy. These features include read noise, X-ray spectral response and quantum efficiency.

The new Athena alpha particle X-ray spectrometer for the Mars Exploration Rovers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rieder, R.; Gellert, R.; Brückner, J.; Klingelhöfer, G.; Dreibus, G.; Yen, A.; Squyres, S. W.

2003-11-01

The new alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) is part of the Athena payload of the two Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). The APXS sensor head is attached to the turret of the instrument deployment device (IDD) of the rover. The APXS is a very light-weight instrument for determining the major and minor elemental composition of Martian soils, rocks, and other geological materials at the MER landing sites. The sensor head has simply to be docked by the IDD on the surface of the selected sample. X-ray radiation, excited by alpha particles and X rays of the radioactive sources, is recorded by a high-resolution X-ray detector. The X-ray spectra show elements starting from sodium up to yttrium, depending on their concentrations. The backscattered alpha spectra, measured by a ring of detectors, provide additional data on carbon and oxygen. By means of a proper calibration, the elemental concentrations are derived. Together with data from the two other Athena instruments mounted on the IDD, the samples under investigation can be fully characterized. Key APXS objectives are the determination of the chemistry of crustal rocks and soils and the examination of water-related deposits, sediments, or evaporates. Using the rock abrasion tool attached to the IDD, issues of weathering can be addressed by measuring natural and abraded surfaces of rocks.

Construction of a magnetic bottle spectrometer and its application to pulse duration measurement of X-ray laser using a pump-probe method

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

Namba, S., E-mail: namba@hiroshima-u.ac.jp; Hasegawa, N.; Kishimoto, M.

To characterize the temporal evolution of ultrashort X-ray pulses emitted by laser plasmas using a pump-probe method, a magnetic bottle time-of-flight electron spectrometer is constructed. The design is determined by numerical calculations of a mirror magnetic field and of the electron trajectory in a flight tube. The performance of the spectrometer is characterized by measuring the electron spectra of xenon atoms irradiated with a laser-driven plasma X-ray pulse. In addition, two-color above-threshold ionization (ATI) experiment is conducted for measurement of the X-ray laser pulse duration, in which xenon atoms are simultaneously irradiated with an X-ray laser pump and an IRmore » laser probe. The correlation in the intensity of the sideband spectra of the 4d inner-shell photoelectrons and in the time delay of the two laser pulses yields an X-ray pulse width of 5.7 ps, in good agreement with the value obtained using an X-ray streak camera.« less

A high-resolution x-ray spectrometer for a kaon mass measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phelan, Kevin; Suzuki, Ken; Zmeskal, Johann; Tortorella, Daniele; Bühler, Matthias; Hertrich, Theo

2017-02-01

The ASPECT consortium (Adaptable Spectrometer Enabled by Cryogenic Technology) is currently constructing a generalised cryogenic platform for cryogenic detector work which will be able to accommodate a wide range of sensors. The cryogenics system is based on a small mechanical cooler with a further adiabatic demagnetisation stage and will work with cryogenic detectors at sub-Kelvin temperatures. The commercial aim of the consortium is to produce a compact, user-friendly device with an emphasis on reliability and portability which can easily be transported for specialised on-site work, such as beam-lines or telescope facilities. The cryogenic detector platform will accommodate a specially developed cryogenic sensor, either a metallic magnetic calorimeter or a magnetic penetration-depth thermometer. The detectors will be designed to work in various temperatures regions with an emphasis on optimising the various detector resolutions for specific temperatures. One resolution target is of about 10 eV at the energies range typically created in kaonic atoms experiments (soft x-ray energies). A following step will see the introduction of continuous, high-power, sub-Kelvin cooling which will bring the cryogenic basis for a high resolution spectrometer system to the market. The scientific goal of the project will produce an experimental set-up optimised for kaon-mass measurements performing high-resolution x-ray spectroscopy on a beam-line provided foreseeably by the J-PARC (Tokai, Japan) or DAΦNE (Frascati, Italy) facilities.

Final Summary of On-Orbit ADR Operation on Hitomis Soft X-Ray Spectrometer Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shirron, Peter

2016-01-01

The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) on the Astro-H observatory contains a 6x6 array of x-ray microcalorimeters that are cooled to 50 mK by an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR). The ADR consists of three stages in order to provide stable detector cooling using either a 1.2 K superfluid helium bath or a 4.5 K Joule-Thomson (JT) cryocooler as its heat sink. Astro-H was renamed Hitomi after it was successfully launched in February 2016. The SXS carried approximately 36 liters of helium into orbit, and by day 5 the helium had cooled sufficiently (1.4 K) to allow operation of the ADR. This paper summarizes the ADRs performance during the 38 days that the satellite was operational.

Development of a high resolution x-ray spectrometer for the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

DOE PAGES

Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Delgado-Aparicio, L.; ...

2016-09-28

A high resolution (E/ΔE = 1200-1800) Bragg crystal x-ray spectrometer is being developed to measure plasma parameters in National Ignition Facility experiments. The instrument will be a diagnostic instrument manipulator positioned cassette designed mainly to infer electron density in compressed capsules from Stark broadening of the helium-β (1s 2-1s3p) lines of krypton and electron temperature from the relative intensities of dielectronic satellites. Two conically shaped crystals will diffract and focus (1) the Kr Heβ complex and (2) the Heα (1s 2-1s2p) and Lyα (1s-2p) complexes onto a streak camera photocathode for time resolved measurement, and a third cylindrical or conicalmore » crystal will focus the full Heα to Heβ spectral range onto an image plate to provide a time integrated calibration spectrum. Calculations of source x-ray intensity, spectrometer throughput, and spectral resolution are presented. Furthermore, details of the conical-crystal focusing properties as well as the status of the instrumental design are also presented.« less

Development of a high resolution x-ray spectrometer for the National Ignition Facility (NIF).

PubMed

Hill, K W; Bitter, M; Delgado-Aparicio, L; Efthimion, P C; Ellis, R; Gao, L; Maddox, J; Pablant, N A; Schneider, M B; Chen, H; Ayers, S; Kauffman, R L; MacPhee, A G; Beiersdorfer, P; Bettencourt, R; Ma, T; Nora, R C; Scott, H A; Thorn, D B; Kilkenny, J D; Nelson, D; Shoup, M; Maron, Y

2016-11-01

A high resolution (E/ΔE = 1200-1800) Bragg crystal x-ray spectrometer is being developed to measure plasma parameters in National Ignition Facility experiments. The instrument will be a diagnostic instrument manipulator positioned cassette designed mainly to infer electron density in compressed capsules from Stark broadening of the helium-β (1s 2 -1s3p) lines of krypton and electron temperature from the relative intensities of dielectronic satellites. Two conically shaped crystals will diffract and focus (1) the Kr Heβ complex and (2) the Heα (1s 2 -1s2p) and Lyα (1s-2p) complexes onto a streak camera photocathode for time resolved measurement, and a third cylindrical or conical crystal will focus the full Heα to Heβ spectral range onto an image plate to provide a time integrated calibration spectrum. Calculations of source x-ray intensity, spectrometer throughput, and spectral resolution are presented. Details of the conical-crystal focusing properties as well as the status of the instrumental design are also presented.

Experimental results from an X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer utilizing multi-wire proportional counter for KSTAR

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

Lee, S. G., E-mail: sglee@nfri.re.kr; Kim, Y. S.; Yoo, J. W.

2016-11-15

The inconsistency of the first experimental results from the X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer for the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research device utilizing a multi-wire proportional counter (MWPC) is clarified after improving the photon-count rate of the data acquisition system for the MWPC and ground loop isolator for the whole spectrometer system. The improved MWPC is successfully applied to pure Ohmic plasmas as well as plasmas with high confinement modes.

Cryogen-free operation of the Soft X-ray Spectrometer instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sneiderman, Gary A.; Shirron, Peter J.; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Bialas, Thomas G.; Boyce, Kevin R.; Chiao, Meng P.; DiPirro, Michael J.; Eckart, Megan E.; Hartz, Leslie; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Kelley, Richard L.; Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Masters, Candace; McCammon, Dan; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Noda, Hirofumi; Porter, Frederick S.; Szymkowiak, Andrew E.; Takei, Yoh; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Yoshida, Seiji

2016-07-01

The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) is the first space-based instrument to implement redundancy in the operation of a sub-Kelvin refrigerator. The SXS cryogenic system consists of a superfluid helium tank and a combination of Stirling and Joule-Thompson (JT) cryocoolers that support the operation of a 3-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR). When liquid helium is present, the x-ray microcalorimeter detectors are cooled to their 50 mK operating temperature by two ADR stages, which reject their heat directly to the liquid at 1.1 K. When the helium is depleted, all three ADR stages are used to accomplish detector cooling while rejecting heat to the JT cooler operating at 4.5 K. Compared to the simpler helium mode operation, the cryogen-free mode achieves the same instrument performance by controlling the active cooling devices within the cooling system differently. These include the three ADR stages and four active heat switches, provided by NASA, and five cryocoolers, provided by JAXA. Development and verification details of this capability are presented within this paper and offer valuable insights into the challenges, successes, and lessons that can benefit other missions, particularly those employing cryogen-free cooling systems.

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.

Set of instruments for solar EUV and soft X-ray monitoring onboard satellite Coronas-Photon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotov, Yury; Kochemasov, Alexey; Kuzin, Sergey; Kuznetsov, Vladimir; Sylwester, Janusz; Yurov, Vitaly

Coronas-Photon mission is the third satellite of the Russian Coronas program on solar activity observation. The main goal of the "Coronas-Photon" is the study of solar hard electromagnetic radiation in the wide energy range from UV up to high energy gamma-radiation (2000MeV). Scientific payload for solar radiation observation consists of three types of instruments: Monitors (Natalya-2M, Konus-RF, RT-2, Penguin-M, BRM, PHOKA, Sphin-X, SOKOL spectral and timing measurements of full solar disk radiation have timing in flare/burst mode up to one msec. Instruments Natalya-2M, Konus-RF, RT-2 will cover the wide energy range of hard X-rays and soft gamma-rays (15keV to 2000MeV) and will together constitute the largest area detectors ever used for solar observations. Detectors of gamma-ray monitors are based on structured inorganic scintillators. For X-ray and EUV monitors the scintillation phoswich detectors, gas proportional counter, CdZnTe assembly and filter-covered Si-diodes are used. Telescope-spectrometer TESIS for imaging solar spectroscopy in X-rays has angular resolution up to 1arcsec in three spectral lines. Satellite platform and scientific payload is under construction to be launched in autumn 2008. Satellite orbit is circular with initial height 550km and inclination 82.5degrees. Accuracy of the spacecraft orientation to the Sun is better 3arcmin. In the report the capability of PHOKA, SphinX, SOKOL and TESIS as well as the observation program are described and discussed.

In-flight calibration of the Hitomi Soft X-ray Spectrometer. (2) Point spread function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, Yoshitomo; Sato, Toshiki; Hayashi, Takayuki; Iizuka, Ryo; Angelini, Lorella; Asai, Ryota; Furuzawa, Akihiro; Kelley, Richard; Koyama, Shu; Kurashima, Sho; Ishida, Manabu; Mori, Hideyuki; Nakaniwa, Nozomi; Okajima, Takashi; Serlemitsos, Peter J.; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Yaqoob, Tahir

2018-03-01

We present results of inflight calibration of the point spread function of the Soft X-ray Telescope that focuses X-rays onto the pixel array of the Soft X-ray Spectrometer system. We make a full array image of a point-like source by extracting a pulsed component of the Crab nebula emission. Within the limited statistics afforded by an exposure time of only 6.9 ks and limited knowledge of the systematic uncertainties, we find that the raytracing model of 1 {^'.} 2 half-power-diameter is consistent with an image of the observed event distributions across pixels. The ratio between the Crab pulsar image and the raytracing shows scatter from pixel to pixel that is 40% or less in all except one pixel. The pixel-to-pixel ratio has a spread of 20%, on average, for the 15 edge pixels, with an averaged statistical error of 17% (1 σ). In the central 16 pixels, the corresponding ratio is 15% with an error of 6%.

A method to test the performance of an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS).

PubMed

Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan; Procop, Mathias

2014-10-01

A test material for routine performance evaluation of energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometers (EDS) is presented. It consists of a synthetic, thick coating of C, Al, Mn, Cu, and Zr, in an elemental composition that provides interference-free characteristic X-ray lines of similar intensities at 10 kV scanning electron microscope voltage. The EDS energy resolution at the C-K, Mn-Lα, Cu-Lα, Al-K, Zr-Lα, and Mn-Kα lines, the calibration state of the energy scale, and the Mn-Lα/Mn-Kα intensity ratio as a measure for the low-energy detection efficiency are calculated by a dedicated software package from the 10 kV spectrum. Measurements at various input count rates and processor shaping times enable an estimation of the operation conditions for which the X-ray spectrum is not yet corrupted by pile-up events. Representative examples of EDS systems characterized with the test material and the related software are presented and discussed.

A novel vacuum spectrometer for total reflection x-ray fluorescence analysis with two exchangeable low power x-ray sources for the analysis of low, medium, and high Z elements in sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wobrauschek, P.; Prost, J.; Ingerle, D.; Kregsamer, P.; Misra, N. L.; Streli, C.

2015-08-01

The extension of the detectable elemental range with Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) analysis is a challenging task. In this paper, it is demonstrated how a TXRF spectrometer is modified to analyze elements from carbon to uranium. Based on the existing design of a vacuum TXRF spectrometer with a 12 specimen sample changer, the following components were renewed: the silicon drift detector with 20 mm2 active area and having a special ultra-thin polymer window allowing the detection of elements from carbon upwards. Two exchangeable X-ray sources guarantee the efficient excitation of both low and high Z elements. These X-ray sources were two light-weighted easily mountable 35 W air-cooled low-power tubes with Cr and Rh anodes, respectively. The air cooled tubes and the Peltier-cooled detector allowed to construct a transportable tabletop spectrometer with compact dimensions, as neither liquid nitrogen cooling for the detector nor a water cooling circuit and a bulky high voltage generator for the X-ray tubes are required. Due to the excellent background conditions as a result of the TXRF geometry, detection limits of 150 ng for C, 12 ng for F, and 3.3 ng for Na have been obtained using Cr excitation in vacuum. For Rh excitation, the detection limits of 90 pg could be achieved for Sr. Taking 10 to 20 μl of sample volume, extrapolated detection limits in the ng/g (ppb) range are resulting in terms of concentration.

Soft X-ray Spectrometer for Characterization of Electron Beam Driven WDM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramey, Nicholas; Coleman, Joshua; Perry, John

2017-10-01

A preliminary design study is being performed on a soft X-ray spectrometer to measure K-shell spectra emitted by a warm dense plasma generated by an intense, relativistic electron beam interacting with a thin, low-Z metal foil. A 100-ns-long electron pulse with a beam current of 1.7 kA and energy of 19.8 MeV deposits energy into the thin metal foil heating it to a warm dense plasma. The collisional ionization of the target by the electron beam produces an anisotropic angular distribution of K-shell radiation and a continuum of both scattered electrons and Bremsstrahlung up to the beam energy of 19.8 MeV. A proof-of-principle Bragg-type spectrometer has been built to measure the Ti K- α and K- β lines. The goal of the spectrometer is to measure the temperature and density of this warm dense plasma for the first time with this heating technique. This work was supported by the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396.

Determination of the Effective Detector Area of an Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometer at the Scanning Electron Microscope Using Experimental and Theoretical X-Ray Emission Yields.

PubMed

Procop, Mathias; Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan; Terborg, Ralf; Berger, Dirk

2016-12-01

A method is proposed to determine the effective detector area for energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometers (EDS). Nowadays, detectors are available for a wide range of nominal areas ranging from 10 up to 150 mm2. However, it remains in most cases unknown whether this nominal area coincides with the "net active sensor area" that should be given according to the related standard ISO 15632, or with any other area of the detector device. Moreover, the specific geometry of EDS installation may further reduce a given detector area. The proposed method can be applied to most scanning electron microscope/EDS configurations. The basic idea consists in a comparison of the measured count rate with the count rate resulting from known X-ray yields of copper, titanium, or silicon. The method was successfully tested on three detectors with known effective area and applied further to seven spectrometers from different manufacturers. In most cases the method gave an effective area smaller than the area given in the detector description.

Bent crystal spectrometer for both frequency and wavenumber resolved x-ray scattering at a seeded free-electron laser.

PubMed

Zastrau, Ulf; Fletcher, Luke B; Förster, Eckhart; Galtier, Eric Ch; Gamboa, Eliseo; Glenzer, Siegfried H; Heimann, Philipp; Marschner, Heike; Nagler, Bob; Schropp, Andreas; Wehrhan, Ortrud; Lee, Hae Ja

2014-09-01

We present a cylindrically curved GaAs x-ray spectrometer with energy resolution ΔE/E = 1.1 × 10(-4) and wave-number resolution of Δk/k = 3 × 10(-3), allowing plasmon scattering at the resolution limits of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) x-ray free-electron laser. It spans scattering wavenumbers of 3.6 to 5.2/Å in 100 separate bins, with only 0.34% wavenumber blurring. The dispersion of 0.418 eV/13.5 μm agrees with predictions within 1.3%. The reflection homogeneity over the entire wavenumber range was measured and used to normalize the amplitude of scattering spectra. The proposed spectrometer is superior to a mosaic highly annealed pyrolytic graphite spectrometer when the energy resolution needs to be comparable to the LCLS seeded bandwidth of 1 eV and a significant range of wavenumbers must be covered in one exposure.

OZSPEC-2: an improved broadband high-resolution elliptical crystal x-ray spectrometer for high-energy density physics experiments (invited).

PubMed

Heeter, R F; Anderson, S G; Booth, R; Brown, G V; Emig, J; Fulkerson, S; McCarville, T; Norman, D; Schneider, M B; Young, B K F

2008-10-01

A novel time, space, and energy-resolved x-ray spectrometer has been developed which produces, in a single snapshot, a broadband and relatively calibrated spectrum of the x-ray emission from a high-energy density laboratory plasma. The opacity zipper spectrometer (OZSPEC-1) records a nearly continuous spectrum for x-ray energies from 240 to 5800 eV in a single shot. The second-generation OZSPEC-2, detailed in this work, records fully continuous spectra on a single shot from any two of these three bands: 270-650, 660-1580, and 1960-4720 eV. These instruments thus record thermal and line radiation from a wide range of plasmas. These instruments' single-shot bandwidth is unmatched in a time-gated spectrometer; conversely, other broadband instruments are either time-integrated (using crystals or gratings), lack spectral resolution (diode arrays), or cover a lower energy band (gratings). The OZSPECs are based on the zipper detector, a large-format (100x35 mm) gated microchannel plate detector, with spectra dispersed along the 100 mm dimension. OZSPEC-1 and -2 both use elliptically bent crystals of OHM, RAP, and/or PET. Individual spectra are gated in 100 ps. OZSPEC-2 provides one-dimensional spatial imaging with 30-50 microm resolution over a 1500 microm field of view at the source. The elliptical crystal design yields broad spectral coverage with resolution E/DeltaE>500, strong rejection of hard x-ray backgrounds, and negligible source broadening for extended sources. Near-term applications include plasma opacity measurements, detailed spectra of inertial fusion Hohlraums, and laboratory astrophysics experiments.

X-ray Diffraction Gratings for Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paerels, Frits

2010-12-01

Over the past year, we have celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observatories. Both carry powerful, novel diffraction grating spectrometers, which have opened true X-ray spectroscopy for astrophysics. I will describe the design and operation of these instruments, as the background to some of the beautiful results they have produced. But these designs do not exhaust the versatility and essential simplicity of diffraction grating spectrometers, and I will discuss applications for the International X-ray Observatory IXO.

LABORATORY EVALUATION OF SIX NEW/MODIFIED PORTABLE X-RAY FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETERS FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF LEAD IN CHARACTERIZED PAINT FILMS AND RESEARCH MATERIAL BOARDS (APPENDICES)

EPA Science Inventory

A laboratory study was performed in 1994-1995 to identify and estimate the influence of key characteristics for evaluating the performance of portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometers. Six new/modified spectrometers, including HNU SEFA-Pb, Metorex X-MET, Niton X-L, Radiat...

Development of a combined portable x-ray fluorescence and Raman spectrometer for in situ analysis.

PubMed

Guerra, M; Longelin, S; Pessanha, S; Manso, M; Carvalho, M L

2014-06-01

In this work, we have built a portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer in a planar configuration coupled to a Raman head and a digital optical microscope, for in situ analysis. Several geometries for the XRF apparatus and digital microscope are possible in order to overcome spatial constraints and provide better measurement conditions. With this combined spectrometer, we are now able to perform XRF and Raman measurements in the same point without the need for sample collection, which can be crucial when dealing with cultural heritage objects, as well as forensic analysis. We show the capabilities of the spectrometer by measuring several standard reference materials, as well as other samples usually encountered in cultural heritage, geological, as well as biomedical studies.

Development of a High Resolution X-ray Spectrometer on the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, L.; Kraus, B.; Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Efthimion, P.; Schneider, M. B.; Chen, H.; Ayers, J.; Liedahl, D.; Macphee, A. G.; Le, H. P.; Thorn, D.; Nelson, D.

2017-10-01

A high-resolution x-ray spectrometer has been designed, calibrated, and deployed on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to measure plasma parameters for a Kr-doped surrogate capsule imploded at NIF conditions. Two conical crystals, each diffracting the He α and He β complexes respectively, focus the spectra onto a steak camera photocathode for time-resolved measurements with a temporal resolution of <20 ps. A third cylindrical crystal focuses the entire He α to He β spectrum onto an image plate for a time-integrated spectrum to correlate the two streaked signals. The instrument was absolutely calibrated by the x-ray group at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory using a micro-focus x-ray source. Detailed calibration procedures, including source and spectrum alignment, energy calibration, crystal performance evaluation, and measurement of the resolving power and the integrated reflectivity will be presented. Initial NIF experimental results will also be discussed. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory under contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

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).

Status of Mirror Development for the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Champey, P. R.; Winebarger, A. R.; Kobayashi, K.; Savage, S. L.; Ramsey, B.; Kolodziejczak, J.; Speegle, C.; Young, M.; Kester, T.; Cheimets, P.; Hertz, E.

2017-12-01

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a NASA sounding rocket instrument designed to observe soft X-ray emissions at 0.5 - 2.0 keV energies (24 - 6 Å) from a solar active region. MaGIXS will, for the first time, obtain spatially resolved spectra of high-temperature, low-emission plasma within an active region core. The unique optical design includes a Wolter I telescope and a 3-optic grazing incidence spectrograph. The spectrograph consists of a finite conjugate, stigmatic mirror pair and a planar varied line space grating. The grazing incidence mirrors are being developed at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and are produced using electroform nickel-replication techniques, employing the same facilities developed for HERO, FOXSI, ART-XC and IXPE. The MaGIXS mirror mandrels have been fabricated, figured, and have completed the first phase of polishing. A set of three test shells were replicated and exposed to X-rays in the Stray Light Facility (SLF) at MSFC. Here we present results from mandrel metrology and X-ray testing at the SLF. We also discuss the development of a new polishing technique for the MaGIXS mirror mandrels, where we plan to use the Zeeko polishing machine.

First flight of SMASH, the SwRI Miniature Assembly for Solar Hard X-rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caspi, Amir; Laurent, Glenn Thomas; Shoffner, Michael; Higuera Caubilla, David; Meurisse, Jeremie; Smith, Kelly; Shih, Albert Y.; Saint-Hilaire, Pascal; DeForest, Craig; Mansour, Nagi N.; Hathaway, David H.

2016-05-01

The SwRI Miniature Assembly for Solar Hard X-rays (SMASH) was successfully flown from Antarctica in January (19-30) 2016, as a piggy-back instrument on the Gamma-Ray Imager/Polarimeter for Solar flares (GRIPS) high altitude balloon payload. SMASH is a technological demonstration of a new miniaturized hard X-ray (HXR) detector for use on CubeSats and other small spacecraft, including the proposed CubeSat Imaging X-ray Solar Spectrometer (CubIXSS).HXRs are the observational signatures of energetic processes on the Sun, including plasma heating and particle acceleration. One of the goals of CubIXSS will be to address the question of how plasma is heated during solar flares, including the relationship between thermal plasma and non-thermal particles. SMASH demonstrated the space-borne application of the commercial off-the-shelf Amptek X123-CdTe, a miniature cadmium telluride photon-counting HXR spectrometer. The CdTe detector has a physical area of 25 mm^2 and 1 mm fully-depleted thickness, with a ~100 micron Be window; with on-board thermoelectric cooling and pulse pile-up rejection, it is sensitive to solar photons from ~5 to ~100 keV with ~0.5-1.0 keV FWHM resolution. Photons are accumulated into histogram spectra with customizable energy binning and integration time. With modest resource requirements (~1/8 U, ~200 g, ~2.5 W) and low cost (~$10K), the X123-CdTe is an attractive solution for HXR measurements from budget- and resource-limited platforms such as CubeSats. SMASH flew two identical X123-CdTe detectors for redundancy and increased collecting area; the supporting electronics (power, CPU) were largely build-to-print using the Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) CubeSat design.We review the SMASH mission, design, and detector performance during the 12-day Antarctic flight. We present current progress on our data analysis of observed solar flares, and discuss future applications of the space-qualified X123-CdTe detector, including the CubIXSS mission

Development of a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer for Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyeong Ja; Park, Junghun; Choi, Yire; Lee, Sungsoon; Yeon, Youngkwang; Yi, Eung Seok; Jeong, Meeyoung; Sun, Changwan; van Gasselt, Stephan; Lee, K. B.; Kim, Yongkwon; Min, Kyungwook; Kang, Kyungin; Cho, Jinyeon; Park, Kookjin; Hasebe, Nobuyuki; Elphic, Richard; Englert, Peter; Gasnault, Olivier; Lim, Lucy; Shibamura, Eido; GRS Team

2016-10-01

Korea is preparing for a lunar orbiter mission (KPLO) to be developed in no later than 2018. Onboard the spacecraft is a gamma ray spectrometer (KLGRS) allowing to collect low energy gamma-ray signals in order to detect elements by either X-ray fluorescence or by natural radioactive decay in the low as well as higher energy regions of up to 10 MeV. Scientific objectives include lunar resources (water and volatile measurements, rare earth elements and precious metals, energy resources, major elemental distributions for prospective in-situ utilizations), investigation of the lunar geology and studies of the lunar environment (mapping of the global radiation environment from keV to 10 MeV, high energy cosmic ray flux using the plastic scintillator).The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) system is a compact low-weight instrument for the chemical analysis of lunar surface materials within a gamma-ray energy range from 10s keV to 10 MeV. The main LaBr3 detector is surrounded by an anti-coincidence counting module of BGO/PS scintillators to reduce both low gamma-ray background from the spacecraft and housing materials and high energy gamma-ray background from cosmic rays. The GRS system will determine the elemental compositions of the near surface of the Moon.The GRS system is a recently developed gamma-ray scintillation based detector which can be used as a replacement for the HPGe GRS sensor with the advantage of being able to operate at a wide range of temperatures with remarkable energy resolution. LaBr3 also has a high photoelectron yield, fast scintillation response, good linearity and thermal stability. With these major advantages, the LaBr3 GRS system will allow us to investigate scientific objectives and assess important research questions on lunar geology and resource exploration.The GRS investigation will help to assess open questions related to the spatial distribution and origin of the elements on the lunar surface and will contribute to unravel geological surface

Calibration of X-ray spectrometers for opacity experiments at the Orion laser facility (invited).

PubMed

Bentley, C; Allan, P; Brent, K; Bruce, N; Hoarty, D; Meadowcroft, A; Percival, J; Opie, C

2016-11-01

Accurately calibrated and characterised x-ray diagnostics are a key requirement in the fielding of experiments on the Orion laser where absolute measurements of x-ray emission are used to underpin the validity of models of emissivity and opacity. Diffraction crystals are used in spectrometers on Orion to record the dispersed spectral features emitted by the laser produced plasma to obtain a measurement of the plasma conditions. The ability to undertake diffraction crystal calibrations supports the successful outcome of these Orion experiments. This paper details the design and commissioning of a system to undertake these calibrations in the energy range 2.0 keV to approximately 8.5 keV. Improvements to the design are detailed which will extend the commissioned range of energies to below 1 keV.

High resolution X- and gamma-ray spectroscopy of cosmic X-ray sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, R. P.

1983-01-01

A high resolution X-ray spectrometer and large area phoswich detector were designed and co-aligned in a common elevation mounting in order to measure solar and cosmic X-ray and gamma ray emission in the 13 to 600 KeV energy range from a balloon. The instrument is described and results obtained for the Crab Nebula, the supernova remnant Cas A, and the Sun are discussed and analyzed.

In-flight performance of the soft x-ray spectrometer detector system on Astro-H

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porter, Frederick S.; Boyce, Kevin R.; Chiao, Meng P.; Eckart, Megan E.; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Kilbourne, Caroline Anne; Leutenegger, Maurice A.; McCammon, Daniel; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Sato, Kosuke; Seta, Hiromi; Sawada, Makoto; Sneiderman, Gary A.; Szymkowiak, Andrew E.; Takei, Yoh; Tashiro, Makoto S.; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Watanabe, Tomomi; Yamada, Shinya

2018-01-01

The soft x-ray spectrometer (SXS) instrument was launched aboard the Astro-H (Hitomi) observatory on February 17, 2016. The SXS is based on a high-sensitivity x-ray calorimeter detector system that has been successfully deployed in many ground and suborbital spectrometers. The instrument was to provide essential diagnostics for nearly every class of x-ray emitting objects from the atmosphere of Jupiter to the outskirts of galaxy clusters, without degradation for spatially extended objects. The SXS detector system consisted of a 36-pixel cryogenic microcalorimeter array operated at a heat sink temperature of 50 mK. In preflight testing, the detector system demonstrated a resolving power of better than 1300 at 6 keV with a simultaneous bandpass from below 0.3 keV to above 12 keV with a timing precision better than 100 μs. In addition, a solid-state anticoincidence detector was placed directly behind the detector array for background suppression. The detector error budget included the measured interference from the SXS cooling system and the spacecraft. Additional margin for on-orbit gain stability and on-orbit spacecraft interference were also included predicting an on-orbit performance that meets or exceeds the 7-eV FWHM at 6-keV requirement. The actual on-orbit spectral resolution was better than 5 eV FWHM at 6 keV, easily satisfying the instrument requirement. Here, we discuss the actual on-orbit performance of the SXS detector system and compare this to performance in preflight testing and the on-orbit predictions. We will also discuss the on-orbit gain stability, additional on-orbit interference, and measurements of the on-orbit background.

Data reduction and analysis for the graphite crystal X-ray spectrometer and polarimeter experiment flown aboard OSO-8 spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Novick, R.

1980-01-01

The documentation and software programs developed for the reception, initial processing (quickbook), and production analysis of data obtained by solar X-ray spectroscopy, stellar spectroscopy, and X-ray polarimetry experiments on OSO-8 are listed. The effectiveness and sensitivity of the Bragg crystal scattering instruments used are assessed. The polarization data polarimetric data obtained shows that some X-ray sources are polarized and that a larger polarimeter of this type is required to perform the measurements necessary to fully understand the physics of X-ray sources. The scanning Bragg crystal spectrometer was ideally suited for studying rapidly changing solar conditions. Observations of the Crab Nebula and pulsar, Cyg X-1, Cyg X-2, Cyg X-3, Sco X-1, Cen X-3, and Her X-1 are discussed as well as of 4U1656-53 and 4U1820-30. Evidence was obtained for iron line emission from Cyg X-3.

Imaging crystal spectrometer for high-resolution x-ray measurements on electron beam ion traps and tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Beiersdorfer, P.; Magee, E. W.; Hell, N.; ...

2016-09-09

Here, we describe a crystal spectrometer implemented on the Livermore electron beam ion traps that employ two spherically bent quartz crystals and a cryogenically cooled back-illuminated charge-coupled device detector to measure x rays with a nominal resolving power of λ/Δλ ≥ 10 000. Its focusing properties allow us to record x rays either with the plane of dispersion perpendicular or parallel to the electron beam and, thus, to preferentially select one of the two linear x-ray polarization components. Moreover, by choice of dispersion plane and focussing conditions, we use the instrument either to image the distribution of the ions withinmore » the 2 cm long trap region, or to concentrate x rays of a given energy to a point on the detector, which optimizes the signal-to-noise ratio. We demonstrate the operation and utility of the new instrument by presenting spectra of Mo 34+, which prepares the instrument for use as a core impurity diagnostic on the NSTX-U spherical torus and other magnetic fusion devices that employ molybdenum as plasma facing components.« less

On the evaluation of the absolute photon energy of Cu Kα, β lines using 4-crystal X -ray spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Yoshiaki; Tochio, Tatsunori; Fukushima, Sei

A 4-crystal X-ray spectrometer was designed based on a 2-crystal X-ray spectrometer to be able to perform the absolute measurement of Bragg angle. This basic thought based on 2 crystals dates back to the times to A.Compton etc.. Because a distortion to give the crystal by the adhesive when a crystal was glued, greatly affected the X-rays profile, we changed it to the channel cut crystal without a free distortion as for having made each crystal of 2-crystal a channel cut. The influence of the foot in the spectral profile is more suppressed because four times of reflections reflect it. It is a high resolution so as not to need to consider instrumental function by the reflection degree that a specific atomic analysis can be executed with the chemical state which it is possible for making the placement of the 4-crystal (+, +) setting. This type of spectrum device is first time in the world. Because the absolute measurement of 2 θ angles is enabled by (+,-) and (+, +) setting from the center of gravity position of the rocking curve and the center of gravity position of the X-rays spectrum, we may measure the absolute value of the X-ray photon energy. Because we evaluated the energy of the Cu Kα , β lines, we report it. We acknowledge financial support for the measurements of a part of the data by the REXDAB collaboration that was initiated within the International Fundamental Parameter Initiative.

LABORATORY EVALUATION OF SIX NEW/MODIFIED PORTABLE X-RAY FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETERS FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF LEAD IN CHARACTERIZED PAINT FILMS AND RESEARCH MATERIAL BOARDS (TECHNICAL REPORT)

EPA Science Inventory

A laboratory study was performed in 1994-1995 to identify and estimate the influence of key characteristics for evaluating the performance of portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometers. Six new/modified spectrometers, including HNU SEFA-Pb, Metorex X-MET, Niton X-L, Radiat...

Advancing the Technology of Monolithic CMOS detectors for their use as X-ray Imaging Spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenter, Almus

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) proposes a two year program to further advance the scientific capabilities of monolithic CMOS detectors for use as x-ray imaging spectrometers. This proposal will build upon the progress achieved with funding from a previous APRA proposal that ended in 2013. As part of that previous proposal, x- ray optimized, highly versatile, monolithic CMOS imaging detectors and technology were developed and tested. The performance and capabilities of these devices were then demonstrated, with an emphasis on the performance advantages these devices have over CCDs and other technologies. The developed SAO/SRI-Sarnoff CMOS devices incorporate: Low noise, high sensitivity ("gain") pixels; Highly parallel on-chip signal chains; Standard and very high resistivity (30,000Ohm-cm) Si; Back-Side thinning and passivation. SAO demonstrated the performance benefits of each of these features in these devices. This new proposal high-lights the performance of this previous generation of devices, and segues into new technology and capability. The high sensitivity ( 135uV/e) 6 Transistor (6T) Pinned Photo Diode (PPD) pixels provided a large charge to voltage conversion gain to the detect and resolve even small numbers of photo electrons produced by x-rays. The on-chip, parallel signal chain processed an entire row of pixels in the same time that a CCD requires to processes a single pixel. The resulting high speed operation ( 1000 times faster than CCD) provide temporal resolution while mitigating dark current and allowed room temperature operation. The high resistivity Si provided full (over) depletion for thicker devices which increased QE for higher energy x-rays. In this proposal, SAO will investigate existing NMOS and existing PMOS devices as xray imaging spectrometers. Conventional CMOS imagers are NMOS. NMOS devices collect and measure photo-electrons. In contrast, PMOS devices collect and measure photo-holes. PMOS devices have various

A novel von Hamos spectrometer for efficient X-ray emission spectroscopy in the laboratory

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

Anklamm, Lars, E-mail: anklamm@physik.tu-berlin.de; Schlesiger, Christopher; Malzer, Wolfgang

2014-05-15

We present a novel, highly efficient von Hamos spectrometer for X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) in the laboratory using highly annealed pyrolitic graphite crystals as the dispersive element. The spectrometer covers an energy range from 2.5 keV to 15 keV giving access to chemical speciation and information about the electronic configuration of 3d transition metals by means of the Kβ multiplet. XES spectra of Ti compounds are presented to demonstrate the speciation capabilities of the instrument. A spectral resolving power of E/ΔE = 2000 at 8 keV was achieved. Typical acquisition times range from 10 min for bulk material to hours formore » thin samples below 1 μm.« less

The Fourier Imaging X-ray Spectrometer (FIXS) for the Argentinian, Scout-launched satelite de Aplicaciones Cienficas-1 (SAC-1)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennis, Brian R.; Crannell, Carol JO; Desai, Upendra D.; Orwig, Larry E.; Kiplinger, Alan L.; Schwartz, Richard A.; Hurford, Gordon J.; Emslie, A. Gordon; Machado, Marcos; Wood, Kent

1988-01-01

The Fourier Imaging X-ray Spectrometer (FIXS) is one of four instruments on SAC-1, the Argentinian satellite being proposed for launch by NASA on a Scout rocket in 1992/3. The FIXS is designed to provide solar flare images at X-ray energies between 5 and 35 keV. Observations will be made on arcsecond size scales and subsecond time scales of the processes that modify the electron spectrum and the thermal distribution in flaring magnetic structures.

A novel vacuum spectrometer for total reflection x-ray fluorescence analysis with two exchangeable low power x-ray sources for the analysis of low, medium, and high Z elements in sequence

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

Wobrauschek, P., E-mail: wobi@ati.ac.at; Prost, J.; Ingerle, D.

2015-08-15

The extension of the detectable elemental range with Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) analysis is a challenging task. In this paper, it is demonstrated how a TXRF spectrometer is modified to analyze elements from carbon to uranium. Based on the existing design of a vacuum TXRF spectrometer with a 12 specimen sample changer, the following components were renewed: the silicon drift detector with 20 mm{sup 2} active area and having a special ultra-thin polymer window allowing the detection of elements from carbon upwards. Two exchangeable X-ray sources guarantee the efficient excitation of both low and high Z elements. These X-raymore » sources were two light-weighted easily mountable 35 W air-cooled low-power tubes with Cr and Rh anodes, respectively. The air cooled tubes and the Peltier-cooled detector allowed to construct a transportable tabletop spectrometer with compact dimensions, as neither liquid nitrogen cooling for the detector nor a water cooling circuit and a bulky high voltage generator for the X-ray tubes are required. Due to the excellent background conditions as a result of the TXRF geometry, detection limits of 150 ng for C, 12 ng for F, and 3.3 ng for Na have been obtained using Cr excitation in vacuum. For Rh excitation, the detection limits of 90 pg could be achieved for Sr. Taking 10 to 20 μl of sample volume, extrapolated detection limits in the ng/g (ppb) range are resulting in terms of concentration.« less

Performance Calculations for the ITER Core Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer (CIXS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, K. W.; Delgado-Aparicio, L.; Pablant, N.; Johnson, D.; Feder, R.; Klabacha, J.; Stratton, B.; Bitter, M.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Barnsley, R.; Bertschinger, G.; O'Mullane, M.; Lee, S. G.

2013-10-01

The US is providing a 1D imaging x-ray crystal spectrometer system as a primary diagnostic for measuring profiles of ion temperature (Ti) and toroidal flow velocity (v) in the ITER plasma core (r/a = 0-0.85). The diagnostic must provide high spectral resolution (E/ ΔE > 5,000), spatial resolution of 10 cm, and time resolution of 10-100 ms, and must operate and survive in an environment having high neutron and gamma-ray fluxes. This work presents spectral simulations and tomographic inversions for obtaining local Ti and v, comparisons of the expected count rate profiles to the requirements, the degradation of performance due to the nuclear radiation background, and measurements of the rejection of nuclear background by detector pulse-height discrimination. This work was performed under the auspices of the DOE by PPPL under contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and by LLNL under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Using ACIS on the Chandra X-ray Observatory as a Particle Radiation Monitor II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grant, C. E.; Ford, P. G.; Bautz, M. W.; ODell, S. L.

2012-01-01

The Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer is an instrument on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. CCDs are vulnerable to radiation damage, particularly by soft protons in the radiation belts and solar storms. The Chandra team has implemented procedures to protect ACIS during high-radiation events including autonomous protection triggered by an on-board radiation monitor. Elevated temperatures have reduced the effectiveness of the on-board monitor. The ACIS team has developed an algorithm which uses data from the CCDs themselves to detect periods of high radiation and a flight software patch to apply this algorithm is currently active on-board the instrument. In this paper, we explore the ACIS response to particle radiation through comparisons to a number of external measures of the radiation environment. We hope to better understand the efficiency of the algorithm as a function of the flux and spectrum of the particles and the time-profile of the radiation event.

The spectral archive of cosmic X-ray sources observed by the Einstein Observatory Focal Plane Crystal Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lum, Kenneth S. K.; Canizares, Claude R.; Clark, George W.; Coyne, Joan M.; Markert, Thomas H.; Saez, Pablo J.; Schattenburg, Mark L.; Winkler, P. F.

1992-01-01

The Einstein Observatory Focal Plane Crystal Spectrometer (FPCS) used the technique of Bragg spectroscopy to study cosmic X-ray sources in the 0.2-3 keV energy range. The high spectral resolving power (E/Delta-E is approximately equal to 100-1000) of this instrument allowed it to resolve closely spaced lines and study the structure of individual features in the spectra of 41 cosmic X-ray sources. An archival summary of the results is presented as a concise record the FPCS observations and a source of information for future analysis by the general astrophysics community. For each observation, the instrument configuration, background rate, X-ray flux or upper limit within the energy band observed, and spectral histograms are given. Examples of the contributions the FPCS observations have made to the understanding of the objects observed are discussed.

X-ray spectrometer based on a bent diamond crystal for high repetition rate free-electron laser applications

DOE PAGES

Boesenberg, Ulrike; Samoylova, Liubov; Roth, Thomas; ...

2017-02-03

A precise spectral characterization of every single pulse is required in many x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) experiments due to the fluctuating spectral content of self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) beams. Bent single-crystal spectrometers can provide sufficient spectral resolution to resolve the SASE spikes while also covering the full SASE bandwidth. To better withstand the high heat load induced by the 4.5 MHz repetition rate of pulses at the forthcoming European XFEL facility, a spectrometer based on single-crystal diamond has been developed. Here, we report a direct comparison of the diamond spectrometer with its Si counterpart in experiments performed at the Linacmore » Coherent Light Source.« less

Objectives and layout of a high-resolution x-ray imaging crystal spectrometer for the large helical device.

PubMed

Bitter, M; Hill, K; Gates, D; Monticello, D; Neilson, H; Reiman, A; Roquemore, A L; Morita, S; Goto, M; Yamada, H; Rice, J E

2010-10-01

A high-resolution x-ray imaging crystal spectrometer, whose concept was tested on NSTX and Alcator C-Mod, is being designed for the large helical device (LHD). This instrument will record spatially resolved spectra of helium-like Ar(16+) and will provide ion temperature profiles with spatial and temporal resolutions of <2 cm and ≥10 ms, respectively. The spectrometer layout and instrumental features are largely determined by the magnetic field structure of LHD. The stellarator equilibrium reconstruction codes, STELLOPT and PIES, will be used for the tomographic inversion of the spectral data.

A fundamental parameters approach to calibration of the Mars Exploration Rover Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, J. L.; Lee, M.; Jones, B. N.; Andrushenko, S. M.; Holmes, N. G.; Maxwell, J. A.; Taylor, S. M.

2009-04-01

The detection sensitivities of the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) instruments on the Mars Exploration Rovers for a wide range of elements were experimentally determined in 2002 using spectra of geochemical reference materials. A flight spare instrument was similarly calibrated, and the calibration exercise was then continued for this unit with an extended set of geochemical reference materials together with pure elements and simple chemical compounds. The flight spare instrument data are examined in detail here using a newly developed fundamental parameters approach which takes precise account of all the physics inherent in the two X-ray generation techniques involved, namely, X-ray fluorescence and particle-induced X-ray emission. The objectives are to characterize the instrument as fully as possible, to test this new approach, and to determine the accuracy of calibration for major, minor, and trace elements. For some of the lightest elements the resulting calibration exhibits a dependence upon the mineral assemblage of the geological reference material; explanations are suggested for these observations. The results will assist in designing the overall calibration approach for the APXS on the Mars Science Laboratory mission.

Configuration and calibration of a flat field grating spectrometer in the wavelength range 7-60 Å with a Manson ultrasoft x-ray source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Y.; Shi, Z.; Fei, Z.; Jin, X.; Xiao, J.; Hutton, R.; Zou, Y.

2011-06-01

An ultrasoft x-ray and extreme ultraviolet spectrometer built and calibrated in the wavelength range of 7-60 Å is reported here. Details of the alignment of this flat field spectrometer with both a laser and a telescope are presented. The light path function rather than a standard calibration function, i.e. a polynomial function, is introduced as the fit function, which gives good agreement with the spectrometer design values and makes the calibration more reliable when extended to the region outside the points used for calibration, compared with a standard calibration function. The calibration results of a Manson ultrasoft x-ray source (model 2) with source targets of Cu, Fe and Ti are presented with all the peaks marked.

Comparison of cosmic rays radiation detectors on-board commercial jet aircraft.

PubMed

Kubančák, Ján; Ambrožová, Iva; Brabcová, Kateřina Pachnerová; Jakůbek, Jan; Kyselová, Dagmar; Ploc, Ondřej; Bemš, Július; Štěpán, Václav; Uchihori, Yukio

2015-06-01

Aircrew members and passengers are exposed to increased rates of cosmic radiation on-board commercial jet aircraft. The annual effective doses of crew members often exceed limits for public, thus it is recommended to monitor them. In general, the doses are estimated via various computer codes and in some countries also verified by measurements. This paper describes a comparison of three cosmic rays detectors, namely of the (a) HAWK Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter; (b) Liulin semiconductor energy deposit spectrometer and (c) TIMEPIX silicon semiconductor pixel detector, exposed to radiation fields on-board commercial Czech Airlines company jet aircraft. Measurements were performed during passenger flights from Prague to Madrid, Oslo, Tbilisi, Yekaterinburg and Almaty, and back in July and August 2011. For all flights, energy deposit spectra and absorbed doses are presented. Measured absorbed dose and dose equivalent are compared with the EPCARD code calculations. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of all detectors are discussed. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Extreme ultraviolet and X-ray spectroheliograph for OSO-H

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sterk, A. A.; Kieser, F.; Peck, S.; Knox, E.

1972-01-01

A complex scientific instrument was designed, fabricated, tested, and calibrated for launch onboard OSO-H. This instrument consisted of four spectroheliographs and an X-ray polarimeter. The instrument is designed to study solar radiation at selected wavelengths in the X-ray and the extreme ultraviolet ranges, make observations at the H-alpha wavelength, and measure the degree of polarization of X-ray emissions.

High-resolution x-ray spectroscopy with the EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer

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

Porter, F. Scott; Adams, Joseph S.; Kelley, Richard L.

The EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS) is a production-class 36 pixel x-ray calorimeter spectrometer that has been continuously operating at the Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for almost 2 years. The ECS was designed to be a long-lifetime, turn-key spectrometer that couples high performance with ease of operation and minimal operator intervention. To this end, a variant of the Suzaku/XRS spaceflight detector system has been coupled to a low-maintenance cryogenic system consisting of a long-lifetime liquid He cryostat, and a closed cycle, {sup 3}He pre-cooled adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. The ECS operates for almost 3 weeksmore » between cryogenic servicing and the ADR operates at 0.05 K for more than 60 hours between automatic recycles under software control. Half of the ECS semiconductor detector array is populated with mid-band pixels that have a resolution of 4.5 eV FWHM, a bandpass from 0.05-12 keV, and a quantum efficiency of 95% at 6 keV. The other half of the array has thick HgTe absorbers that have a bandpass from 0.3 to over 100 keV, an energy resolution of 33 eV FWHM, and a quantum efficiency of 32% at 60 keV. In addition, the ECS uses a real-time, autonomous, data collection and analysis system developed for the Suzaku/XRS instrument and implemented in off-the-shelf hardware for the ECS. Here we will discuss the performance of the ECS instrument and its implementation as a turnkey cryogenic detector system.« less

Broadband high resolution X-ray spectral analyzer

DOEpatents

Silver, Eric H.; Legros, Mark; Madden, Norm W.; Goulding, Fred; Landis, Don

1998-01-01

A broad bandwidth high resolution x-ray fluorescence spectrometer has a performance that is superior in many ways to those currently available. It consists of an array of 4 large area microcalorimeters with 95% quantum efficiency at 6 keV and it produces x-ray spectra between 0.2 keV and 7 keV with an energy resolution of 7 to 10 eV. The resolution is obtained at input count rates per array element of 10 to 50 Hz in real-time, with analog pulse processing and thermal pile-up rejection. This performance cannot be matched by currently available x-ray spectrometers. The detectors are incorporated into a compact and portable cryogenic refrigerator system that is ready for use in many analytical spectroscopy applications as a tool for x-ray microanalysis or in research applications such as laboratory and astrophysical x-ray and particle spectroscopy.

Broadband high resolution X-ray spectral analyzer

DOEpatents

Silver, E.H.; Legros, M.; Madden, N.W.; Goulding, F.; Landis, D.

1998-07-07

A broad bandwidth high resolution X-ray fluorescence spectrometer has a performance that is superior in many ways to those currently available. It consists of an array of 4 large area microcalorimeters with 95% quantum efficiency at 6 keV and it produces X-ray spectra between 0.2 keV and 7 keV with an energy resolution of 7 to 10 eV. The resolution is obtained at input count rates per array element of 10 to 50 Hz in real-time, with analog pulse processing and thermal pile-up rejection. This performance cannot be matched by currently available X-ray spectrometers. The detectors are incorporated into a compact and portable cryogenic refrigerator system that is ready for use in many analytical spectroscopy applications as a tool for X-ray microanalysis or in research applications such as laboratory and astrophysical X-ray and particle spectroscopy. 6 figs.

Objectives and Layout of a High-Resolution X-ray Imaging Crystal Spectrometer for the Large Helical Device (LHD)

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

Bitter, M; Gates, D; Monticello, D

A high-resolution X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer, whose concept was tested on NSTX and Alcator C-Mod, is being designed for LHD. This instrument will record spatially resolved spectra of helium-like Ar16+ and provide ion temperature profiles with spatial and temporal resolutions of < 2 cm and ≥ 10 ms. The stellarator equilibrium reconstruction codes, STELLOPT and PIES, will be used for the tomographic inversion of the spectral data. The spectrometer layout and instrumental features are largely determined by the magnetic field structure of LHD.

Development of the hard x-ray monitor onboard WF-MAXI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arimoto, Makoto; Yatsu, Yoichi; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Ikeda, Hirokazu; Harayama, Atsushi; Takeda, Shin'ichiro; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Tomida, Hiroshi; Ueno, Shiro; Kimura, Masashi; Mihara, Tatehiro; Serino, Motoko; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Yoshida, Atsumasa; Sakamoto, Takanori; Kohmura, Tadayoshi; Negoro, Hitoshi; Ueda, Yoshihiro

2014-07-01

WF-MAXI is a mission to detect and localize X-ray transients with short-term variability as gravitational-wave (GW) candidates including gamma-ray bursts, supernovae etc. We are planning on starting observations by WF-MAXI to be ready for the initial operation of the next generation GW telescopes (e.g., KAGRA, Advanced LIGO etc.). WF-MAXI consists of two main instruments, Soft X-ray Large Solid Angle Camera (SLC) and Hard X-ray Monitor (HXM) which totally cover 0.7 keV to 1 MeV band. HXM is a multi-channel array of crystal scintillators coupled with APDs observing photons in the hard X-ray band with an effective area of above 100 cm2. We have developed an analog application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) dedicated for the readout of 32-channel APDs' signals using 0.35 μm CMOS technology based on Open IP project and an analog amplifier was designed to achieve a low-noise readout. The developed ASIC showed a low-noise performance of 2080 e- + 2.3 e-/pF at root mean square and with a reverse-type APD coupled to a Ce:GAGG crystal a good FWHM energy resolution of 6.9% for 662 keV -rays.

X-Ray Calorimeter Arrays for Astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilbourne, Caroline A.

2009-01-01

High-resolution x-ray spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying the evolving universe. The grating spectrometers on the XMM and Chandra satellites started a new era in x-ray astronomy, but there remains a need for instrumentation that can provide higher spectral resolution with high throughput in the Fe-K band (around 6 keV) and can enable imaging spectroscopy of extended sources, such as supernova remnants and galaxy clusters. The instrumentation needed is a broad-band imaging spectrometer - basically an x-ray camera that can distinguish tens of thousands of x-ray colors. The potential benefits to astrophysics of using a low-temperature calorimeter to determine the energy of an incident x-ray photon via measurement of a small change in temperature was first articulated by S. H. Moseley over two decades ago. In the time since, technological progress has been steady, though full realization in an orbiting x-ray telescope is still awaited. A low-temperature calorimeter can be characterized by the type of thermometer it uses, and three types presently dominate the field. The first two types are temperature-sensitive resistors - semiconductors in the metal-insulator transition and superconductors operated in the superconducting-normal transition. The third type uses a paramagnetic thermometer. These types can be considered the three generations of x-ray calorimeters; by now each has demonstrated a resolving power of 2000 at 6 keV, but only a semiconductor calorimeter system has been developed to spaceflight readiness. The Soft X-ray Spectrometer on Astro-H, expected to launch in 2013, will use an array of silicon thermistors with I-IgTe x-ray absorbers that will operate at 50 mK. Both the semiconductor and superconductor calorimeters have been implemented in small arrays, kilo-pixel arrays of the superconducting calorimeters are just now being produced, and it is anticipated that much larger arrays will require the non-dissipative advantage of magnetic thermometers.

[Technology Development for X-Ray Reflection for the Constellation-X Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schattenburg, Mark L.

2003-01-01

This Grant covers MIT support for the technology development of x-ray reflection gratings for the Constellation-X Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS). Since the start of the Grant MIT has extended its previously-developed patterning and super-smooth, blazed grating fabrication technology to ten-times smaller grating periods and ten-times larger blaze angles to demonstrate feasibility and performance in the off-plane grating geometry. In the past year we successfully developed several nanoimprint grating replication methods that achieved very high fidelity replication of master silicon gratings. Grating geometry on the nano and macro scales were faithfully replicated, demonstrating the viability of the process for manufacturing the thousands of gratings required for the RGS. We also successfully developed an improved metrology truss for holding test grating substrates during metrology. The flatness goal of grating substrates is under 500 nm. In the past, grating holders would cause non-repeatable distortion of >> 500 nm to the substrates due to friction and gravity sag. The new holder has a repeatability of under 50 nm which is adequate for the proposed RGS grating substrates.

PAL-XFEL soft X-ray scientific instruments and X-ray optics: First commissioning results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Sang Han; Kim, Minseok; Min, Changi-Ki; Eom, Intae; Nam, Inhyuk; Lee, Heung-Soo; Kang, Heung-Sik; Kim, Hyeong-Do; Jang, Ho Young; Kim, Seonghan; Hwang, Sun-min; Park, Gi-Soo; Park, Jaehun; Koo, Tae-Yeong; Kwon, Soonnam

2018-05-01

We report an overview of soft X-ray scientific instruments and X-ray optics at the free electron laser (FEL) of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, with selected first-commissioning results. The FEL exhibited a pulse energy of 200 μJ/pulse, a pulse width of <50 fs full width at half maximum, and an energy bandwidth of 0.44% at a photon energy of 850 eV. Monochromator resolving power of 10 500 was achieved. The estimated total time resolution between optical laser and X-ray pulses was <270 fs. A resonant inelastic X-ray scattering spectrometer was set up; its commissioning results are also reported.

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.

A compressed sensing X-ray camera with a multilayer architecture

DOE PAGES

Wang, Zhehui; Laroshenko, O.; Li, S.; ...

2018-01-25

Recent advances in compressed sensing theory and algorithms offer new possibilities for high-speed X-ray camera design. In many CMOS cameras, each pixel has an independent on-board circuit that includes an amplifier, noise rejection, signal shaper, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and optional in-pixel storage. When X-ray images are sparse, i.e., when one of the following cases is true: (a.) The number of pixels with true X-ray hits is much smaller than the total number of pixels; (b.) The X-ray information is redundant; or (c.) Some prior knowledge about the X-ray images exists, sparse sampling may be allowed. In this work, wemore » first illustrate the feasibility of random on-board pixel sampling (ROPS) using an existing set of X-ray images, followed by a discussion about signal to noise as a function of pixel size. Next, we describe a possible circuit architecture to achieve random pixel access and in-pixel storage. The combination of a multilayer architecture, sparse on-chip sampling, and computational image techniques, is expected to facilitate the development and applications of high-speed X-ray camera technology.« less

A compressed sensing X-ray camera with a multilayer architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhehui; Iaroshenko, O.; Li, S.; Liu, T.; Parab, N.; Chen, W. W.; Chu, P.; Kenyon, G. T.; Lipton, R.; Sun, K.-X.

2018-01-01

Recent advances in compressed sensing theory and algorithms offer new possibilities for high-speed X-ray camera design. In many CMOS cameras, each pixel has an independent on-board circuit that includes an amplifier, noise rejection, signal shaper, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and optional in-pixel storage. When X-ray images are sparse, i.e., when one of the following cases is true: (a.) The number of pixels with true X-ray hits is much smaller than the total number of pixels; (b.) The X-ray information is redundant; or (c.) Some prior knowledge about the X-ray images exists, sparse sampling may be allowed. Here we first illustrate the feasibility of random on-board pixel sampling (ROPS) using an existing set of X-ray images, followed by a discussion about signal to noise as a function of pixel size. Next, we describe a possible circuit architecture to achieve random pixel access and in-pixel storage. The combination of a multilayer architecture, sparse on-chip sampling, and computational image techniques, is expected to facilitate the development and applications of high-speed X-ray camera technology.

A compressed sensing X-ray camera with a multilayer architecture

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

Wang, Zhehui; Laroshenko, O.; Li, S.

Recent advances in compressed sensing theory and algorithms offer new possibilities for high-speed X-ray camera design. In many CMOS cameras, each pixel has an independent on-board circuit that includes an amplifier, noise rejection, signal shaper, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and optional in-pixel storage. When X-ray images are sparse, i.e., when one of the following cases is true: (a.) The number of pixels with true X-ray hits is much smaller than the total number of pixels; (b.) The X-ray information is redundant; or (c.) Some prior knowledge about the X-ray images exists, sparse sampling may be allowed. In this work, wemore » first illustrate the feasibility of random on-board pixel sampling (ROPS) using an existing set of X-ray images, followed by a discussion about signal to noise as a function of pixel size. Next, we describe a possible circuit architecture to achieve random pixel access and in-pixel storage. The combination of a multilayer architecture, sparse on-chip sampling, and computational image techniques, is expected to facilitate the development and applications of high-speed X-ray camera technology.« less

Apollo 15 X-ray fluorescence experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adler, I.; Trombka, J.; Gerard, J.; Schmadebeck, R.; Lowman, P.; Blodgett, H.; Yin, L.; Eller, E.; Lamothe, R.; Gorenstein, P.

1971-01-01

The X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, carried in the SIM bay of the command service module was employed principally for compositional mapping of the lunar surface while in lunar orbit, and secondarily, for X-ray astronomical observations during the trans-earth coast. The lunar surface measurements involved observations of the intensity and characteristics energy distribution of the secondary or fluorescent X-rays produced by the interaction of solar X-rays with the lunar surface. The astronomical observations consisted of relatively long periods of measurements of X-rays from pre-selected galactic sources such as Cyg-X-1 and Sco X-1 as well as from the galactic poles.

Einstein Observatory SSS and MPC observations of the complex X-ray spectra of Seyfert galaxies. [Solid State Spectrometer and Monitor Proportional Counter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, T. J.; Weaver, K. A.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Holt, S. S.; Madejski, G. M.

1991-01-01

The X-ray spectra of 25 Seyfert galaxies measured with the Solid State Spectrometer on the Einstein Observatory have been investigated. This new investigation utilizes simultaneous data from the Monitor Proportional Counter, and automatic correction for systematic effects in the Solid State Spectrometer which were previously handled subjectively. It is found that the best-fit single-power-law indices generally agree with those previously reported, but that soft excesses of some form are inferred for about 48 percent of the sources. One possible explanation of the soft excess emission is a blend of soft X-ray lines, centered around 0.8 keV. The implications of these results for accretion disk models are discussed.

Combination of grazing incidence x-ray fluorescence with x-ray reflectivity in one table-top spectrometer for improved characterization of thin layer and implants on/in silicon wafers

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

Ingerle, D.; Schiebl, M.; Streli, C.

2014-08-15

As Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence (GIXRF) analysis does not provide unambiguous results for the characterization of nanometre layers as well as nanometre depth profiles of implants in silicon wafers by its own, the approach of providing additional information using the signal from X-ray Reflectivity (XRR) was tested. As GIXRF already uses an X-ray beam impinging under grazing incidence and the variation of the angle of incidence, a GIXRF spectrometer was adapted with an XRR unit to obtain data from the angle dependent fluorescence radiation as well as data from the reflected beam. A θ-2θ goniometer was simulated by combining amore » translation and tilt movement of a Silicon Drift detector, which allows detecting the reflected beam over 5 orders of magnitude. HfO{sub 2} layers as well as As implants in Silicon wafers in the nanometre range were characterized using this new setup. A just recently published combined evaluation approach was used for data evaluation.« less

The X-ray Astronomy Recovery Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tashiro, M.; Kelley, R.

2017-10-01

On 25 March 2016, the Japanese 6th X-ray astronomical satellite ASTRO-H (Hitomi), launched on February 17, lost communication after a series of mishap in its attitude control system. In response to the mishap the X-ray astronomy community and JAXA analyzed the direct and root cause of the mishap and investigated possibility of a recovery mission with the international collaborator NASA and ESA. Thanks to great effort of scientists, agencies, and governments, the X-ray Astronomy Recovery Mission (XARM) are proposed. The recovery mission is planned to resume high resolution X-ray spectroscopy with imaging realized by Hitomi under the international collaboration in the shortest time possible, simply by focusing one of the main science goals of Hitomi Resolving astrophysical problems by precise high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy'. XARM will carry a 6 x 6 pixelized X-ray micro-calorimeter on the focal plane of an X-ray mirror assembly, and an aligned X-ray CCD camera covering the same energy band and wider field of view, but no hard X-ray or soft gamma-ray instruments are onboard. In this paper, we introduce the science objectives, mission concept, and schedule of XARM.

X-ray grating spectrometer for opacity measurements in the 50 eV to 250 eV spectral range at the LULI 2000 laser facility

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

Reverdin, Charles; Caillaud, T.; Gilleron, F.

2012-10-15

An x-ray grating spectrometer was built in order to measure opacities in the 50 eV to 250 eV spectral range with an average spectral resolution {approx} 50. It has been used at the LULI-2000 laser facility at Ecole Polytechnique (France) to measure the {Delta}n = 0, n = 3 transitions of several elements with neighboring atomic number: Cr, Fe, Ni, and Cu in the same experimental conditions. Hence a spectrometer with a wide spectral range is required. This spectrometer features one line of sight looking through a heated sample at backlighter emission. It is outfitted with one toroidal condensing mirrormore » and several flat mirrors cutting off higher energy photons. The spectral dispersion is obtained with a flatfield grating. Detection consists of a streak camera sensitive to soft x-ray radiation. Some experimental results showing the performance of this spectrometer are presented.« less

X-ray grating spectrometer for opacity measurements in the 50 eV to 250 eV spectral range at the LULI 2000 laser facility.

PubMed

Reverdin, Charles; Thais, Frédéric; Loisel, Guillaume; Busquet, M; Bastiani-Ceccotti, S; Blenski, T; Caillaud, T; Ducret, J E; Foelsner, W; Gilles, D; Gilleron, F; Pain, J C; Poirier, M; Serres, F; Silvert, V; Soullie, G; Turck-Chieze, S; Villette, B

2012-10-01

An x-ray grating spectrometer was built in order to measure opacities in the 50 eV to 250 eV spectral range with an average spectral resolution ∼ 50. It has been used at the LULI-2000 laser facility at École Polytechnique (France) to measure the Δn = 0, n = 3 transitions of several elements with neighboring atomic number: Cr, Fe, Ni, and Cu in the same experimental conditions. Hence a spectrometer with a wide spectral range is required. This spectrometer features one line of sight looking through a heated sample at backlighter emission. It is outfitted with one toroidal condensing mirror and several flat mirrors cutting off higher energy photons. The spectral dispersion is obtained with a flatfield grating. Detection consists of a streak camera sensitive to soft x-ray radiation. Some experimental results showing the performance of this spectrometer are presented.

Cosmic X-ray physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccammon, D.; Cox, D. P.; Kraushaar, W. L.; Sanders, W. T.

1985-01-01

A progress report of research activities carried out in the area of cosmic X-ray physics is presented. The Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer DXS which has been flown twice as a rocket payload is described. The observation times proved to be too small for meaningful X-ray data to be obtained. Data collection and reduction activities from the Ultra-Soft X-ray background (UXT) instrument are described. UXT consists of three mechanically-collimated X-ray gas proportional counters with window/filter combinations which allow measurements in three energy bands, Be (80-110 eV), B (90-187 eV), and O (e84-532 eV). The Be band measurements provide an important constraint on local absorption of X-rays from the hot component of the local interstellar medium. Work has also continued on the development of a calorimetric detector for high-resolution spectroscopy in the 0.1 keV - 8keV energy range.

X-ray spectrum of Cassiopeia A measured with the Einstein SSS. [Solid State Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Becker, R. H.; Smith, B. W.; White, N. E.; Holt, S. S.; Boldt, E. A.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Serlemitsos, P. J.

1979-01-01

The solid state spectrometer (SSS) on the Einstein Observatory observed the X-ray spectrum of Cas A between 0.8 and 4.5 keV with a FWHM energy resolution of 160 eV. Line emission consistent with transitions of helium-like ions of Si, S, and Ar was well defined. Comparison between the data and the emission expected from a gas containing two distinct thermal components requires additional line emission from Mg, Al, Ca, and Fe. These results are discussed in the context of both equilibrium and nonequilibrium situations.

The Variable Fast Soft X-Ray Wind in PG 1211+143

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reeves, J. N.; Lobban, A.; Pounds, K. A.

2018-02-01

The analysis of a series of seven observations of the nearby (z = 0.0809) QSO PG 1211+143, taken with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) onboard XMM-Newton in 2014, are presented. The high-resolution soft X-ray spectrum, with a total exposure exceeding 600 ks, shows a series of blueshifted absorption lines from the He and H-like transitions of N, O, and Ne, as well as from L-shell Fe. The strongest absorption lines are all systematically blueshifted by ‑0.06c, originating in two absorption zones from low- and high-ionization gas. Both zones are variable on timescales of days, with the variations in absorber opacity effectively explained by either column density changes or the absorber ionization responding directly to the continuum flux. We find that the soft X-ray absorbers probably exist in a two-phase wind at a radial distance of ∼1017–1018 cm from the black hole with the lower-ionization gas as denser clumps embedded within a higher-ionization outflow. The overall mass outflow rate of the soft X-ray wind may be as high as 2{M}ȯ yr‑1, close to the Eddington rate for PG 1211+143 and similar to that previously deduced from the Fe K absorption.

Low energy X-ray spectra measured with a mercuric iodide energy dispersive spectrometer in a scanning electron microscope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iwanczyk, J. S.; Dabrowski, A. J.; Huth, G. C.; Bradley, J. G.; Conley, J. M.

1986-01-01

A mercuric iodide energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer, with Peltier cooling provided for the detector and input field effect transistor, has been developed and tested in a scanning electron microscope. X-ray spectra were obtained with the 15 keV electron beam. An energy resolution of 225 eV (FWHM) for Mn-K(alpha) at 5.9 keV and 195 eV (FWHM) for the Mg-K line at 1.25 keV has been measured. Overall system noise level was 175 eV (FWHM). The detector system characterization with a carbon target demonstrated good energy sensitivity at low energies and lack of significant spectral artifacts at higher energies.

Streaked x-ray spectrometer having a discrete selection of Bragg geometries for Omega

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

Millecchia, M.; Regan, S. P.; Bahr, R. E.

2012-10-15

The streaked x-ray spectrometer (SXS) is used with streak cameras [D. H. Kalantar, P. M. Bell, R. L. Costa, B. A. Hammel, O. L. Landen, T. J. Orzechowski, J. D. Hares, and A. K. L. Dymoke-Bradshaw, in 22nd International Congress on High-Speed Photography and Photonics, edited by D. L. Paisley and A. M. Frank (SPIE, Bellingham, WA, 1997), Vol. 2869, p. 680] positioned with a ten-inch manipulator on OMEGA [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] and OMEGA EP [L. J. Waxer et al., Presented at CLEO/QELS 2008, San Jose, CA, 4-9 May 2008 (Paper JThB1)] formore » time-resolved, x-ray spectroscopy of laser-produced plasmas in the 1.4- to 20-keV photon-energy range. These experiments require measuring a portion of this photon-energy range to monitor a particular emission or absorption feature of interest. The SXS relies on a pinned mechanical reference system to create a discrete set of Bragg reflection geometries for a variety of crystals. A wide selection of spectral windows is achieved accurately and efficiently using this technique. It replaces the previous spectrometer designs that had a continuous Bragg angle adjustment and required a tedious alignment calibration procedure. The number of spectral windows needed for the SXS was determined by studying the spectral ranges selected by OMEGA users over the last decade. These selections are easily configured in the SXS using one of the 25 discrete Bragg reflection geometries and one of the six types of Bragg crystals, including two curved crystals.« less

Development status of the mechanical cryocoolers for the Soft X-ray Spectrometer on board Astro-H

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Yoichi; Sawada, Kenichiro; Shinozaki, Keisuke; Sugita, Hiroyuki; Nishibori, Toshiyuki; Sato, Ryota; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Yamasaki, Noriko Y.; Takei, Yoh; Goto, Ken; Nakagawa, Takao; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Kikuchi, Kenichi; Murakami, Masahide; Tsunematsu, Shoji; Ootsuka, Kiyomi; Kanao, Kenichi; Narasaki, Katsuhiro

2014-11-01

Astro-H is the Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite to be launched in 2015. The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) on board Astro-H is a high energy resolution spectrometer utilizing an X-ray micro-calorimeter array, which is operated at 50 mK by the ADR with the 30 liter superfluid liquid helium. The mechanical cryocoolers, 4 K-class Joule Thomson (JT) cooler and 20 K-class double-staged Stirling (2ST) cooler, are key components of the SXS cooling system to extend the lifetime of LHe cryogen beyond 3 years as required. Higher reliability was therefore investigated with higher cooling capability based on the heritage of existing cryocoolers. As the task of assessing further reliability dealt with the pipe-choking phenomena by contaminant solidification of the on-orbit SMILES JT cryocooler, outgassing from materials and component parts used in the cryocoolers was measured quantitatively to verify the suppression of carbon dioxide gas by their storage process and predict the total accumulated carbon dioxide for long-term operation. A continuous running test to verify lifetime using the engineering model (EM) of the 4 K-JT cooler is underway, having operated for a total of 720 days as of June 2013 and showing no remarkable change in cooling performance. During the current development phase, prototype models (PM) of the cryocoolers were installed to the test SXS dewar (EM) to verify the overall cooling performance from room temperature to 50 mK. During the EM dewar test, the requirement to reduce the transmitted vibration from the 2ST cooler compressor was recognized as mitigating the thermal instability of the SXS microcalorimeter at 50 mK.

Compton spectroscopy in the diagnostic x-ray energy range. I. Spectrometer design.

PubMed

Matscheko, G; Carlsson, G A

1989-02-01

The optimal design of a Compton spectrometer for measuring photon energy spectra from x-ray tubes in a clinical laboratory is analysed. The demands are: (i) coherent and multiple scattering distort the measurements and must be avoided; (ii) the measuring time should be as short as possible to avoid unnecessary wear on the x-ray tube; and (iii) the impairment in energy resolution due to the scattering geometry should be kept minimal. A scattering angle of 90 degrees is advocated. Scatterers (of low-atomic-number material) in the shape of long circular rods (0.5-4 mm diameter, 20-40 mm long) are preferable to scattering foils. Use of a short focus-scatterer distance (approximately 200 mm) is to be preferred compared to using a large detector area (greater than or equal to 4 mm diameter) in order to establish a sufficiently high count rate in the detector. Short focal distances and a 90 degrees scattering angle are advantages in measuring energy spectra in the gantry of CT machines where the available space is limited. To limit the geometrical energy broadening to less than 1 keV, the spread in scattering angles of registered photons must not exceed 1-2 degrees for incident photon energies of 100-150 keV.

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.

Performance of a Borehole X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelliher, Warren C.; Carlberg, Ingrid A.; Elam, W. T.; Willard-Schmoe, Ella

2008-01-01

We have designed and constructed a borehole X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRFS) as part of the Mars Subsurface Access program [1]. It can be used to determine the composition of the Mars regolith at various depths by insertion into a pre-drilled borehole. The primary requirements and performance metrics for the instrument are to obtain parts-per-million (ppm) lower limits of detection over a wide range of elements in the periodic table (Magnesium to Lead). Power consumption during data collection was also measured. The prototype instrument is complete and preliminary testing has been performed. Terrestrial soil Standard Reference Materials were used as the test samples. Detection limits were about 10 weight ppm for most elements, with light elements being higher, up to 1.4 weight percent for magnesium. Power consumption (excluding ground support components) was 12 watts.

Demonstrating Enabling Technologies for the High-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer of the Next NASA X-ray Astronomy Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilbourne, Caroline; Adams, J. S.; Bandler, S.; Chervenak, J.; Chiao, M.; Doriese, R.; Eckart, M.; Finkbeiner, F.; Fowler, J. W.; Hilton, G.; Irwin, K.; Kelley, R. L.; Moseley, S. J.; Porter, F. S.; Reintsema, C.; Sadleir, J.; Smith, S. J.; Swetz, D.; Ullom, J.

2014-01-01

NASA/GSFC and NIST-Boulder are collaborating on a program to advance superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter technology toward Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6. The technology development for a TES imaging X-ray microcalorimeter spectrometer (TES microcalorimeter arrays and time-division multiplexed SQUID readout) is now at TRL 4, as evaluated by both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) during mission formulation for the International X-ray Observatory (IXO). We will present the status of the development program. The primary goal of the current project is to advance the core X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (XMS) detector-system technologies to a demonstration of TRL 5 in 2014. Additional objectives are to develop and demonstrate two important related technologies to at least TRL 4: position-sensitive TES devices and code-division multiplexing (CDM). These technologies have the potential to expand significantly the range of possible instrument optimizations; together they allow an expanded focal plane and higher per-pixel count rates without greatly increasing mission resources. The project also includes development of a design concept and critical technologies needed for the thermal, electrical, and mechanical integration of the detector and readout components into the focal-plane assembly. A verified design concept for the packaging of the focal-plane components will be needed for the detector system eventually to advance to TRL 6. Thus, the current project is a targeted development and demonstration program designed to make significant progress in advancing the XMS detector system toward TRL 6, establishing its readiness for a range of possible mission implementations.

Event processing in X-IFU detector onboard Athena.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceballos, M. T.; Cobos, B.; van der Kuurs, J.; Fraga-Encinas, R.

2015-05-01

The X-ray Observatory ATHENA was proposed in April 2014 as the mission to implement the science theme "The Hot and Energetic Universe" selected by ESA for L2 (the second Large-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision science programme). One of the two X-ray detectors designed to be onboard ATHENA is X-IFU, a cryogenic microcalorimeter based on Transition Edge Sensor (TES) technology that will provide spatially resolved high-resolution spectroscopy. X-IFU will be developed by a consortium of European research institutions currently from France (leadership), Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, UK, Germany and Spain. From Spain, IFCA (CSIC-UC) is involved in the Digital Readout Electronics (DRE) unit of the X-IFU detector, in particular in the Event Processor Subsytem. We at IFCA are in charge of the development and implementation in the DRE unit of the Event Processing algorithms, designed to recognize, from a noisy signal, the intensity pulses generated by the absorption of the X-ray photons, and lately extract their main parameters (coordinates, energy, arrival time, grade, etc.) Here we will present the design and performance of the algorithms developed for the event recognition (adjusted derivative), and pulse grading/qualification as well as the progress in the algorithms designed to extract the energy content of the pulses (pulse optimal filtering). IFCA will finally have the responsibility of the implementation on board in the (TBD) FPGAs or micro-processors of the DRE unit, where this Event Processing part will take place, to fit into the limited telemetry of the instrument.

The Water Recovery X-ray Rocket (WRX-R)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miles, Drew

2017-08-01

The Water Recovery X-ray Rocket (WRX-R) is a diffuse soft X-ray spectrometer that will launch on a sounding rocket from the Kwajalein Atoll. WRX-R has a field of view of >10 deg2 and will observe the Vela supernova remnant. A mechanical collimator, state-of-the-art off-plane reflection grating array and hybrid CMOS detector will allow WRX to achieve the most highly-resolved spectrum of the Vela SNR ever recorded. In addition, this payload will fly a hard X-ray telescope that is offset from the soft X-ray spectrometer in order to observe the pulsar at the center of the remnant. We present here an introduction to the instrument, the expected science return, and an update on the state of the payload as we work towards launch.

Status of the Micro-X Sounding Rocket X-Ray Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldfinger, D. C.; Adams, J. S.; Baker, R.; Bandler, S. R.; Danowski, M. E.; Doriese, W. B.; Eckart, M. E.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.; Hilton, G. C.; Hubbard, A. J. F.;

Deep diode arrays for X-ray detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zemel, J. N.

1984-01-01

Temperature gradient zone melting process was used to form p-n junctions in bulk of high purity silicon wafers. These diodes were patterned to form arrays for X-ray spectrometers. The whole fabrication processes for these X-ray detectors are reviewed in detail. The p-n junctions were evaluated by (1) the dark diode I-V measurements, (2) the diode C sub I - V measurements, and (3) the MOS C-V measurements. The results showed that these junctions were linearly graded in charge distribution with low reverse bias leakage current flowing through them (few nA at -10 volts). The X-ray detection experiments showed that an FWHM of 500 eV was obtained from these diodes with a small bias of just -5 volts (for X-ray source Fe55). A theoretical model was proposed to explain the extra peaks found in the energy spectra and a very interesting point - cross talk effect was pointed out. This might be a solution to the problem of making really high resolution X-ray spectrometers.

Characterization of spatially resolved high resolution x-ray spectrometers for HEDP and light-source experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Delgado-Aparicio, L.; Efthimion, P.; Pablant, N.; Lu, J.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Chen, H.; Magee, E.

2014-10-01

A high resolution 1D imaging x-ray spectrometer concept comprising a spherically bent crystal and a 2D pixelated detector is being optimized for diagnostics of small sources such as high energy density physics (HEDP) and synchrotron radiation or x-ray free electron laser experiments. This instrument is used on tokamak experiments for measurement of spatial profiles of Doppler ion temperature and plasma flow velocity, as well as electron temperature. Laboratory measurements demonstrate a resolving power, E/ ΔE of 10,000 and spatial resolution better than 10 μm. Good performance is obtained for Bragg angles ranging from 23 to 63 degrees. Initial tests of the instrument on HEDP plasmas are being performed with a goal of developing spatially resolved ion and electron temperature diagnostics. This work was performed under the auspices of the US DOE by PPPL under Contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

The REgolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) for OSIRIS-REx: identifying regional elemental enrichment on asteroids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Branden; Grindlay, Jonathan; Hong, Jaesub; Binzel, Richard P.; Masterson, Rebecca; Inamdar, Niraj K.; Chodas, Mark; Smith, Matthew W.; Bautz, Marshall W.; Kissel, Steven E.; Villasenor, Joel; Oprescu, Miruna; Induni, Nicholas

2013-09-01

The OSIRIS-REx Mission was selected under the NASA New Frontiers program and is scheduled for launch in September of 2016 for a rendezvous with, and collection of a sample from the surface of asteroid Bennu in 2019. 101955 Bennu (previously 1999 RQ36) is an Apollo (near-Earth) asteroid originally discovered by the LINEAR project in 1999 which has since been classified as a potentially hazardous near-Earth object. The REgolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) was proposed jointly by MIT and Harvard and was subsequently accepted as a student led instrument for the determination of the elemental composition of the asteroid's surface as well as the surface distribution of select elements through solar induced X-ray fluorescence. REXIS consists of a detector plane that contains 4 X-ray CCDs integrated into a wide field coded aperture telescope with a focal length of 20 em for the detection of regions with enhanced abundance in key elements at 50 m scales. Elemental surface distributions of approximately 50-200 m scales can be detected using the instrument as a simple collimator. An overview of the observation strategy of the REXIS instrument and expected performance are presented here.

High-Resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy of the Galactic Supernova Remnant Puppis A with the XMM-Newton RGS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Katsuda, Satoru; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Mori, Koji; Uchida, Hiroyuki; Petre, Robert; Yamada, Shinya; Akamatsu, Hiroki; Konami, Saori; Tamagawa, Toru

2012-01-01

We present high-resolution X-ray spectra of cloud-shock interaction regions in the eastern and northern rims of the Galactic supernova remnant Puppis A, using the Reflection Grating Spectrometer onboard the XMM-Newton satellite. A number of emission lines including K(alpha) triplets of He-like N, O , and Ne are clearly resolved for the first time. Intensity ratios of forbidden to resonance lines in the triplets are found to be higher than predictions by thermal emission models having plausible plasma parameters. The anomalous line ratios cannot be reproduced by effects of resonance scattering, recombination, or inner-shell ionization processes, but could be explained by charge-exchange emission that should arise at interfaces between the cold/warm clouds and the hot plasma. Our observations thus provide observational support for charge-exchange X-ray emission in supernova remnants.

Instrument and method for X-ray diffraction, fluorescence, and crystal texture analysis without sample preparation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gendreau, Keith (Inventor); Martins, Jose Vanderlei (Inventor); Arzoumanian, Zaven (Inventor)

2010-01-01

An X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence instrument for analyzing samples having no sample preparation includes a X-ray source configured to output a collimated X-ray beam comprising a continuum spectrum of X-rays to a predetermined coordinate and a photon-counting X-ray imaging spectrometer disposed to receive X-rays output from an unprepared sample disposed at the predetermined coordinate upon exposure of the unprepared sample to the collimated X-ray beam. The X-ray source and the photon-counting X-ray imaging spectrometer are arranged in a reflection geometry relative to the predetermined coordinate.

SSM on AstroSat detects neutron star X-ray transient, Aql_X-1 in its outburst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramadevi, M. C.; Ravishankar, B. T.; Sarwade, Abhilash R.; Vaishali, S.; Hasan, Mohammed; Agarwal, Vivek Kumar; Baby, Blessy Elizabeth; Bhattacharya, Dipankar; Seetha, S.; Agarwal, Anil

2017-06-01

We report on the X-ray outburst of the neutron star X-ray source Aql X-1 as observed by SSM onboard AstroSat. Flux reported by SSM on its first observation of the source during this outburst on 01 June 2017 at 08:55 UT is about 820 milliCrab (2.24 +/- 0.02 photons/s-cm^2).

Improving a high-efficiency, gated spectrometer for x-ray Thomson scattering experiments at the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Döppner, T; Kraus, D; Neumayer, P; Bachmann, B; Emig, J; Falcone, R W; Fletcher, L B; Hardy, M; Kalantar, D H; Kritcher, A L; Landen, O L; Ma, T; Saunders, A M; Wood, R D

2016-11-01

We are developing x-ray Thomson scattering for applications in implosion experiments at the National Ignition Facility. In particular we have designed and fielded MACS, a high-efficiency, gated x-ray spectrometer at 7.5-10 keV [T. Döppner et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 11D617 (2014)]. Here we report on two new Bragg crystals based on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG), a flat crystal and a dual-section cylindrically curved crystal. We have performed in situ calibration measurements using a brass foil target, and we used the flat HOPG crystal to measure Mo K-shell emission at 18 keV in 2nd order diffraction. Such high photon energy line emission will be required to penetrate and probe ultra-high-density plasmas or plasmas of mid-Z elements.

The CubeSat Imaging X-ray Solar Spectrometer (CubIXSS) Mission Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caspi, Amir; Shih, Albert Y.; Warren, Harry; DeForest, Craig; Laurent, Glenn Thomas; Schwartz, Richard A.; Woods, Thomas N.; Mason, James; Palo, Scott; Steslicki, Marek; Sylwester, Janusz; Gburek, Szymon; Mrozek, Tomasz; Kowalinski, Miroslaw; Torre, Gabriele; Crowley, Geoffrey; Schattenburg, Mark

2017-08-01

Solar soft X-ray (SXR) observations provide important diagnostics of plasma heating, during solar flares and quiescent times. Spectrally- and temporally-resolved measurements are crucial for understanding the dynamics, origins, and evolution of these energetic processes, providing probes both into the temperature distributions and elemental compositions of hot plasmas; spatially-resolved measurements are critical for understanding energy transport and mass flow. A better understanding of the thermal plasma improves our understanding of the relationships between particle acceleration, plasma heating, and the underlying release of magnetic energy during reconnection. We introduce a new proposed small satellite mission, the CubeSat Imaging X-ray Solar Spectrometer (CubIXSS), to measure spectrally- and spatially-resolved SXRs from the quiescent and flaring Sun from a 6U CubeSat platform in low-Earth orbit during a nominal 1-year mission. CubIXSS includes the Amptek X123-FastSDD silicon drift detector, a low-noise, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) instrument enabling solar SXR spectroscopy from ~0.5 to ~30 keV with ~0.15 keV FWHM spectral resolution with low power, mass, and volume requirements. Multiple detectors and tailored apertures provide sensitivity to a wide range of solar conditions, optimized for a launch during solar minimum. The precise spectra from these instruments will provide detailed measurements of the coronal temperature distribution and elemental abundances from the quiet Sun to active regions and flares. CubIXSS also includes a novel spectro-spatial imager -- the first ever solar imager on a CubeSat -- utilizing a custom pinhole camera and Chandra-heritage X-ray transmission diffraction grating to provide spatially- resolved, full-Sun imaging spectroscopy from ~0.1 to ~10 keV, with ~25 arcsec and ~0.1 Å FWHM spatial and spectral resolutions, respectively. MOXSI’s unique capabilities enable SXR spectroscopy and temperature diagnostics of individual

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.

In-Flight Performance of the Soft X-Ray Spectrometer Detector System on ASTRO-H

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, Frederick S.; Boyce, Kevin R.; Chiao, Meng P.; Eckart, Megan E.; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Kelley, Richard L.; Kilbourne, Carolina A.; Leutenegger, Maurice A.; McCammon, Dan;

Dante Soft X-ray Power Diagnostic for NIF

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

Dewald, E; Campbell, K; Turner, R

2004-04-15

Soft x-ray power diagnostics are essential for measuring spectrally resolved the total x-ray flux, radiation temperature, conversion efficiency and albedo that are important quantities for the energetics of indirect drive hohlraums. At the Nova or Omega Laser Facilities, these measurements are performed mainly with Dante, but also with DMX and photo-conductive detectors (PCD's). The Dante broadband spectrometer is a collection of absolute calibrated vacuum x-ray diodes, thin filters and x-ray mirrors used to measure the soft x-ray emission for photon energies above 50 eV.

Background radiation in inelastic X-ray scattering and X-ray emission spectroscopy. A study for Johann-type spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paredes Mellone, O. A.; Bianco, L. M.; Ceppi, S. A.; Goncalves Honnicke, M.; Stutz, G. E.

2018-06-01

A study of the background radiation in inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) and X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) based on an analytical model is presented. The calculation model considers spurious radiation originated from elastic and inelastic scattering processes along the beam paths of a Johann-type spectrometer. The dependence of the background radiation intensity on the medium of the beam paths (air and helium), analysed energy and radius of the Rowland circle was studied. The present study shows that both for IXS and XES experiments the background radiation is dominated by spurious radiation owing to scattering processes along the sample-analyser beam path. For IXS experiments the spectral distribution of the main component of the background radiation shows a weak linear dependence on the energy for the most cases. In the case of XES, a strong non-linear behaviour of the background radiation intensity was predicted for energy analysis very close to the backdiffraction condition, with a rapid increase in intensity as the analyser Bragg angle approaches π / 2. The contribution of the analyser-detector beam path is significantly weaker and resembles the spectral distribution of the measured spectra. Present results show that for usual experimental conditions no appreciable structures are introduced by the background radiation into the measured spectra, both in IXS and XES experiments. The usefulness of properly calculating the background profile is demonstrated in a background subtraction procedure for a real experimental situation. The calculation model was able to simulate with high accuracy the energy dependence of the background radiation intensity measured in a particular XES experiment with air beam paths.

Proton radiation damage experiment on P-Channel CCD for an X-ray CCD camera onboard the ASTRO-H satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, Koji; Nishioka, Yusuke; Ohura, Satoshi; Koura, Yoshiaki; Yamauchi, Makoto; Nakajima, Hiroshi; Ueda, Shutaro; Kan, Hiroaki; Anabuki, Naohisa; Nagino, Ryo; Hayashida, Kiyoshi; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Kohmura, Takayoshi; Ikeda, Shoma; Murakami, Hiroshi; Ozaki, Masanobu; Dotani, Tadayasu; Maeda, Yukie; Sagara, Kenshi

2013-12-01

We report on a proton radiation damage experiment on P-channel CCD newly developed for an X-ray CCD camera onboard the ASTRO-H satellite. The device was exposed up to 109 protons cm-2 at 6.7 MeV. The charge transfer inefficiency (CTI) was measured as a function of radiation dose. In comparison with the CTI currently measured in the CCD camera onboard the Suzaku satellite for 6 years, we confirmed that the new type of P-channel CCD is radiation tolerant enough for space use. We also confirmed that a charge-injection technique and lowering the operating temperature efficiently work to reduce the CTI for our device. A comparison with other P-channel CCD experiments is also discussed. We performed a proton radiation damage experiment on a new P-channel CCD. The device was exposed up to 109 protons cm-2 at 6.7 MeV. We confirmed that it is radiation tolerant enough for space use. We confirmed that a charge-injection technique reduces the CTI. We confirmed that lowering the operating temperature also reduces the CTI.

Non-destructive in situ study of "Mad Meg" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder using mobile X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van de Voorde, Lien; Van Pevenage, Jolien; De Langhe, Kaat; De Wolf, Robin; Vekemans, Bart; Vincze, Laszlo; Vandenabeele, Peter; Martens, Maximiliaan P. J.

2014-07-01

"Mad Meg", a figure of Flemish folklore, is the subject of a famous oil-on-panel painting by the Flemish renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, exhibited in the Museum Mayer van den Bergh (Antwerp, Belgium). This article reports on the in situ chemical characterization of this masterpiece by using currently available state-of-the-art portable analytical instruments. The applied non-destructive analytical approach involved the use of a) handheld X-ray fluorescence instrumentation for retrieving elemental information and b) portable X-ray fluorescence/X-ray diffraction instrumentation and laser-based Raman spectrometers for obtaining structural/molecular information. Next to material characterization of the used pigments and of the different preparation layers of the painting, also the verification of two important historical iconographic hypotheses is performed concerning the economic way of painting by Brueghel, and whether or not he used blue smalt pigment for painting the boat that appears towards the top of the painting. The pigments identified are smalt pigment (65% SiO2 + 15% K2O + 10% CoO + 5% Al2O3) for the blue color present in all blue areas of the painting, probably copper resinate for the green colors, vermillion (HgS) as red pigment and lead white is used to form different colors. The comparison of blue pigments used on different areas of the painting gives no differences in the elemental fingerprint which confirms the existing hypothesis concerning the economic painting method by Bruegel.

Future prospects for high resolution X-ray spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canizares, C. R.

1981-01-01

Capabilities of the X-ray spectroscopy payloads were compared. Comparison of capabilities of AXAF in the context of the science to be achieved is reported. The Einstein demonstrated the tremendous scientific power of spectroscopy to probe deeply the astrophysics of all types of celestial X-ray source. However, it has limitations in sensitivity and resolution. Each of the straw man instruments has a sensitivity that is at least an order of magnitude better than that of the Einstein FPSC. The AXAF promises powerful spectral capability.

Confocal total reflection X-ray fluorescence technology based on an elliptical monocapillary and a parallel polycapillary X-ray optics.

PubMed

Zhu, Yu; Wang, Yabing; Sun, Tianxi; Sun, Xuepeng; Zhang, Xiaoyun; Liu, Zhiguo; Li, Yufei; Zhang, Fengshou

2018-07-01

A total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometer based on an elliptical monocapillary X-ray lens (MXRL) and a parallel polycapillary X-ray lens (PPXRL) was designed. This TXRF instrument has micro focal spot, low divergence and high intensity of incident X-ray beam. The diameter of the focal spot of MXRL was 16.5 µm, and the divergence of the incident X-ray beam was 3.4 mrad. We applied this TXRF instrument to the micro analysis of a single-layer film containing Ni deposited on a Si substrate by metal vapor vacuum arc ion source. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

X-ray Echo Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shvyd'ko, Yuri

2016-02-01

X-ray echo spectroscopy, a counterpart of neutron spin echo, is being introduced here to overcome limitations in spectral resolution and weak signals of the traditional inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) probes. An image of a pointlike x-ray source is defocused by a dispersing system comprised of asymmetrically cut specially arranged Bragg diffracting crystals. The defocused image is refocused into a point (echo) in a time-reversal dispersing system. If the defocused beam is inelastically scattered from a sample, the echo signal acquires a spatial distribution, which is a map of the inelastic scattering spectrum. The spectral resolution of the echo spectroscopy does not rely on the monochromaticity of the x rays, ensuring strong signals along with a very high spectral resolution. Particular schemes of x-ray echo spectrometers for 0.1-0.02 meV ultrahigh-resolution IXS applications (resolving power >108 ) with broadband ≃5 - 13 meV dispersing systems are introduced featuring more than 103 signal enhancement. The technique is general, applicable in different photon frequency domains.

OSO-8 soft X-ray wheel experiment: Data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kraushaar, W. L.

1982-01-01

The soft X-ray experiment hardware and its operation are described. The device included six X-ray proportional counters, two of which, numbers 1 and 4, were pressurized with on-board methane gas supplies. Number 4 developed an excessive leak rate early in the mission and was turned off on 1975 day number 282 except for brief (typically 2-hour) periods up to day 585 after which it as left off. Counter 1 worked satisfactorily until 1975 day number 1095 (January 1, 1978) at which time the on-board methane supply was depleted. The other four counters were sealed and all except number 3 worked satisfactorily throughout the mission which terminated with permanent satellie shut-down on day 1369. This was the first large area thin-window, gas-flow X-ray detector to be flown in orbit. The background problems were severe and consumed a very large portion of the data analysis effort. These background problems were associated with the Earth's trapped electron belts.

Improving a high-efficiency, gated spectrometer for x-ray Thomson scattering experiments at the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Döppner, T.; Kraus, D.; Neumayer, P.; ...

2016-08-03

We are developing x-ray Thomson scattering for applications in implosion experiments at the National Ignition Facility. In particular we have designed and fielded MACS, a high-efficiency, gated x-ray spectrometer at 7.5-10 keV [T. Döppner et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 11D617 (2014)]. Here in this paper we report on two new Bragg crystals based on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG), a flat crystal and a dual-section cylindrically curved crystal. We have performed in situ calibration measurements using a brass foil target, and we used the flat HOPG crystal to measure Mo K-shell emission at 18 keV in 2nd order diffraction.more » Such high photon energy line emission will be required to penetrate and probe ultra-high-density plasmas or plasmas of mid-Z elements.« less

Improving a high-efficiency, gated spectrometer for x-ray Thomson scattering experiments at the National Ignition Facility

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

Döppner, T., E-mail: doeppner1@llnl.gov; Bachmann, B.; Emig, J.

We are developing x-ray Thomson scattering for applications in implosion experiments at the National Ignition Facility. In particular we have designed and fielded MACS, a high-efficiency, gated x-ray spectrometer at 7.5–10 keV [T. Döppner et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 11D617 (2014)]. Here we report on two new Bragg crystals based on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG), a flat crystal and a dual-section cylindrically curved crystal. We have performed in situ calibration measurements using a brass foil target, and we used the flat HOPG crystal to measure Mo K-shell emission at 18 keV in 2nd order diffraction. Such high photonmore » energy line emission will be required to penetrate and probe ultra-high-density plasmas or plasmas of mid-Z elements.« less

High temperature GaAs X-ray detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lioliou, G.; Whitaker, M. D. C.; Barnett, A. M.

2017-12-01

Two GaAs p+-i-n+ mesa X-ray photodiodes were characterized for their electrical and photon counting X-ray spectroscopic performance over the temperature range of 100 °C to -20 °C. The devices had 10 μm thick i layers with different diameters: 200 μm (D1) and 400 μm (D2). The electrical characterization included dark current and capacitance measurements at internal electric field strengths of up to 50 kV/cm. The determined properties of the two devices were compared with previously reported results that were made with a view to informing the future development of photon counting X-ray spectrometers for harsh environments, e.g., X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy of planetary surfaces in high temperature environments. The best energy resolution obtained (Full Width at Half Maximum at 5.9 keV) decreased from 2.00 keV at 100 °C to 0.66 keV at -20 °C for the spectrometer with D1, and from 2.71 keV at 100 °C to 0.71 keV at -20 °C for the spectrometer with D2. Dielectric noise was found to be the dominant source of noise in the spectra, apart from at high temperatures and long shaping times, where the main source of photopeak broadening was found to be the white parallel noise.

Chemical speciation using high energy resolution PIXE spectroscopy in the tender X-ray range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavčič, Matjaž; Petric, Marko; Vogel-Mikuš, Katarina

2018-02-01

High energy resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy employing wavelength dispersive (WDS) crystal spectrometers can provide energy resolution on the level of core-hole lifetime broadening of the characteristic emission lines. While crystal spectrometers have been traditionally used in combination with electron excitation for major and minor element analysis, they have been rarely considered in proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) trace element analysis mainly due to low detection efficiency. Compared to the simplest flat crystal WDS spectrometer the efficiency can be improved by employing cylindrically or even spherically curved crystals in combination with position sensitive X-ray detectors. When such spectrometer is coupled to MeV proton excitation, chemical bonding effects are revealed in the high energy resolution spectra yielding opportunity to extend the analytical capabilities of PIXE technique also towards chemical state analysis. In this contribution we will focus on the high energy resolution PIXE (HR-PIXE) spectroscopy in the tender X-ray range performed in our laboratory with our home-built tender X-ray emission spectrometer. Some general properties of high energy resolution PIXE spectroscopy in the tender X-ray range are presented followed by an example of sulfur speciation in biological tissue illustrating the capabilities as well as limitations of HR-PIXE method used for chemical speciation in the tender X-ray range.

Chemistry of rocks and soils at Meridiani Planum from the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer.

PubMed

Rieder, R; Gellert, R; Anderson, R C; Brückner, J; Clark, B C; Dreibus, G; Economou, T; Klingelhöfer, G; Lugmair, G W; Ming, D W; Squyres, S W; d'Uston, C; Wänke, H; Yen, A; Zipfel, J

2004-12-03

The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer on the Opportunity rover determined major and minor elements of soils and rocks in Meridiani Planum. Chemical compositions differentiate between basaltic rocks, evaporite-rich rocks, basaltic soils, and hematite-rich soils. Although soils are compositionally similar to those at previous landing sites, differences in iron and some minor element concentrations signify the addition of local components. Rocky outcrops are rich in sulfur and variably enriched in bromine relative to chlorine. The interaction with water in the past is indicated by the chemical features in rocks and soils at this site.

X-ray metal film filters at cryogenic temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keski-Kuha, Ritva A. M.

1989-01-01

Thin aluminum foil filters have been evaluated at cryogenic temperatures. The results of the test program, including cold cycling and vibration testing, indicate that these filters are fully successful at cryogenic temperatures and can provide the high X-ray transmittance and high background rejection required for the blocking filters which are being developed for the X-Ray Spectrometer, one of the focal plane instruments on the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility.

Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) on-board data processing and compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diaz, C.; Lopez, G.; Hermosilla, I.; Catalá, A.; Rodriguez, J. A.; Perez, C.; Diaz, E.

2013-09-01

The Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) is one of the Pasteur Payload instruments, within the ESA's Aurora Exploration Programme, ExoMars mission. Particularly, the RLS scientific objectives are as follows: identify organic compound and search for life; identify the mineral products and indicators of biologic activities; characterize mineral phases produced by water-related processes; characterize igneous minerals and their alteration products; characterise water/geochemical environment as a function of depth in the shallow subsurface. The straightforward approach of operating the instrument would result in a vast amount of spectrum images. A flexible on-board data processing concept has been designed to accommodate scientific return to the sample nature and data downlink bandwidth.

Spatial resolution of a hard x-ray CCD detector.

PubMed

Seely, John F; Pereira, Nino R; Weber, Bruce V; Schumer, Joseph W; Apruzese, John P; Hudson, Lawrence T; Szabo, Csilla I; Boyer, Craig N; Skirlo, Scott

2010-08-10

The spatial resolution of an x-ray CCD detector was determined from the widths of the tungsten x-ray lines in the spectrum formed by a crystal spectrometer in the 58 to 70 keV energy range. The detector had 20 microm pixel, 1700 by 1200 pixel format, and a CsI x-ray conversion scintillator. The spectral lines from a megavolt x-ray generator were focused on the spectrometer's Rowland circle by a curved transmission crystal. The line shapes were Lorentzian with an average width after removal of the natural and instrumental line widths of 95 microm (4.75 pixels). A high spatial frequency background, primarily resulting from scattered gamma rays, was removed from the spectral image by Fourier analysis. The spectral lines, having low spatial frequency in the direction perpendicular to the dispersion, were enhanced by partially removing the Lorentzian line shape and by fitting Lorentzian curves to broad unresolved spectral features. This demonstrates the ability to improve the spectral resolution of hard x-ray spectra that are recorded by a CCD detector with well-characterized intrinsic spatial resolution.

Gamma Ray and Neutron Spectrometer for the Lunar Resource Mapper

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moss, C. E.; Byrd, R. C.; Drake, D. M.; Feldman, W. C.; Martin, R. A.; Merrigan, M. A.; Reedy, R. C.

1992-01-01

One of the early Space Exploration Initiatives will be a lunar orbiter to map the elemental composition of the Moon. This mission will support further lunar exploration and habitation and will provide a valuable dataset for understanding lunar geological processes. The proposed payload will consist of the gamma ray and neutron spectrometers which are discussed, an x ray fluorescence imager, and possibly one or two other instruments.

Exploring transient X-ray sky with Einstein Probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, W.; Zhang, C.; Ling, Z.; Zhao, D.; Chen, Y.; Lu, F.; Zhang, S.

2017-10-01

The Einstein Probe is a small satellite in time-domain astronomy to monitor the soft X-ray sky. It is a small mission in the space science programme of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It will carry out systematic survey and characterisation of high-energy transients at unprecedented sensitivity, spatial resolution, Grasp and monitoring cadence. Its wide-field imaging capability is achieved by using established technology of micro-pore lobster-eye X-ray focusing optics. Complementary to this is X-ray follow-up capability enabled by a narrow-field X-ray telescope. It is capable of on-board triggering and real time downlink of transient alerts, in order to trigger fast follow-up observations at multi-wavelengths. Its scientific goals are concerned with discovering and characterising diverse types of X-ray transients, including tidal disruption events, supernova shock breakouts, high-redshift GRBs, and of particular interest, X-ray counterparts of gravitational wave events.

Suzaku observation of the eclipsing high mass X-ray binary pulsar XTE J1855-026

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devasia, Jincy; Paul, Biswajit

2018-02-01

We report results from analysis performed on an eclipsing supergiant high mass X-ray binary pulsar XTE J1855-026 observed with the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) on-board Suzaku Observatory in April 2015. Suzaku observed this source for a total effective exposure of ˜ 87 ks just before an eclipse. Pulsations are clearly observed and the pulse profiles of XTE J1855-026 did not show significant energy dependence during this observation consistent with previous reports. The time averaged energy spectrum of XTE J1855-026 in the 1.0-10.5 keV energy range can be well fitted with a partial covering power law model modified with interstellar absorption along with a black-body component for soft excess and a gaussian for iron fluorescence line emision. The hardness ratio evolution during this observation indicated significant absorption of soft X-rays in some segments of the observation. For better understanding of the reason behind this, we performed time-resolved spectroscopy in the 2.5-10.5 keV energy band which revealed significant variations in the spectral parameters, especially the hydrogen column density and iron line equivalent width with flux. The correlated variations in the spectral parameters indicate towards the presence of clumps in the stellar wind of the companion star accounting for the absorption of low energy X-rays in some time segments.

5.8 X-ray Calorimeters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, F. Scott

2008-01-01

X-ray calorimeter instruments for astrophysics have seen rapid development since they were invented in 1984. The prime instrument on all currently planned X-ray spectroscopic observatories is based on calorimeter technology. This relatively simple detection concept that senses the energy of an incident photon by measuring the temperature rise of an absorber material at very low temperatures, can form the basis of a very high performance, non-dispersive spectrometer. State-of-the-art calorimeter instruments have resolving powers of over 3000, large simultaneous band-passes, and near unit efficiency. This coupled with the intrinsic imaging capability of a pixilated x-ray calorimeter array, allows true spectral-spatial instruments to be constructed. In this chapter I briefly review the detection scheme, the state-of-the-art in X-ray calorimeter instruments and the future outlook for this technology.

Film calibration for soft x-ray wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tallents, Gregory J.; Krishnan, J.; Dwivedi, L.; Neely, David; Turcu, I. C. Edmond

1997-10-01

The response of photographic film to X-rays from laser- plasma is of practical interest. Film is often used for the ultimate detection of x-rays in crystal and grating spectrometers and in imaging instruments such as pinhole cameras largely because of its high spatial resolution (approximately 1 - 10 microns). Characteristic curves for wavelengths--3 nm and 23 nm are presented for eight x-ray films (Kodak 101-01, 101-07, 104-02, Kodak Industrex CX, Russian UF-SH4, UF-VR2, Ilford Q plates and Shanghai 5F film). The calibrations were obtained from the emission of laser-produced carbon plasmas and a Ne-like Ge X-ray laser.

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.

X-ray Pulsar Navigation Algorithms and Testbed for SEXTANT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winternitz, Luke M. B.; Hasouneh, Monther A.; Mitchell, Jason W.; Valdez, Jennifer E.; Price, Samuel R.; Semper, Sean R.; Yu, Wayne H.; Ray, Paul S.; Wood, Kent S.; Arzoumanian, Zaven;

Energetics of impulsive solar flares: Correlating BATSE hard x-ray bursts and the solar atmosphere's soft x-ray response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newton, Elizabeth

1996-01-01

This investigation has involved the correlation of BATSE-observed solar hard X-ray emission with the characteristics of soft X-ray emitting plasma observed by the Yohkoh Bragg Crystal Spectrometers. The goal was to test the hypothesis that localized electron beam heating is the dominant energy transport mechanism in impulsive flares, as formulated in the thick-target electron-heated model of Brown.

Chemistry of Rocks and Soils in Gusev Crater from the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gellert, R.; Rieder, R.; Anderson, R. C.; Brueckner, J.; Clark, B. C.; Dreibus, G.; Economou, T.; Klingelhoefer, G.; Lugmair, G. W.; Ming, D. W.

2005-01-01

The alpha particle x-ray spectrometer on the Spirit rover determined major and minor elements of soils and rocks in Gusev crater in order to unravel the crustal evolution of planet Mars. The composition of soils is similar to those at previous landing sites, as a result of global mixing and distribution by dust storms. Rocks (fresh surfaces exposed by the rock abrasion tool) resemble volcanic rocks of primitive basaltic composition with low intrinsic potassium contents. High abundance of bromine (up to 170 parts per million) in rocks may indicate the alteration of surfaces formed during a past period of aqueous activity in Gusev crater.

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.

X-ray spectrophotometer SphinX and particle spectrometer STEP-F of the satellite experiment CORONAS-PHOTON. Preliminary results of the joint data analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudnik, O. V.; Podgorski, P.; Sylwester, J.; Gburek, S.; Kowalinski, M.; Siarkowski, M.; Plocieniak, S.; Bakala, J.

2012-04-01

A joint analysis is carried out of data obtained with the help of the solar X-ray SphinX spectrophotometer and the electron and proton satellite telescope STEP-F in May 2009 in the course of the scientific space experiment CORONAS-PHOTON. In order to determine the energies and particle types, in the analysis of spectrophotometer records data are used on the intensities of electrons, protons, and secondary γ-radiation, obtained by the STEP-F telescope, which was located in close proximity to the SphinX spectrophotometer. The identical reaction of both instruments is noted at the intersection of regions of the Brazilian magnetic anomaly and the Earth's radiation belts. It is shown that large area photodiodes, serving as sensors of the X-ray spectrometer, reliably record electron fluxes of low and intermediate energies, as well as fluxes of the secondary gamma radiation from construction materials of detector modules, the TESIS instrument complex, and the spacecraft itself. The dynamics of electron fluxes, recorded by the SphinX spectrophotometer in the vicinity of a weak geomagnetic storm, supplements the information about the processes of radial diffusion of electrons, which was studied using the STEP-F telescope.

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.

High Resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy of zeta Puppis with the XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kahn, S. M.; Leutenegger, M. A.; Cottam, J.; Rauw, G.; Vreux, J.-M.; denBoggende, A. J. F.; Mewe, R.; Guedel, M.

2000-01-01

We present the first high resolution X-ray spectrum of the bright O4Ief supergiant star Puppis, obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer on- board XMM-Newton. The spectrum exhibits bright emission lines of hydrogen-like and helium-like ions of nitrogen, oxygen, neon, magnesium, and silicon, as well as neon-like ions of iron. The lines are all significantly resolved, with characteristic velocity widths of order 1000 - 1500 km/ s. The nitrogen lines are especially strong, and indicate that the shocked gas in the wind is mixed with CNO-burned material, as has been previously inferred for the atmosphere of this star from ultraviolet spectra. We find that the forbidden to intercombination line ratios within the helium-like triplets are anomalously low for N VI, O VII, and Ne IX. While this is sometimes indicative of high electron density, we show that in this case, it is instead caused by the intense ultraviolet radiation field of the star. We use this interpretation to derive constraints on the location of the X-ray emitting shocks within the wind that agree remarkably well with current theoretical models for this system.

Ground calibrations of the X-ray detector system of the Solar Intensity X-ray Spectrometer (SIXS) on board BepiColombo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huovelin, Juhani; Lehtolainen, Arto; Genzer, Maria; Korpela, Seppo; Esko, Eero; Andersson, Hans

2014-05-01

SIXS includes X-ray and particle detector systems for the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO). Its task is to monitor the direct solar X-rays and energetic particles in a wide field of view in the energy range of 1-20 keV (X-rays), 0.1-3 MeV (electrons) and 1-30 MeV (protons). The main purpose of these measurements is to provide quantitative information on the high energy radiation incident on Mercury's surface which causes the X-ray glow of the planet measured by the MIXS instrument. The X-ray and particle measurements of SIXS are also useful for investigations of the solar corona and the magnetosphere of Mercury. The ground calibrations of the X-ray detectors of the SIXS flight model were carried out in the X-ray laboratory of the Helsinki University during May and June 2012. The aim of the ground calibrations was to characterize the performance of the SIXS instrument's three High-Purity Silicon PIN X-ray detectors and verify that they fulfil their scientific performance requirements. The calibrations included the determination of the beginning of life energy resolution at different operational temperatures, determination of the detector's sensitivity within the field of view as a function of the off-axis and roll angles, pile-up tests for determining the speed of the read out electronics, measurements of the low energy threshold of the energy scale, a cross-calibration with the SMART-1 XSM flight spare detector, and the determination of the temperature dependence of the energy scale. An X-ray tube and the detectors' internal Ti coated 55Fe calibration sources were used as primary X-ray sources. In addition, two external fluorescence sources were used as secondary X-ray sources in the determination of the energy resolutions and in the comparison calibration with the SMART-1 XSM. The calibration results show that the detectors fulfill all of the scientific performance requirements. The ground calibration data combined with the instrument house-keeping data

An introduction to the water recovery x-ray rocket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miles, Drew M.; McEntaffer, Randall L.; Schultz, Ted B.; Donovan, Benjamin D.; Tutt, James H.; Yastishock, Daniel; Steiner, Tyler; Hillman, Christopher R.; McCoy, Jake A.; Wages, Mitchell; Hull, Sam; Falcone, Abe; Burrows, David N.; Chattopadhyay, Tanmoy; Anderson, Tyler; McQuaide, Maria

2017-08-01

The Water Recovery X-ray Rocket (WRXR) is a sounding rocket payload that will launch from the Kwajalein Atoll in April 2018 and seeks to be the first astrophysics sounding rocket payload to be water recovered by NASA. WRXR's primary instrument is a grating spectrometer that consists of a mechanical collimator, X-ray reflection gratings, grazing-incidence mirrors, and a hybrid CMOS detector. The instrument will obtain a spectrum of the diffuse soft X-ray emission from the northern part of the Vela supernova remnant and is optimized for 3rd and 4th order OVII emission. Utilizing a field of view of 3.25° × 3.25° and resolving power of λ/δλ ≍40-50 in the lines of interest, the WRXR spectrometer aims to achieve the most highly-resolved spectrum of Vela's diffuse soft X-ray emission. This paper presents introductions to the payload and the science target.

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.

Determination of plutonium in nitric acid solutions using energy dispersive L X-ray fluorescence with a low power X-ray generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Py, J.; Groetz, J.-E.; Hubinois, J.-C.; Cardona, D.

2015-04-01

This work presents the development of an in-line energy dispersive L X-ray fluorescence spectrometer set-up, with a low power X-ray generator and a secondary target, for the determination of plutonium concentration in nitric acid solutions. The intensity of the L X-rays from the internal conversion and gamma rays emitted by the daughter nuclei from plutonium is minimized and corrected, in order to eliminate the interferences with the L X-ray fluorescence spectrum. The matrix effects are then corrected by the Compton peak method. A calibration plot for plutonium solutions within the range 0.1-20 g L-1 is given.

Arcus: the x-ray grating spectrometer explorer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, R. K.; Abraham, M. H.; Allured, R.; Bautz, M.; Bookbinder, J.; Bregman, J. N.; Brenneman, L.; Brickhouse, N. S.; Burrows, D. N.; Burwitz, V.; Carvalho, R.; Cheimets, P. N.; Costantini, E.; Dawson, S.; DeRoo, C.; Falcone, A.; Foster, A. R.; Grant, C. E.; Heilmann, R. K.; Hertz, E.; Hine, B.; Huenemoerder, D.; Kaastra, J. S.; Madsen, K. K.; McEntaffer, R. L.; Miller, E. D.; Miller, J.; Morse, E.; Mushotzky, R.; Nandra, K.; Nowak, M.; Paerels, F.; Petre, R.; Plice, L.; Poppenhaeger, K.; Ptak, A.; Reid, P.; Sanders, J.; Schattenburg, M. L.; Schulz, N.; Smale, A.; Temi, P.; Valencic, L.; Walker, S.; Willingale, R.; Wilms, J.; Wolk, S. J.

2016-07-01

Arcus will be proposed to the NASA Explorer program as a free-flying satellite mission that will enable high-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy (8-50) with unprecedented sensitivity - effective areas of >500 sq cm and spectral resolution >2500. The Arcus key science goals are (1) to determine how baryons cycle in and out of galaxies by measuring the effects of structure formation imprinted upon the hot gas that is predicted to lie in extended halos around galaxies, groups, and clusters, (2) to determine how black holes influence their surroundings by tracing the propagation of out-flowing mass, energy and momentum from the vicinity of the black hole out to large scales and (3) to understand how accretion forms and evolves stars and circumstellar disks by observing hot infalling and outflowing gas in these systems. Arcus relies upon grazing-incidence silicon pore X-ray optics with the same 12m focal length (achieved using an extendable optical bench) that will be used for the ESA Athena mission. The focused X-rays from these optics will then be diffracted by high-efficiency off-plane reflection gratings that have already been demonstrated on sub-orbital rocket flights, imaging the results with flight-proven CCD detectors and electronics. The power and telemetry requirements on the spacecraft are modest. The majority of mission operations will not be complex, as most observations will be long ( 100 ksec), uninterrupted, and pre-planned, although there will be limited capabilities to observe targets of opportunity, such as tidal disruption events or supernovae with a 3-5 day turnaround. After the end of prime science, we plan to allow guest observations to maximize the science return of Arcus to the community.

Arcus: The X-Ray Grating Spectrometer Explorer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, R. K.; Abraham, M. H.; Allured, R.; Bautz, M.; Bookbinder, J.; Bregman, J. N.; Brenneman, L.; Brickhouse, N. S.; Burrows, D. N.; Burwitz, V.;

X-ray irradiation of yeast cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masini, Alessandra; Batani, Dimitri; Previdi, Fabio; Conti, Aldo; Pisani, Francesca; Botto, Cesare; Bortolotto, Fulvia; Torsiello, Flavia; Turcu, I. C. Edmond; Allott, Ric M.; Lisi, Nicola; Milani, Marziale; Costato, Michele; Pozzi, Achille; Koenig, Michel

1997-10-01

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae yeast cells were irradiated using the soft X-ray laser-plasma source at Rutherford Laboratory. The aim was to produce a selective damage of enzyme metabolic activity at the wall and membrane level (responsible for fermentation) without interfering with respiration (taking place in mitochondria) and with nuclear and DNA activity. The source was calibrated by PIN diodes and X-ray spectrometers. Teflon stripes were chosen as targets for the UV laser, emitting X-rays at about 0.9 keV, characterized by a very large decay exponent in biological matter. X-ray doses to the different cell compartments were calculated following a Lambert-Bouguet-Beer law. After irradiation, the selective damage to metabolic activity at the membrane level was measured by monitoring CO2 production with pressure silicon detectors. Preliminary results gave evidence of pressure reduction for irradiated samples and non-linear response to doses. Also metabolic oscillations were evidenced in cell suspensions and it was shown that X-ray irradiation changed the oscillation frequency.

X-Ray Flare Oscillations Track Plasma Sloshing along Star-disk Magnetic Tubes in the Orion Star-forming Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reale, Fabio; Lopez-Santiago, Javier; Flaccomio, Ettore; Petralia, Antonino; Sciortino, Salvatore

2018-03-01

Pulsing X-ray emission tracks the plasma “echo” traveling in an extremely long magnetic tube that flares in an Orion pre-main sequence (PMS) star. On the Sun, flares last from minutes to a few hours and the longest-lasting ones typically involve arcades of closed magnetic tubes. Long-lasting X-ray flares are observed in PMS stars. Large-amplitude (∼20%), long-period (∼3 hr) pulsations are detected in the light curve of day-long flares observed by the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer on-board Chandra from PMS stars in the Orion cluster. Detailed hydrodynamic modeling of two flares observed on V772 Ori and OW Ori shows that these pulsations may track the sloshing of plasma along a single long magnetic tube, triggered by a sufficiently short (∼1 hr) heat pulse. These magnetic tubes are ≥20 solar radii long, enough to connect the star with the surrounding disk.

Critical-angle transmission grating technology development for high resolving power soft x-ray spectrometers on Arcus and Lynx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heilmann, Ralf K.; Bruccoleri, Alexander R.; Song, Jungki; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery; Gaskin, Jessica A.; O'Dell, Stephen L.; Cheimetz, Peter; Hertz, Edward; Smith, Randall K.; Burwitz, Vadim; Hartner, Gisela; La Caria, Marlis-Madeleine; Schattenburg, Mark L.

2017-08-01

Soft x-ray spectroscopy with high resolving power (R = λ/Δλ) and large effective area (A) addresses numerous unanswered science questions about the physical laws that lead to the structure of our universe. In the soft x-ray band R > 1000 can currently only be achieved with diffraction grating-based spectroscopy. Criticalangle transmission (CAT) gratings combine the advantages of blazed reflection gratings (high efficiency, use of higher diffraction orders) with those of conventional transmission gratings (relaxed alignment tolerances and temperature requirements, transparent at higher energies, low mass), resulting in minimal mission resource requirements, while greatly improving figures of merit. Diffraction efficiency > 33% and R > 10, 000 have been demonstrated for CAT gratings. Last year the technology has been certified at Technology Readiness Level 4 based on a probe class mission concept. The Explorer-scale (A > 450 cm2 , R > 2500) grating spectroscopy Arcus mission can be built with today's CAT grating technology and has been selected in the current Explorer round for a Phase A concept study. Its figure of merit for the detection of weak absorption lines will be an order of magnitude larger than current instruments on Chandra and XMM-Newton. Further CAT grating technology development and improvements in the angular resolution of x-ray optics can provide another order of magnitude improvement in performance, as is envisioned for the X-ray Surveyor/Lynx mission concept currently under development for input into the 2020 Decadal Survey. For Arcus we have tested CAT gratings in a spectrometer setup in combination with silicon pore optics (SPO) and obtained resolving power results that exceed Arcus requirements before and after environmental testing of the gratings. We have recently fabricated the largest (32 mm x 32 mm) CAT gratings to date, and plan to increase grating size further. We mounted two of these large gratings to frames and aligned them in the

Spirit Switches on Its X-ray Vision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This image shows the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit probing its first target rock, Adirondack. At the time this picture was snapped, the rover had begun analyzing the rock with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer located on its robotic arm. This instrument uses alpha particles and X-rays to determine the elemental composition of martian rocks and soil. The image was taken by the rover's hazard-identification camera.

Soft X-ray spectroscopy of nanoparticles by velocity map imaging

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

Kostko, O.; Xu, B.; Jacobs, M. I.

Velocity map imaging (VMI), a technique traditionally used to study chemical dynamics in the gas phase, is applied to study X-ray photoemission from aerosol nanoparticles. Soft X-rays from the Advanced Light Source synchrotron, probe a beam of nanoparticles, and the resulting photoelectrons are velocity mapped to obtain their kinetic energy distributions. A new design of the VMI spectrometer is described. The spectrometer is benchmarked by measuring vacuum ultraviolet photoemission from gas phase xenon and squalene nanoparticles followed by measurements using soft X-rays. It is demonstrated that the photoelectron distribution from X-ray irradiated squalene nanoparticles is dominated by secondary electrons. Bymore » scanning the photon energies and measuring the intensities of these secondary electrons, a near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectrum is obtained. The NEXAFS technique is used to obtain spectra of aqueous nanoparticles at the oxygen K edge. By varying the position of the aqueous nanoparticle beam relative to the incident X-ray beam, evidence is presented such that the VMI technique allows for NEXAFS spectroscopy of water in different physical states. Finally, we discuss the possibility of applying VMI methods to probe liquids and solids via X-ray spectroscopy.« less

Soft X-ray spectroscopy of nanoparticles by velocity map imaging

DOE PAGES

Kostko, O.; Xu, B.; Jacobs, M. I.; ...

2017-05-05

Velocity map imaging (VMI), a technique traditionally used to study chemical dynamics in the gas phase, is applied to study X-ray photoemission from aerosol nanoparticles. Soft X-rays from the Advanced Light Source synchrotron, probe a beam of nanoparticles, and the resulting photoelectrons are velocity mapped to obtain their kinetic energy distributions. A new design of the VMI spectrometer is described. The spectrometer is benchmarked by measuring vacuum ultraviolet photoemission from gas phase xenon and squalene nanoparticles followed by measurements using soft X-rays. It is demonstrated that the photoelectron distribution from X-ray irradiated squalene nanoparticles is dominated by secondary electrons. Bymore » scanning the photon energies and measuring the intensities of these secondary electrons, a near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectrum is obtained. The NEXAFS technique is used to obtain spectra of aqueous nanoparticles at the oxygen K edge. By varying the position of the aqueous nanoparticle beam relative to the incident X-ray beam, evidence is presented such that the VMI technique allows for NEXAFS spectroscopy of water in different physical states. Finally, we discuss the possibility of applying VMI methods to probe liquids and solids via X-ray spectroscopy.« less

SEXTANT - Station Explorer for X-Ray Timing and Navigation Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Jason; Hasouneh, Monther; Winternitz, Luke; Valdez, Jennifer; Price, Sam; Semper, Sean; Yu, Wayne; Gaebler, John; Ray, Paul; Wood, Kent;

On-Orbit Operation of the Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator on the Astro-H/Hitomi Soft X-ray Spectrometer Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shirron, Peter; Kimball, Mark; James, Bryan; Muench, Theodore; Canavan, Edgar; DiPirro, Michael; Bialas, Thomas; Sneiderman, Gary; Boyce, Kevin; Kilbourne, Caroline;

Design and on-orbit operation of the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator on the Hitomi Soft X-ray Spectrometer instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirron, Peter J.; Kimball, Mark O.; James, Bryan L.; Muench, Theodore; Canavan, Edgar R.; DiPirro, Michael J.; Bialas, Thomas G.; Sneiderman, Gary A.; Boyce, Kevin R.; Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Porter, Frederick S.; Kelley, Richard L.; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Takei, Yoh; Yoshida, Seiji; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa

2016-07-01

The Soft X-ray Spectrometer instrument on the Astro-H observatory contains a 6x6 array of x-ray microcalorimeters, which is cooled to 50 mK by an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR). The ADR consists of three stages in order to provide stable detector cooling using either a 1.2 K superfluid helium bath or a 4.5 K Joule-Thomson (JT) cryocooler as its heat sink. When liquid helium is present, two of the ADR's stages are used to single-shot cool the detectors while rejecting heat to the helium. After the helium is depleted, all three stages are used to cool both the helium tank (to about 1.5 K) and the detectors (to 50 mK) using the JT cryocooler as its heat sink. The Astro-H observatory, renamed Hitomi after its successful launch in February 2016, carried approximately 36 liters of helium into orbit. On day 5, the helium had cooled sufficiently (<1.4 K) to allow operation of the ADR. This paper describes the design, operation and on-orbit performance of the ADR.

Development of a mercuric iodide solid state spectrometer for X-ray astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vallerga, J.

1983-01-01

Mercuric iodide detectors, experimental development for astronomical use, X ray observations of the 1980 Cygnus X-1 High State, astronomical had X ray detectors in current use, detector development, balloon flight of large area (1500 sq cm) Phoswich detectors, had X ray telescope design, shielded mercuric iodide background measurement, Monte Carlo analysis, measurements with a shielded mercuric iodide detector are discussed.

VOXES: a high precision X-ray spectrometer for diffused sources with HAPG crystals in the 2–20 keV range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scordo, A.; Curceanu, C.; Miliucci, M.; Shi, H.; Sirghi, F.; Zmeskal, J.

2018-04-01

Bragg spectroscopy is one of the best established experimental methods for high energy resolution X-ray measurements and has been widely used in several fields, going from fundamental physics to quantum mechanics tests, synchrotron radiation and X-FEL applications, astronomy, medicine and industry. However, this technique is limited to the measurement of photons produced from well collimated or point-like sources and becomes quite inefficient for photons coming from extended and diffused sources like those, for example, emitted in the exotic atoms radiative transitions. The VOXES project's goal is to realise a prototype of a high resolution and high precision X-ray spectrometer, using Highly Annealed Pyrolitic Graphite (HAPG) crystals in the Von Hamos configuration, working also for extended sources. The aim is to deliver a cost effective system having an energy resolution at the level of eV for X-ray energies from about 2 keV up to tens of keV, able to perform sub-eV precision measurements with non point-like sources. In this paper, the working principle of VOXES, together with first results, are presented.

An X-ray fluorescence spectrometer and its applications in materials studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, J. J.; Han, K. S.

1977-01-01

An X-ray fluorescence system based on a Co(57) gamma-ray source has been developed. The system was used to calculate the atomic percentages of iron implanted in titanium targets. Measured intensities of Fe (k-alpha + k-beta) and Ti (k-alpha + k-beta) X-rays from the Fe-Ti targets are in good agreement with the calculated values based on photoelectric cross sections of Ti and Fe for the Co(57) gamma rays.

The Micro-X Imaging X-Ray Microcalorimeter Sounding Rocket Payload: Final Design and Performance Tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutherford, John; Micro-X Collaboration

2011-09-01

The first operating set of transition edge sensors (TES) microcalorimeters in space will launch on a sounding rocket carrying the Micro-X imaging X-ray telescope in 2012. We present the final instrument flight design, as well as the results from initial performance tests. A spectral resolution of 2 eV is targeted across the science band of 0.3-2.5 keV. The 12x12 spectrometer array contains 128 active pixels on a 600 micron pitch, consisting of Au/Bi absorbers and Mo/Au bilayer TESs with a transition temperature of 100 mK. A SQUID time-division multiplexer will read out the array at 30 kHz, which is limited by the rocket telemetry. The TESs have been engineered with a 2 ms time constant to match the multiplexer. The detector array and two SQUID stages of the TDM readout system are accommodated in a lightweight Mg enclosure, which is mounted to the 50 mK stage of an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. A third SQUID amplification stage is located on the 1.6 K liquid He stage of the cryostat. An on-board 55-Fe source will fluoresce a Ca target, providing 3.7 and 4.0 keV calibration lines that will not interfere with the scientifically interesting energy band.

The MIT OSO-7 X-ray experiment. A five color survey of the positions and time variations of cosmic X-ray sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, R. S.; Clark, G. W.

1971-01-01

The all-sky, X-ray measurements are made in five broad energy bands from 0.5 to 60 keV with X-ray collimators of one and three degree FWHM response. Working with the onboard star sensor source locations may be determined to a precision of plus or minus 0.1 deg. The experiment is located in wheel compartment number three of the spacecraft. A time division logic system divides each wheel rotation into 256 data bins in each of which X-ray counts are accumulated over a 190 second interval. Measurement chain circuits include provision for both geometric and risetime anticoincidence. A detailed description of the instrument is included as is pertinent operating information.

X-ray Spectroscopy of High-Z Elements on Nike

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aglitskiy, Y.; Weaver, J. L.; Karasik, M.; Serlin, V.; Obenschain, S. P.; Ralchenko, Yu.

2013-10-01

Survey X-ray spectrometer covering a spectral range from 0.5 to 19.5 angstroms has been added to the spectroscopic suite of Nike diagnostics. That allows simultaneous observation of both M- and N- spectra of W, Ta and Au with high spectral resolution. Low energy test shots confirmed strong presence of 3-4 transitions of Ni-like W, Ta and Au with X-ray energies as high as 3.5 keV when above mentioned elements were used as the targets. In our continuous effort to support DOE-NNSA's inertial fusion program, the future campaign will cover a wide range of plasma conditions that result in relatively energetic X-ray production. Eventually, absolutely calibrated spectrometers of similar geometry will be fielded at NIF in cooperation with NIF diagnostic group. Work supported by US DOE, Defense Programs.

Chemical state analysis of Cl Kα and Kβ1,3 X-ray emission lines using polychromatic WDXRF spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kainth, Harpreet Singh; Upmanyu, Arun; Sharma, Hitesh; Singh, Tejbir; Kumar, Sanjeev

2018-02-01

With the support of research projects focusing on sampling and data analysing of different varieties of chemical compounds, wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) technique is commonly used in many research laboratories throughout the world wide to determine the elemental composition of various unknown samples. In the present study, first time we have employed polychromatic S8 TIGER WDXRF spectrometer to study the chemical state analysis in Cl Kα and Kβ1,3 X-ray emission lines. A Voigt function is used to determine the central peak position of the K shell emission lines in all samples. From the present measurements, it is seen that both positive and negative shifts have been observed in Cl Kα (2.622 keV) and Kβ1,3 (2.817 keV) emission peaks. It has been also seen that the effective charge, relative line-width and relative intensity ratio I(Kβ1,3/Kα) are found proportional with the chemical shift. Furthermore, a parabolic relation is also established between them.

Quartz-based flat-crystal resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectrometer with sub-10 meV energy resolution

DOE PAGES

Kim, Jungho; Casa, D.; Said, Ayman; ...

2018-01-31

Continued improvement of the energy resolution of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectrometers is crucial for fulfilling the potential of this technique in the study of electron dynamics in materials of fundamental and technological importance. In particular, RIXS is the only alternative tool to inelastic neutron scattering capable of providing fully momentum resolved information on dynamic spin structures of magnetic materials, but is limited to systems whose magnetic excitation energy scales are comparable to the energy resolution. The state-of-the-art spherical diced crystal analyzer optics provides energy resolution as good as 25 meV but has already reached its theoretical limit. Formore » this study, we demonstrate a novel sub-10 meV RIXS spectrometer based on flat-crystal optics at the Ir-L3 absorption edge (11.215 keV) that achieves an analyzer energy resolution of 3.9 meV, very close to the theoretical value of 3.7 meV. In addition, the new spectrometer allows efficient polarization analysis without loss of energy resolution. The performance of the instrument is emonstrated using longitudinal acoustical and optical phonons in diamond, and magnon in Sr 3Ir 2O 7. The novel sub-10 meV RIXS spectrometer thus provides a window into magnetic materials with small energy scales.« less

Quartz-based flat-crystal resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectrometer with sub-10 meV energy resolution

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

Kim, Jungho; Casa, D.; Said, Ayman

Continued improvement of the energy resolution of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectrometers is crucial for fulfilling the potential of this technique in the study of electron dynamics in materials of fundamental and technological importance. In particular, RIXS is the only alternative tool to inelastic neutron scattering capable of providing fully momentum resolved information on dynamic spin structures of magnetic materials, but is limited to systems whose magnetic excitation energy scales are comparable to the energy resolution. The state-of-the-art spherical diced crystal analyzer optics provides energy resolution as good as 25 meV but has already reached its theoretical limit. Formore » this study, we demonstrate a novel sub-10 meV RIXS spectrometer based on flat-crystal optics at the Ir-L3 absorption edge (11.215 keV) that achieves an analyzer energy resolution of 3.9 meV, very close to the theoretical value of 3.7 meV. In addition, the new spectrometer allows efficient polarization analysis without loss of energy resolution. The performance of the instrument is emonstrated using longitudinal acoustical and optical phonons in diamond, and magnon in Sr 3Ir 2O 7. The novel sub-10 meV RIXS spectrometer thus provides a window into magnetic materials with small energy scales.« less

Toward Large FOV High-Resolution X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer: Microwave Multiplexed Readout of 32 TES Microcalorimeters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yoon, Wonsik; Adams, Joseph S.; Bandler, Simon R.; Chervenak, James A.; Datesman, Aaron M.; Eckart, Megan E.; Finkbeiner, Fred M.; Kelley, Richard L.; Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Miniussi, Antoine R.;

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).

Multi-parameter Nonlinear Gain Correction of X-ray Transition Edge Sensors for the X-ray Integral Field Unit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cucchetti, E.; Eckart, M. E.; Peille, P.; Porter, F. S.; Pajot, F.; Pointecouteau, E.

2018-04-01

With its array of 3840 Transition Edge Sensors (TESs), the Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) will provide spatially resolved high-resolution spectroscopy (2.5 eV up to 7 keV) from 0.2 to 12 keV, with an absolute energy scale accuracy of 0.4 eV. Slight changes in the TES operating environment can cause significant variations in its energy response function, which may result in systematic errors in the absolute energy scale. We plan to monitor such changes at pixel level via onboard X-ray calibration sources and correct the energy scale accordingly using a linear or quadratic interpolation of gain curves obtained during ground calibration. However, this may not be sufficient to meet the 0.4 eV accuracy required for the X-IFU. In this contribution, we introduce a new two-parameter gain correction technique, based on both the pulse-height estimate of a fiducial line and the baseline value of the pixels. Using gain functions that simulate ground calibration data, we show that this technique can accurately correct deviations in detector gain due to changes in TES operating conditions such as heat sink temperature, bias voltage, thermal radiation loading and linear amplifier gain. We also address potential optimisations of the onboard calibration source and compare the performance of this new technique with those previously used.

News on the X-ray emission from hot subdwarf stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palombara, Nicola La; Mereghetti, Sandro

2017-12-01

In latest years, the high sensitivity of the instruments on-board the XMM-Newton and Chandra satellites allowed us to explore the properties of the X-ray emission from hot subdwarf stars. The small but growing sample of X-ray detected hot subdwarfs includes binary systems, in which the X-ray emission is due to wind accretion onto a compact companion (white dwarf or neutron star), as well as isolated sdO stars, in which X-rays are probably due to shock instabilities in the wind. X-ray observations of these low-mass stars provide information which can be useful for our understanding of the weak winds of this type of stars and can lead to the discovery of particularly interesting binary systems. Here we report the most recent results we have recently obtained in this research area.

Spatially resolved high resolution x-ray spectroscopy for magnetically confined fusion plasmas (invited)

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

Ince-Cushman, A.; Rice, J. E.; Reinke, M. L.

2008-10-15

The use of high resolution x-ray crystal spectrometers to diagnose fusion plasmas has been limited by the poor spatial localization associated with chord integrated measurements. Taking advantage of a new x-ray imaging spectrometer concept [M. Bitter et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 75, 3660 (2004)], and improvements in x-ray detector technology [Ch. Broennimann et al., J. Synchrotron Radiat. 13, 120 (2006)], a spatially resolving high resolution x-ray spectrometer has been built and installed on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. This instrument utilizes a spherically bent quartz crystal and a set of two dimensional x-ray detectors arranged in the Johann configuration [H. H.more » Johann, Z. Phys. 69, 185 (1931)] to image the entire plasma cross section with a spatial resolution of about 1 cm. The spectrometer was designed to measure line emission from H-like and He-like argon in the wavelength range 3.7 and 4.0 A with a resolving power of approximately 10 000 at frame rates up to 200 Hz. Using spectral tomographic techniques [I. Condrea, Phys. Plasmas 11, 2427 (2004)] the line integrated spectra can be inverted to infer profiles of impurity emissivity, velocity, and temperature. From these quantities it is then possible to calculate impurity density and electron temperature profiles. An overview of the instrument, analysis techniques, and example profiles are presented.« less

Si(Li) X-ray astronomical spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holt, S. S.

1975-01-01

The general considerations involved in the choice of Si(Li) as a non-dispersive spectrometer for X-ray astronomy are discussed. In particular, its adaptation to HEAO-B is described as an example of the space-borne application of Si(Li) technology.

A deep X-ray view of the bare AGN Ark 120. III. X-ray timing analysis and multiwavelength variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lobban, A. P.; Porquet, D.; Reeves, J. N.; Markowitz, A.; Nardini, E.; Grosso, N.

2018-03-01

We present the spectral/timing properties of the bare Seyfert galaxy Ark 120 through a deep ˜420 ks XMM-Newton campaign plus recent NuSTAR observations and a ˜6-month Swift monitoring campaign. We investigate the spectral decomposition through fractional rms, covariance and difference spectra, finding the mid- to long-time-scale (˜day-year) variability to be dominated by a relatively smooth, steep component, peaking in the soft X-ray band. Additionally, we find evidence for variable Fe K emission redward of the Fe Kα core on long time-scales, consistent with previous findings. We detect a clearly defined power spectrum which we model with a power law with a slope of α ˜ 1.9. By extending the power spectrum to lower frequencies through the inclusion of Swift and Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data, we find tentative evidence of a high-frequency break, consistent with existing scaling relations. We also explore frequency-dependent Fourier time lags, detecting a negative (`soft') lag for the first time in this source with the 0.3-1 keV band lagging behind the 1-4 keV band with a time delay, τ, of ˜900 s. Finally, we analyse the variability in the optical and ultraviolet (UV) bands using the Optical/UV Monitor onboard XMM-Newton and the Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope onboard Swift and search for time-dependent correlations between the optical/UV/X-ray bands. We find tentative evidence for the U-band emission lagging behind the X-rays with a time delay of τ = 2.4 ± 1.8 d, which we discuss in the context of disc reprocessing.

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

Nighttime sensitivity of ionospheric VLF measurements to X-ray bursts from a remote cosmic source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raulin, Jean-Pierre; Trottet, Gérard; Giménez de Castro, C. Guillermo; Correia, Emilia; Macotela, E. Liliana

2014-06-01

On 22 January 2009, a series of X-ray bursts were emitted by the soft gamma ray repeater SGR J1550-5418. Some of these bursts produced enhanced ionization in the nighttime lower ionosphere. These ionospheric disturbances were studied using X-ray measurements from the Anti-Coincidence Shield of the Spectrometer for Integral onboard the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory and simultaneous phase and amplitude records from two VLF propagation paths between the transmitter Naval Radio Station, Pearl Harbor (Hawaii) and the receivers Radio Observatorio do Itapetinga (Brazil) and Estação Antarctica Commandante Ferraz (Antarctic Peninsula). The VLF measurements have been obtained with an unprecedented high time resolution of 20 ms. We find that the illumination factor I (illuminated path length times the cosine of the zenith angle), which characterizes the propagation paths underlying the flaring object, is a key parameter which determines the sensitivity threshold of the VLF detection of X-ray bursts from nonsolar transients. For the present VLF measurements of bursts from SGR J1550-5418, it is found that for I ≥ 1.8 Mm, all X-ray bursts with fluence in the 25 keV to 2 MeV range larger than F25_min 1.0 × 10-6 erg/cm2 produce a measurable ionospheric disturbance. Such a lower limit of the X-ray fluence value indicates that moderate X-ray bursts, as opposed to giant X-ray bursts, do produce ionospheric disturbances larger than the sensitivity limit of the VLF technique. Therefore, the frequency of detection of such events could be improved, for example by increasing the coverage of existing VLF receiving networks. The VLF detection of high-energy astrophysical bursts then appears as an important observational diagnostic to complement their detection in space. This would be especially important when space observations suffer from adverse conditions, like saturation, occultation from the Earth, or the passage of the spacecraft through the South Atlantic

Chemical Heterogeneity on Mercury's Surface Revealed by the MESSENGER X-ray Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weider, Shoshana Z.; Nittler, Larry R.; Starr, Richard D.; McCoy, Timothy J.; Stockstill-Cahill, Karen R.; Byrne, Paul K.; Denevi, Brett W.; Head, James W.; Solomon, Sean C.

2012-01-01

We present the analysis of 205 spatially resolved measurements of the surfacecomposition of Mercury from MESSENGERs X-Ray Spectrometer. The surfacefootprints of these measurements are categorized according to geological terrain. Northernsmooth plains deposits and the plains interior to the Caloris basin differ compositionallyfrom older terrain on Mercury. The older terrain generally has higher MgSi, SSi, andCaSi ratios, and a lower AlSi ratio than the smooth plains. Mercurys surface mineralogyis likely dominated by high-Mg mafic minerals (e.g., enstatite), plagioclase feldspar, andlesser amounts of Ca, Mg, andor Fe sulfides (e.g., oldhamite). The compositionaldifference between the volcanic smooth plains and the older terrain reflects differentabundances of these minerals and points to the crystallization of the smooth plains from amore chemically evolved magma source. High-degree partial melts of enstatite chondritematerial provide a generally good compositional and mineralogical match for much ofthe surface of Mercury. An exception is Fe, for which the low surface abundance onMercury is still higher than that of melts from enstatite chondrites and may indicate anexogenous contribution from meteoroid impacts.

Calibration and characterization of a highly efficient spectrometer in von Hamos geometry for 7-10 keV x-rays

DOE PAGES

Jarrott, L. C.; Wei, M. S.; McGuffey, C.; ...

2017-04-27

Here, we have built an absolutely calibrated, highly efficient, Bragg crystal spectrometer in von Hamos geometry. This zinc von Hamos spectrometer uses a crystal made from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite that is cylindrically bent along the non-dispersive axis. It is tuned to measure x-ray spectra in the 7–10 keV range and has been designed to be used on a Ten Inch Manipulator for the Omega and OmegaEP target chambers at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics in Rochester, USA. Significant shielding strategies and fluorescence mitigation have been implemented in addition to an imaging plate detector making it well suited for experimentsmore » in high-intensity environments. Here we present the design and absolute calibration as well as mosaicity and integrated reflectivity measurements.« less

Resolving the Origin of the Diffuse Soft X-ray Background

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Randall K.; Foster, Adam R.; Edgar, Ricard J.; Brickhouse, Nancy S.; Sanders, Wilton T.

2012-01-01

In January 1993, the Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer (DXS) measured the first high-resolution spectrum of the diffuse soft X-ray background between 44-80A. A line-dominated spectrum characteristic of a 10(exp 6)K collisionally ionized plasma' was expected but while the observed spectrum was clearly line-dominated, no model would fit. Then in 2003 the Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS) launched and observed the diffuse extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) spectrum between 90- 265A. Although many emission lines were again expected; only Fe IX at 171.1A was detected. The discovery of X-rays from comets led to the realization that heavy ions (Z=6-28) in the solar wind will emit soft X-rays as the ions interact via charge exchange with neutral atoms in the heliosphere and geocorona. Using a new model for solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) emission, we show that the diffuse soft X-ray background can be understood as a combination of emission from charge exchange onto the slow and fast solar wind together with a more distant and diffuse hot (10(exp 6)K) plasma.

X-ray Diffraction Crystal Calibration and Characterization

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

Michael J. Haugh; Richard Stewart; Nathan Kugland

2009-06-05

National Security Technologies’ X-ray Laboratory is comprised of a multi-anode Manson type source and a Henke type source that incorporates a dual goniometer and XYZ translation stage. The first goniometer is used to isolate a particular spectral band. The Manson operates up to 10 kV and the Henke up to 20 kV. The Henke rotation stages and translation stages are automated. Procedures have been developed to characterize and calibrate various NIF diagnostics and their components. The diagnostics include X-ray cameras, gated imagers, streak cameras, and other X-ray imaging systems. Components that have been analyzed include filters, filter arrays, grazing incidencemore » mirrors, and various crystals, both flat and curved. Recent efforts on the Henke system are aimed at characterizing and calibrating imaging crystals and curved crystals used as the major component of an X-ray spectrometer. The presentation will concentrate on these results. The work has been done at energies ranging from 3 keV to 16 keV. The major goal was to evaluate the performance quality of the crystal for its intended application. For the imaging crystals we measured the laser beam reflection offset from the X-ray beam and the reflectivity curves. For the curved spectrometer crystal, which was a natural crystal, resolving power was critical. It was first necessary to find sources of crystals that had sufficiently narrow reflectivity curves. It was then necessary to determine which crystals retained their resolving power after being thinned and glued to a curved substrate.« less

Soft X-ray radiation damage in EM-CCDs used for Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopinath, D.; Soman, M.; Holland, A.; Keelan, J.; Hall, D.; Holland, K.; Colebrook, D.

2018-02-01

Advancement in synchrotron and free electron laser facilities means that X-ray beams with higher intensity than ever before are being created. The high brilliance of the X-ray beam, as well as the ability to use a range of X-ray energies, means that they can be used in a wide range of applications. One such application is Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS). RIXS uses the intense and tuneable X-ray beams in order to investigate the electronic structure of materials. The photons are focused onto a sample material and the scattered X-ray beam is diffracted off a high resolution grating to disperse the X-ray energies onto a position sensitive detector. Whilst several factors affect the total system energy resolution, the performance of RIXS experiments can be limited by the spatial resolution of the detector used. Electron-Multiplying CCDs (EM-CCDs) at high gain in combination with centroiding of the photon charge cloud across several detector pixels can lead to sub-pixel spatial resolution of 2-3 μm. X-ray radiation can cause damage to CCDs through ionisation damage resulting in increases in dark current and/or a shift in flat band voltage. Understanding the effect of radiation damage on EM-CCDs is important in order to predict lifetime as well as the change in performance over time. Two CCD-97s were taken to PTB at BESSY II and irradiated with large doses of soft X-rays in order to probe the front and back surfaces of the device. The dark current was shown to decay over time with two different exponential components to it. This paper will discuss the use of EM-CCDs for readout of RIXS spectrometers, and limitations on spatial resolution, together with any limitations on instrument use which may arise from X-ray-induced radiation damage.

The Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS): Results from Gusev Crater and Calibration Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gellert, R.; Rieder, R.; Brueckner, J.; Clark, B.; Dreibus, G.; Klingelhoefer, G.; Lugmair, G.; Ming, D.; Waenke, H.; Yen, A.;

Time development of a small solar X-ray burst

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, G. G.; Kestenbaum, H. L.; Long, K. S.; Novick, R.; Weisskopf, M. C.; Wolff, R. S.

1976-01-01

The 5.1-7.2 A X-ray emission from the sun was studied via OSO-8 with a high-resolution PET crystal spectrometer during the week of 17 November 1975, when the sun was active. The combination of good temporal and spectral resolution permitted the analysis of the data with multithermal coronal models over the course of a small X-ray burst.

TES X-ray microcalorimeters for X-ray astronomy and material analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitsuda, Kazuhisa

2016-11-01

TES X-ray microcalorimeter arrays provide not only high-energy resolution (FWHM < 10eV) in X-ray spectroscopy but also imaging and high-counting-rate capabilities. They are very promising spectrometer for X-ray astronomy and material analysis. In this paper, we report our recent progress. For material analysis, we have fabricated 8 × 8 format array with a fast signal response ( 40 μs) and proved the energy resolution of 5.8 eV FWHM at 5.9 keV. We developed common biasing scheme to reduce number of wirings from room temperature to the cryogenic stage. From measurements using the newly-designed common-bias SQUID array amplifier chips, and from numerical simulations, we demonstrated that signal cross talks due to the common bias is enough small. For space applications, we are developing frequency-division signal multiplexing system. We have fabricated a baseband feedback system and demonstrated that the noise added by the feedback system is about 4 eV FWHM equivalent for 16 ch multiplexing system. The digital to analog converter (DAC) dominates the noise, and needs be reduced by a factor of four for future astronomy missions.

Replicated x-ray optics for space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudec, René; Pína, Ladislav; Inneman, Adolf

2017-11-01

We report on the program of design and development of X-ray optics for space applications in the Czech Republic. Having more than 30 years background in X-ray optics development for space applications (for use in astronomical X-ray telescopes onboard spacecrafts, before 1989 mostly for Soviet and East European INTERKOSMOS program), we focus nowadays on novel technologies and approaches, thin shell replicated mirrors, as well as studies of light-weight mirrors based on innovative materials such as ceramics. The collaboration includes teams from the Academy of Sciences, Universities, and industry. We will describe and discuss both the history of the development of Xray optics in the Czech Republic and the developed technologies and approaches (with focus on replication technology) as well as recent activities and developments including our participation on the ESA XEUS mirror technology development based on the Agreement between ESA and Czech Government.

Measurement of the electron and ion temperatures by the x-ray imaging crystal spectrometer on joint Texas experimental tokamak

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

Yan, W.; Chen, Z. Y., E-mail: zychen@hust.edu.cn; Huang, D. W.

An x-ray imaging crystal spectrometer has been developed on joint Texas experimental tokamak for the measurement of electron and ion temperatures from the K{sub α} spectra of helium-like argon and its satellite lines. A two-dimensional multi-wire proportional counter has been applied to detect the spectra. The electron and ion temperatures have been obtained from the Voigt fitting with the spectra of helium-like argon ions. The profiles of electron and ion temperatures show the dependence on electron density in ohmic plasmas.

Development of X-Ray Microcalorimeter Imaging Spectrometers for the X-Ray Surveyor Mission Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bandler, Simon R.; Adams, Joseph S.; Chervenak, James A.; Datesman, Aaron M.; Eckart, Megan E.; Finkbeiner, Fred M.; Kelley, Richard L.; Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Betncourt-Martinez, Gabriele; Miniussi, Antoine R.;

Hercules X-1: Spectral Variability of an X-Ray Pulsar in a Stellar Binary System. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pravdo, S. H.

1976-01-01

A cosmic X-ray spectroscopy experiment onboard the Orbiting Solar Observatory 8 (OSO-8), observed Her x-1 continuously for approximately 8 days. Spectral-temporal correlations of the X-ray emission were obtained. The major results concern observations of: (1) iron band emission, (2) spectral hardening (increase in effective x-ray temperature) within the X-ray pulse, and (3) a transition from an X-ray low state to a high state. The spectrum obtained prior to the high state can be interpreted as reflected emission from a hot coronal gas surrounding an accretion disk, which itself shields the primary X-ray source from the line of sight during the low state. The spectral hardening within the X-ray pulse was indicative of the beaming mechanism at the neutron star surface. The hardest spectrum by pulse phase was identified with the line of sight close to the Her x-1 magnetic dipole axis, and the X-ray pencil beam become harder with decreasing angle between the line of sight and the dipole axis.

Data processing for the Active Particle-induced X-ray Spectrometer and initial scientific results from Chang'e-3 mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Xiao-Hui; Li, Chun-Lai; Zhang, Guang-Liang; Zou, Yong-Liao; Liu, Jian-Jun; Ren, Xin; Tan, Xu; Zhang, Xiao-Xia; Zuo, Wei; Wen, Wei-Bin; Peng, Wen-Xi; Cui, Xing-Zhu; Zhang, Cheng-Mo; Wang, Huan-Yu

2014-12-01

The Active Particle-induced X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) is an important payload mounted on the Yutu rover, which is part of the Chang'e-3 mission. The scientific objective of APXS is to perform in-situ analysis of the chemical composition of lunar soil and rock samples. The radioactive sources, 55Fe and 109Cd, decay and produce α-particles and X-rays. When X-rays and α-particles interact with atoms in the surface material, they knock electrons out of their orbits, which release energy by emitting X-rays that can be measured by a silicon drift detector (SDD). The elements and their concentrations can be determined by analyzing their peak energies and intensities. APXS has analyzed both the calibration target and lunar soil once during the first lunar day and again during the second lunar day. The total detection time lasted about 266 min and more than 2000 frames of data records have been acquired. APXS has three operating modes: calibration mode, distance sensing mode and detection mode. In detection mode, work distance can be calculated from the X-ray counting rate collected by SDD. Correction for the effect of temperature has been performed to convert the channel number for each spectrum to X-ray energy. Dead time correction is used to eliminate the systematic error in quantifying the activity of an X-ray pulse in a sample and derive the real count rate. We report APXS data and initial results during the first and second lunar days for the Yutu rover. In this study, we analyze the data from the calibration target and lunar soil on the first lunar day. Seven major elements, including Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti and Fe, have been identified. Comparing the peak areas and ratios of calibration basalt and lunar soil the landing site was found to be depleted in K, and have lower Mg and Al but higher Ca, Ti, and Fe. In the future, we will obtain the elemental concentrations of lunar soil at the Chang'e-3 landing site using APXS data.

High energy X-ray observations of COS-B gamma-ray sources from OSO-8

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dolan, J. F.; Crannell, C. J.; Dennis, B. R.; Frost, K. J.; Orwig, L. E.; Caraveo, P. A.

1985-01-01

During the three years between satellite launch in June 1975 and turn-off in October 1978, the high energy X-ray spectrometer on board OSO-8 observed nearly all of the COS-B gamma-ray source positions given in the 2CG catalog (Swanenburg et al., 1981). An X-ray source was detected at energies above 20 keV at the 6-sigma level of significance in the gamma-ray error box containing 2CG342 - 02 and at the 3-sigma level of significance in the error boxes containing 2CG065 + 00, 2CG195 + 04, and 2CG311 - 01. No definite association between the X-ray and gamma-ray sources can be made from these data alone. Upper limits are given for the 2CG sources from which no X-ray flux was detected above 20 keV.

X-Ray Emission for the Saturnian System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhardwaj, Anil; Elsner, Ron F.; Waite, J. Hunter; Gladstone, G. Randall; Branduardi-Raymont, Graziella; Cravens, Tom E.; Ford, Peter G.

2005-01-01

Early attempts to detect X-ray emission from Saturn with Einstein (in December 1979) and ROSAT (in April 1992) were negative and marginal, respectively. Saturnian X-rays were unambiguously detected by XMM-Newton in September 2002 and by the Chandra X-ray Observatory in April 2003. These earlier X-ray observations of Saturn revealed emissions only from its non-auroral disk. In January 2004, Saturn was observed by the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer of the Chandra observatory in two exposures on 20 and 26-27 January; each continuous observation lasted for about one full Saturn rotation. These new observations detected an X-ray flare at Saturn, and show that the Saturnian X-ray emission is highly variable - a factor of 4 variability in brightness over one week. These observations also discovered X-rays from Saturn's rings. The X-ray spectrum of the rings is dominated by emission in the 0.49-0.63 keV band with peak flux near the atomic oxygen K(lpha) fluorescence line at 525 eV. In addition, there is a hint of auroral emission from Saturn's south pole. But unlike Jupiter, X-rays from Saturn's polar region have characteristics similar to those from its disk and that they vary in brightness inversely to the FUV aurora observed by the Hubble Space Telescope. These exciting results obtained from Chandra observations will be presented and discussed.

Pushing the Boundaries of X-ray Grating Spectroscopy in a Suborbital Rocket

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McEntaffer, Randall L.; DeRoo, Casey; Schultz, Ted; Zhang, William W.; Murray, Neil J.; O'Dell, Stephen; Cash, Webster

2013-01-01

Developments in grating spectroscopy are paramount for meeting the soft X-ray science goals of future NASA X-ray Observatories. While developments in the laboratory setting have verified the technical feasibility of using off-plane reflection gratings to reach this goal, flight heritage is a key step in the development process toward large missions. To this end we have developed a design for a suborbital rocket payload employing an Off-Plane X-ray Grating Spectrometer. This spectrometer utilizes slumped glass Wolter-1 optics, an array of gratings, and a CCD camera. We discuss the unique capabilities of this design, the expected performance, the science return, and the perceived impact to future missions.

Variations in the abundance of iron on Mercury's surface from MESSENGER X-Ray Spectrometer observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weider, Shoshana Z.; Nittler, Larry R.; Starr, Richard D.; McCoy, Timothy J.; Solomon, Sean C.

2014-06-01

We present measurements of Mercury's surface composition from the analysis of MESSENGER X-Ray Spectrometer data acquired during 55 large solar flares, which each provide a statistically significant detection of Fe X-ray fluorescence. The Fe/Si data display a clear dependence on phase angle, for which the results are empirically corrected. Mercury's surface has a low total abundance of Fe, with a mean Fe/Si ratio of ˜0.06 (equivalent to ˜1.5 wt% Fe). The absolute Fe/Si values are subject to a number of systematic uncertainties, including the phase-angle correction and possible mineral mixing effects. Individual Fe/Si measurements have an intrinsic error of ˜10%. Observed Fe/Si values display small variations (significant at two standard deviations) from the planetary average value across large regions in Mercury's southern hemisphere. Larger differences are observed between measured Fe/Si values from more spatially resolved footprints on volcanic smooth plains deposits in the northern hemisphere and from those in surrounding terrains. Fe is most likely contained as a minor component in sulfide phases (e.g., troilite, niningerite, daubréelite) and as Fe metal, rather than within mafic silicates. Variations in surface reflectance (i.e., differences in overall reflectance and spectral slope) across Mercury are unlikely to be caused by variations in the abundance of Fe.

Dante soft x-ray power diagnostic for National Ignition Facility

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

Dewald, E.L.; Campbell, K.M.; Turner, R.E.

2004-10-01

Soft x-ray power diagnostics are essential for measuring the total x-ray flux, radiation temperature, conversion efficiency, and albedo that define the energetics in indirect and direct drive, as well as other types of high temperature laser plasma experiments. A key diagnostic for absolute radiation flux and radiation temperature in hohlraum experiments is the Dante broadband soft x-ray spectrometer. For the extended range of x-ray fluxes predicted for National Ignition Facility (NIF) compared to Omega or Nova hohlraums, the Dante spectrometer for NIF will include more high energy (<2 keV) edge filter band-pass channels and access to an increased dynamic rangemore » using grids and signal division. This will allow measurements of radiation fluxes of between 0.01 to 100 TW/sr, for hohlraum radiation temperatures between 50 eV and 1 keV. The NIF Dante will include a central four-channel imaging line-of-sight to verify the source size, alignment as well as checking for any radiation contributions from unconverted laser light plasmas.« less

Fabrication update on critical-angle transmission gratings for soft x-ray grating spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heilmann, Ralf K.; Bruccoleri, Alex; Mukherjee, Pran; Yam, Jonathan; Schattenburg, Mark L.

2011-09-01

Diffraction grating-based, wavelength dispersive high-resolution soft x-ray spectroscopy of celestial sources promises to reveal crucial data for the study of the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium, the Interstellar Medium, warm absorption and outflows in Active Galactic Nuclei, coronal emission from stars, and other areas of interest to the astrophysics community. Our recently developed critical-angle transmission (CAT) gratings combine the advantages of the Chandra high and medium energy transmission gratings (low mass, high tolerance of misalignments and figure errors, polarization insensitivity) with those of blazed reflection gratings (high broad band diffraction efficiency, high resolution through use of higher diffraction orders) such as the ones on XMM-Newton. Extensive instrument and system configuration studies have shown that a CAT grating-based spectrometer is an outstanding instrument capable of delivering resolving power on the order of 5,000 and high effective area, even with a telescope point-spread function on the order of many arc-seconds. We have fabricated freestanding, ultra-high aspect-ratio CAT grating bars from silicon-on-insulator wafers using both wet and dry etch processes. The 200 nm-period grating bars are supported by an integrated Level 1 support mesh, and a coarser external Level 2 support mesh. The resulting grating membrane is mounted to a frame, resulting in a grating facet. Many such facets comprise a grating array that provides light-weight coverage of large-area telescope apertures. Here we present fabrication results on the integration of CAT gratings and the different high-throughput support mesh levels and on membrane-frame bonding. We also summarize recent x-ray data analysis of 3 and 6 micron deep wet-etched CAT grating prototypes.

[Near infrared distance sensing method for Chang'e-3 alpha particle X-ray spectrometer].

PubMed

Liang, Xiao-Hua; Wu, Ming-Ye; Wang, Huan-Yu; Peng, Wen-Xi; Zhang, Cheng-Mo; Cui, Xing-Zhu; Wang, Jin-Zhou; Zhang, Jia-Yu; Yang, Jia-Wei; Fan, Rui-Rui; Gao, Min; Liu, Ya-Qing; Zhang, Fei; Dong, Yi-Fan; Guo, Dong-Ya

2013-05-01

Alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) is one of the payloads of Chang'E-3 lunar rover, the scientific objective of which is in-situ observation and off-line analysis of lunar regolith and rock. Distance measurement is one of the important functions for APXS to perform effective detection on the moon. The present paper will first give a brief introduction to APXS, and then analyze the specific requirements and constraints to realize distance measurement, at last present a new near infrared distance sensing algorithm by using the inflection point of response curve. The theoretical analysis and the experiment results verify the feasibility of this algorithm. Although the theoretical analysis shows that this method is not sensitive to the operating temperature and reflectance of the lunar surface, the solar infrared radiant intensity may make photosensor saturation. The solutions are reducing the gain of device and avoiding direct exposure to sun light.

Influence of solar flares on the X-ray corona

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, D. M.; Batchelor, D. A.

1986-01-01

Sequences of X-ray images of solar flares, obtained with the Hard X-ray Imaging Spectrometer on the SMM spacecraft, reveal many dynamical phenomena. Movies of 20 flares recorded with 6-sec time resolution were examined. A preliminary analysis of the events as a group are presented, and some new aspects of the well-studied May 21, 1980 flare and a November 6, 1980 flare are discussed.

Reflectivity Around the Gold M-Edges of X-ray Reflector of the Soft X-Ray Telescope Onboard ASTRO-H

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurashimaa, Sho; Furuzawa, Akihiro; Sato, Toshiki; Kikuchia, Naomichi; Nakaniwaa, Nozomi; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Ishida, Manabu; Izuka, Ryo; Okajima, Takashi; Mori, Hideyuki;

X-ray emission from clusters of galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mushotzky, R. F.

1983-01-01

Some X-ray spectral observations of approximately 30 clusters of galaxies from HEAO-1 are summarized. There exists strong correlations between X-ray luminosity, L(x), and temperature kT in the form L(x)alphaT to the 2.3 power. This result combined with the L(x) central galaxy density relation and the virial theorem indicates that the core dadius of the gas should be roughly independent of L(x) or KT and that more luminous clusters have a greater fraction of their virial mass in gas. The poor correlation of KT and optical velocity dispersion seems to indicate that clusters have a variety of equations of state. There is poor agreement between X-ray imaging observations and optical and X-ray spectral measures of the polytropic index. Most clusters show Fe emission lines with a strong indication that they all have roughly 1/2 solar abundance. The evidence for cooling in the cores of several clusters is discussed based on spectral observations with the Einstein solid state spectrometer.

X-ray echo spectroscopy (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shvyd'ko, Yuri V.

2016-09-01

X-ray echo spectroscopy, a counterpart of neutron spin-echo, was recently introduced [1] to overcome limitations in spectral resolution and weak signals of the traditional inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) probes. An image of a point-like x-ray source is defocused by a dispersing system comprised of asymmetrically cut specially arranged Bragg diffracting crystals. The defocused image is refocused into a point (echo) in a time-reversal dispersing system. If the defocused beam is inelastically scattered from a sample, the echo signal acquires a spatial distribution, which is a map of the inelastic scattering spectrum. The spectral resolution of the echo spectroscopy does not rely on the monochromaticity of the x-rays, ensuring strong signals along with a very high spectral resolution. Particular schemes of x-ray echo spectrometers for 0.1-meV and 0.02-meV ultra-high-resolution IXS applications (resolving power > 10^8) with broadband 5-13 meV dispersing systems will be presented featuring more than 1000-fold signal enhancement. The technique is general, applicable in different photon frequency domains. [1.] Yu. Shvyd'ko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, accepted (2016), arXiv:1511.01526.

MERTIS: the thermal infrared imaging spectrometer onboard of the Mercury Planetary Orbiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeh, T.; Peter, G.; Walter, I.; Kopp, E.; Knollenberg, J.; Helbert, J.; Gebhardt, A.; Weber, I.; Hiesinger, Harry

2017-11-01

The MERTIS instrument is a thermal infrared imaging spectrometer onboard of ESA's cornerstone mission BepiColombo to Mercury. MERTIS has four goals: the study of Mercury's surface composition, identification of rock-forming minerals, mapping of the surface mineralogy, and the study of the surface temperature variations and thermal inertia. MERTIS will provide detailed information about the mineralogical composition of Mercury's surface layer by measuring the spectral emittance in the spectral range from 7-14 μm at high spatial and spectral resolution. Furthermore MERTIS will obtain radiometric measurements in the spectral range from 7-40 μm to study the thermo-physical properties of the surface material. The MERTIS detector is based on an uncooled micro-bolometer array providing spectral separation and spatial resolution according to its 2-dimensional shape. The operation principle is characterized by intermediate scanning of the planet surface and three different calibration targets - free space view and two on-board black body sources. In the current project phase, the MERTIS Qualification Model (QM) is under a rigorous testing program. Besides a general overview of the instrument principles, the papers addresses major aspects of the instrument design, manufacturing and verification.

Operating Modes and Cooling Capabilities of the 3-Stage ADR Developed for the Soft-X-Ray Spectrometer Instrument on Astro-H

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shirron, Peter J.; Kimball, Mark O.; James, Bryan L.; Muench, Theo; DiPirro, Michael J.; Letmate, Richard V.; Sampson, Michael A.; Bialas, Tom G.; Sneiderman, Gary A.; Porter, Frederick S.;

XAP, a program for deconvolution and analysis of complex X-ray spectra

USGS Publications Warehouse

Quick, James E.; Haleby, Abdul Malik

1989-01-01

The X-ray analysis program (XAP) is a spectral-deconvolution program written in BASIC and specifically designed to analyze complex spectra produced by energy-dispersive X-ray analytical systems (EDS). XAP compensates for spectrometer drift, utilizes digital filtering to remove background from spectra, and solves for element abundances by least-squares, multiple-regression analysis. Rather than base analyses on only a few channels, broad spectral regions of a sample are reconstructed from standard reference spectra. The effects of this approach are (1) elimination of tedious spectrometer adjustments, (2) removal of background independent of sample composition, and (3) automatic correction for peak overlaps. Although the program was written specifically to operate a KEVEX 7000 X-ray fluorescence analytical system, it could be adapted (with minor modifications) to analyze spectra produced by scanning electron microscopes, electron microprobes, and probes, and X-ray defractometer patterns obtained from whole-rock powders.

Extreme X-ray Behaviour of Mrk 421

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapanadze, Bidzina

2013-03-01

In ATel #4864 (B. Kapanadze, M4k 421 Still Active through X-rays), we reported the flaring activity in the high-energy peaked BL Lacertae source Mrk 421 (z=0.031) detected via the observations performed during March 1-5, 2013, by the X-ray Telescope (XRT) onboard the Swift satellite. The recent observations, performed by this telescope, show increasing X-ray activity of this source. The data, allocated at the webpage http://www.swift.psu.edu/monitoring/ , show that the source was extremely active on hours timescale during the March 17 pointing: the 0.3-10 keV flux dropped from 16.83+0.17 cts/s (Orbit 1) to 12.46+0.24 cts/s (Orbit 5) in about 4.2 hr; it increased then to 24.60+0.14 cts/s for next orbit (in 1.45 hr) and afterwards drooped again to 16.01+0.15 cts/s in the case of next orbit (in 1.7 hr).

A new life for the wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (WDS): incorporation of a silicon drift detector into the WDS for improved quantification and X-ray mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wuhrer, R.; Moran, K.

2018-01-01

The wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (WDS) has been around for a long time and the design has not changed much since its original development. The electron microprobe operator using WDS has to be meticulous in monitoring items such as gas flow, gas purity, gas pressure, noise levels of baseline and window, gas flow proportional counter (GFPC) voltage levels, count rate suppression, anode wire contamination and other detector parameters. Recent development and improvements of silicon drift detectors (SDD’s) has allowed the incorporation of a SDD as the X-ray detector in place of the proportional counter (PC) and/or gas flow proportional counter (GFPC). This allows minimal mechanical alteration and no loss of movement range. The superiority of a WDS with a SDD, referred to as SD-WDS, is easily seen once in operation. The SD-WDS removes many artefacts including the worse of all high order diffraction, thus allowing more accurate analysis. The incorporation of the SDD has been found to improve the light and mid element range and consequently improving the detection limit for these elements. It is also possible to obtain much more reliable results at high count rates with almost no change in resolution, gain and zero-peak characteristics of the energy spectrum.

Kilopixel X-Ray Microcalorimeter Arrays for Astrophysics: Device Performance and Uniformity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eckart, M. E.; Adams, J. S.; Bailey, C. N.; Bandler, S. R.; Chervenak, F. M.

2011-01-01

We are developing kilo-pixel arrays of TES microcalorimeters to enable high-resolution X-ray imaging spectrometers for future X-ray observatories and laboratory astrophysics experiments. Our current array design was targeted as a prototype for the X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer proposed for the International X-ray Observatory, which calls for a 40x40-pixel core array of 300 micron devices with 2.5 e V energy resolution (at 6 keV). Here we present device characterization of our 32x32 arrays, including X-ray spectral performance of individual pixels within the array. We present our results in light of the understanding that our Mo/Au TESs act as weak superconducting links, causing the TES critical current (Ic) and transition shape to oscillate with applied magnetic field (B). We show Ic(B) measurements and discuss the uniformity of these measurements across the array, as well as implications regarding the uniformity of device noise and response. In addition, we are working to reduce pixel-to-pixel electrical and thermal crosstalk; we present recent test results from an array that has microstrip wiring and an angle-evaporated Cu backside heatsinking layer, which provides Cu coverage on the four sidewalls of the silicon wells beneath each pixel.

Chandra X-Ray Observatory Observations of the Jovian System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, R. F.; Bhardwaj, A.; Gladstone, R.; Waite, J. H.; Ford, P.; Branduari-Raymont, G.

2005-01-01

Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) and XMM-Newton observations of x-rays from the Jovian system have answered questions that arose from early observations with the Einstein and Rosat X-ray Observatories, but in the process of vastly increasing our knowledge of x-ray emission from Jupiter and its environs they have also raised new questions and point to new opportunities for future studies. We will review recent x-ray results on the Jovian system, from the point of view of the CXO, and discuss various questions that have arisen in the course of our studies. We will discuss prospects for more observations in the immediate future, and how they might address open questions. Finally we will briefly describe ways in which an imaging x-ray spectrometer in the vicinity of the Jovian system could provide a wealth of data and results concerning Jupiter's x-ray auroral and disk emission, elemental abundance measurements for the Galilean moons, and detailed studies of x-ray emission from the Io Plasma Torus.

X-ray verification of an optically-aligned off-plane grating module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donovan, Benjamin; McEntaffer, Randall; Tutt, James; DeRoo, Casey; Allured, Ryan; Gaskin, Jessica; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery

2017-08-01

The next generation of X-ray spectrometer missions are baselined to have order-of-magnitude improvements in both spectral resolving power and effective area when compared to existing X-ray spectrometer missions. Off-plane X-ray reflection gratings are capable of achieving high resolution and high diffraction efficiencies over the entire X-ray bandpass, making them an ideal technology to implement on these future missions. To achieve the high effective area desired while maintaining high spectral resolution, many off-plane gratings must be precisely aligned such that their diffraction arcs overlap at the focal plane. Methods are under development to align a number of these gratings into a grating module using optical metrology techniques in support of the Off-plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE), a suborbital rocket payload scheduled to launch in late 2018. X-ray testing was performed on an aligned grating module at the Straylight Test Facility (SLTF) at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to assess the current alignment methodology and its ability to meet the desired performance of OGRE. We report on the results from the test campaign at MSFC, as well as plans for future development.

Modeling the spectral response for the soft X-ray imager onboard the ASTRO-H satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, Shota; Hayashida, Kiyoshi; Katada, Shuhei; Nakajima, Hiroshi; Nagino, Ryo; Anabuki, Naohisa; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Tsuru, Takeshi Go; Tanaka, Takaaki; Uchida, Hiroyuki; Nobukawa, Masayoshi; Nobukawa, Kumiko Kawabata; Washino, Ryosaku; Mori, Koji; Isoda, Eri; Sakata, Miho; Kohmura, Takayoshi; Tamasawa, Koki; Tanno, Shoma; Yoshino, Yuma; Konno, Takahiro; Ueda, Shutaro; ASTRO-H/SXI Team

2016-09-01

The ASTRO-H satellite is the 6th Japanese X-ray astronomical observatory to be launched in early 2016. The satellite carries four kinds of detectors, and one of them is an X-ray CCD camera, the soft X-ray imager (SXI), installed on the focal plane of an X-ray telescope. The SXI contains four CCD chips, each with an imaging area of 31 mm × 31 mm , arrayed in mosaic, covering the field-of-view of 38‧ ×38‧ , the widest ever flown in orbit. The CCDs are a P-channel back-illuminated (BI) type with a depletion layer thickness of 200 μ m . We operate the CCDs in a photon counting mode in which the position and energy of each photon are measured in the energy band of 0.4-12 keV. To evaluate the X-ray spectra obtained with the SXI, an accurate calibration of its response function is essential. For this purpose, we performed calibration experiments at Kyoto and Photon Factory of KEK, each with different X-ray sources with various X-ray energies. We fit the obtained spectra with 5 components; primary peak, secondary peak, constant tail, Si escape and Si fluorescence, and then model their energy dependence using physics-based or empirical formulae. Since this is the first adoption of P-channel BI-type CCDs on an X-ray astronomical satellite, we need to take special care on the constant tail component which is originated in partial charge collection. It is found that we need to assume a trapping layer at the incident surface of the CCD and implement it in the response model. In addition, the Si fluorescence component of the SXI response is significantly weak, compared with those of front-illuminated type CCDs.

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.

Novel handheld x-ray fluorescence spectrometer for routine testing for the presence of lead

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rensing, Noa M.; Tiernan, Timothy C.; Squillante, Michael R.

2011-06-01

RMD is developing a safe, inexpensive, and easy to operate lead detector for retailers and consumers that can reliably detect dangerous levels of lead in toys and other household products. Lead and its compounds have been rated as top chemicals that pose a great threat to human health. However, widespread testing for environmental lead is rarely undertaken until lead poisoning has already been diagnosed. The problem is not due to the accuracy or sensitivity of existing lead detection technology, but rather to the high expense, safety and licensing barriers of available test equipment. An inexpensive and easy to use lead detector would enable the identification of highly contaminated objects and areas and allow for timely and cost effective remediation. The military has similar needs for testing for lead and other heavy elements such as mercury, primarily in the decontamination of former military properties prior to their return to civilian use. RMD's research and development efforts are abased on advanced solid-state detectors combined with recently patented lead detection techniques to develop a consumer oriented lead detector that will be widely available and easy and inexpensive to use. These efforts will result in an instrument that offers: (1) high sensitivity, to identify objects containing dangerous amounts of lead, (2) low cost to encourage widespread testing by consumers and other end users and (3) convenient operation requiring no training or licensing. In contrast, current handheld x-ray fluorescence spectrometers either use a radioactive source requiring licensing and operating training, or use an electronic x-ray source that limits their sensitivity to surface lead.

Design and Test of a Deployable Radiation Cover for the REgolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carte, David B.; Inamdar, Niraj K.; Jones, Michael P.; Masterson, Rebecca A.

2014-01-01

The REgolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) instrument contains a one-time deployable radiation cover that is opened using a shape memory alloy actuator (a "Frangibolt") from TiNi Aerospace and two torsion springs. The door will be held closed by the bolt for several years in cold storage during travel to the target asteroid, Bennu, and it is imperative to gain confidence that the door will open at predicted operational temperatures. This paper briefly covers the main design features of the radiation cover and measures taken to mitigate risks to cover deployment. As the chosen FD04 model Frangibolt actuator has minimal flight heritage, the main focus of this paper is the testing, results and conclusions with the FD04 while discussing key lessons learned with respect to the use of the FD04 actuator in this application.

X-ray verification of an optically aligned off-plane grating module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donovan, Benjamin D.; McEntaffer, Randall L.; Tutt, James H.; DeRoo, Casey T.; Allured, Ryan; Gaskin, Jessica A.; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery J.

2018-01-01

Off-plane x-ray reflection gratings are theoretically capable of achieving high resolution and high diffraction efficiencies over the soft x-ray bandpass, making them an ideal technology to implement on upcoming x-ray spectroscopy missions. To achieve high effective area, these gratings must be aligned into grating modules. X-ray testing was performed on an aligned grating module to assess the current optical alignment methods. Results indicate that the grating module achieved the desired alignment for an upcoming x-ray spectroscopy suborbital rocket payload with modest effective area and resolving power. These tests have also outlined a pathway towards achieving the stricter alignment tolerances of future x-ray spectrometer payloads, which require improvements in alignment metrology, grating fabrication, and testing techniques.

Hazardous metals in vintage plastic toys measured by a handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometer.

PubMed

Miller, Gillian Zaharias; Harris, Zoe E

2015-01-01

Over 100 plastic toys from the 1970s and 1980s, both polyvinyl chloride ("vinyl") and nonvinyl, were analyzed in the study described here using a handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to quantify hazardous metal content. A sampling of recent vinyl toys was also tested. The majority of nonvinyl samples were Fisher Price brand toys. The vinyl toys consisted largely of Barbie dolls and other dolls. Overall, lead or cadmium was found in 67% of vintage plastic toys, frequently at concentrations exceeding current U.S. and European limits. Arsenic was detected at levels of concern in 16% of the samples. In the nonvinyl toys, heavy metal content was found to correlate with certain colors of plastic. The likely sources of the detected metals are discussed. None of the contemporary vinyl toys contained detectable cadmium, lead, or arsenic. Given that vintage toys remain in widespread use by children in homes and other locations, the results illuminate a potential source of heavy metal exposure for children.

Development of a High Resolution X-Ray Spectrometer for the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Delgado-Aparicio, L.; Efthimion, P. C.; Ellis, R.; Gao, L.; Maddox, J.; Pablant, N. A.; Schneider, M. B.; Chen, H.; Ayers, S.; Kauffman, R. L.; Macphee, A. G.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Ma, T.; Nora, R. C.; Scott, H. A.; Thorn, D. B.; Kilkenny, J. D.; Nelson, D.; Shoup, M., III; Maron, Y.

2016-10-01

A high resolution (E/ ΔE 2000) Bragg crystal x-ray spectrometer is being developed to measure plasma parameters in NIF experiments. The instrument will be a positioner insertable cassette designed to infer electron density in compressed capsules from Stark broadening of the helium- β (1s2-1s3p) lines of krypton, and electron temperature from the relative intensities of dielectronic satellites. Two conically shaped crystals will diffract and sagittally focus (1) the Kr He β complex and (2) the He α and Ly α complexes onto a streak camera photocathode for time resolved measurement. A third cylindrical crystal will focus the full He α to He β spectrum onto an image plate for a time integrated calibration spectrum. Performance estimates and design status will be presented. Performed under the auspices of the US DOE by PPPL under contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and by LLNL under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Development of a spatially resolving x-ray crystal spectrometer for measurement of ion-temperature (T(i)) and rotation-velocity (v) profiles in ITER.

PubMed

Hill, K W; Bitter, M; Delgado-Aparicio, L; Johnson, D; Feder, R; Beiersdorfer, P; Dunn, J; Morris, K; Wang, E; Reinke, M; Podpaly, Y; Rice, J E; Barnsley, R; O'Mullane, M; Lee, S G

2010-10-01

Imaging x-ray crystal spectrometer (XCS) arrays are being developed as a US-ITER activity for Doppler measurement of T(i) and v profiles of impurities (W, Kr, and Fe) with ∼7 cm (a/30) and 10-100 ms resolution in ITER. The imaging XCS, modeled after a prototype instrument on Alcator C-Mod, uses a spherically bent crystal and 2D x-ray detectors to achieve high spectral resolving power (E/dE>6000) horizontally and spatial imaging vertically. Two arrays will measure T(i) and both poloidal and toroidal rotation velocity profiles. The measurement of many spatial chords permits tomographic inversion for the inference of local parameters. The instrument design, predictions of performance, and results from C-Mod are presented.

Columbia University OSO-8 instrument for stellar and solar X-ray spectroscopy and polarimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolff, R. S.

1976-01-01

A spectrometer and a polarimeter consisting of large-area panels of mosaic crystals have been constructed and prepared for use in the OSO-8 satellite. The instrumentation is planned for study of stellar and solar X-ray spectra between 1.8-8 keV and stellar X-ray polarization at 2.6 keV. Aspects of the design which enable the instrument to make measurements of the diverse range of stellar and solar phenomena are described. Some of the unique features, such as high sensitivity, high temporal resolution, and spectral range, are discussed. The applicability of the spectrometer and polarimeter to various current problems in X-ray astronomy is considered.

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.

Scanning sky monitor (SSM) onboard AstroSat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramadevi, M. C.; Seetha, S.; Bhattacharya, Dipankar; Ravishankar, B. T.; Sitaramamurthy, N.; Meena, G.; Sharma, M. Ramakrishna; Kulkarni, Ravi; Babu, V. Chandra; Kumar; Singh, Brajpal; Jain, Anand; Yadav, Reena; Vaishali, S.; Ashoka, B. N.; Agarwal, Anil; Balaji, K.; Nagesh, G.; Kumar, Manoj; Gaan, Dhruti Ranjan; Kulshresta, Prashanth; Agarwal, Pankaj; Sebastian, Mathew; Rajarajan, A.; Radhika, D.; Nandi, Anuj; Girish, V.; Agarwal, Vivek Kumar; Kushwaha, Ankur; Iyer, Nirmal Kumar

2017-10-01

Scanning Sky Monitor (SSM) onboard AstroSat is an Xray sky monitor in the soft X-ray band designed with a large field of view to detect and locate transient X-ray sources and alert the astronomical community about interesting phenomena in the X-ray sky. SSM comprises position sensitive proportional counters with 1D coded mask for imaging. There are three detector units mounted on a platform capable of rotation which helps covering about 50% of the sky in one full rotation. This paper discusses the elaborate details of the instrument and few immediate results from the instrument after launch.

Advances in X-ray Mapping for Characterization of Microstructures: Silicon Drift Detectors, Microcalorimeters, X-ray Spectrum Imaging, and Data Mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newbury, D. E.

2006-05-01

X-ray mapping, performed with the electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) or scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (SEM/EDS), is one of the most popular modes of studying chemically heterogeneous microstructures [1]. Despite the maturity of the technique, now in its 50th anniversary year [2], recent remarkable advances in instrumentation and software will provide microanalysts with an even more effective and efficient microstructural characterization tool: (1) Increased x-ray mapping speed: The silicon drift detector (SDD) [3] is a new form of the familiar silicon EDS that uses the same detection physics but with a radically different design that outperforms the classic Si-EDS in nearly every way [4]: (1) the SDD operates requires only Peltier cooling to -20 oC to - 50 oC; (2) for a given detector active area, the SDD has superior resolution; (3) the SDD achieves the same resolution but with a peaking time that is 5 to 8 times faster; and (4) maximum output count rate (OCR) ranges from about 14 kHz at optimum resolution (134 eV at MnKa for a 50 mm2 area) to 500 kHz (217 eV). This OCR performance enables rapid x-ray mapping collection in the x-ray spectrum image (XSI) mode, in which a complete EDS spectrum (2048 10eV-channels) is captured at each pixel (e.g., 10 ms dwell with 1.3 ms overhead per pixel, or 185 seconds for a 128x128 pixel map). XSI collection captures all possible spectral information within the limits imposed by the spectrometer and the primary beam dose. (2) EDS with WDS resolution: The microcalorimeter EDS measures the temperature rise when a single x-ray photon is absorbed in a metal target [5]. Demonstrated resolution is 4.5 eV at Mn Ka for a broad energy range (0.2 - 10 keV) spectrometer and 2 eV (AlKa) for a low photon energy range (0.2 - 2.0 keV) version. The low energy spectrometer is sensitive to peak shape and position changes associated with chemical bonding, opening the possibility of EDS chemical-state mapping. (3

Inorganic chemical investigation by x-ray fluorescence analysis: The Viking Mars Lander

USGS Publications Warehouse

Toulmin, P.; Baird, A.K.; Clark, B. C.; Keil, Klaus; Rose, H.J.

1973-01-01

The inorganic chemical investigation added in August 1972 to the Viking Lander scientific package will utilize an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer in which four sealed, gas-filled proportional counters will detect X-rays emitted from samples of the Martian surface materials irradiated by X-rays from radioisotope sources (55Fe and 109Cd). The output of the proportional counters will be subjected to pulse-height analysis by an on-board step-scanning single-channel analyzer with adjustable counting periods. The data will be returned to Earth, via the Viking Orbiter relay system, and the spectra constructed, calibrated, and interpreted here. The instrument is inside the Lander body, and samples are to be delivered to it by the Viking Lander Surface Sampler. Calibration standards are an integral part of the instrument. The results of the investigation will characterize the surface materials of Mars as to elemental composition with accuracies ranging from a few tens of parts per million (at the trace-element level) to a few percent (for major elements) depending on the element in question. Elements of atomic number 11 or less are determined only as a group, though useful estimates of their individual abundances maybe achieved by indirect means. The expected radiation environment will not seriously hamper the measurements. Based on the results, inferences can be drawn regarding (1) the surface mineralogy and lithology; (2) the nature of weathering processes, past and present, and the question of equilibrium between the atmosphere and the surface; and (3) the extent and type of differentiation that the planet has undergone. The Inorganic Chemical Investigation supports and is supported by most other Viking Science investigations. ?? 1973.

Elemental mapping in a contemporary miniature by full-field X-ray fluorescence imaging with gaseous detector vs. scanning X-ray fluorescence imaging with polycapillary optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, A. L. M.; Cirino, S.; Carvalho, M. L.; Manso, M.; Pessanha, S.; Azevedo, C. D. R.; Carramate, L. F. N. D.; Santos, J. P.; Guerra, M.; Veloso, J. F. C. A.

2017-03-01

Energy dispersive X-ray imaging can be used in several research fields and industrial applications. Elemental mapping through energy dispersive X-ray imaging technique has become a promising method to obtain positional distribution of specific elements in a non-destructive way. To obtain the elemental distribution of a sample it is necessary to use instruments capable of providing a precise positioning together with a good energy resolution. Polycapillary beams together with silicon drift chamber detectors are used in several commercial systems and are considered state-of-the-art spectrometers, however they are usually very costly. A new concept of large energy dispersive X-ray imaging systems based on gaseous radiation detectors emerged in the last years enabling a promising 2D elemental detection at a very reduced price. The main goal of this work is to analyze a contemporary Indian miniature with both X-ray fluorescence imaging systems, the one based on a gaseous detector 2D-THCOBRA and the state-of-the-art spectrometer M4 Tornado, from Bruker. The performance of both systems is compared and evaluated in the context of the sample's analysis.

Rapid, absolute calibration of x-ray filters employed by laser-produced plasma diagnostics

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

Brown, G. V.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Emig, J.

2008-10-15

The Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is being used to absolutely calibrate the transmission efficiency of x-ray filters employed by diodes and spectrometers used to diagnose laser-produced plasmas. EBIT emits strong, discrete monoenergetic lines at appropriately chosen x-ray energies. X rays are detected using the high resolution EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS), developed for LLNL at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. X-ray filter transmission efficiency is determined by dividing the x-ray counts detected when the filter is in the line of sight by those detected when out of the line of sight. Verification ofmore » filter thickness can be completed in only a few hours, and absolute efficiencies can be calibrated in a single day over a broad range from about 0.1 to 15 keV. The EBIT calibration lab has been used to field diagnostics (e.g., the OZSPEC instrument) with fully calibrated x-ray filters at the OMEGA laser. Extensions to use the capability for calibrating filter transmission for the DANTE instrument on the National Ignition Facility are discussed.« less

Soft x-ray emission from postpulse expanding laser-produced plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, J. L.; Feldman, U.; Mostovych, A. N.; Seely, J. F.; Colombant, D.; Holland, G.

2003-12-01

A diagnostic spectrometer has been developed at the Naval Research Laboratory to measure the time resolved absolute intensity of radiation emitted from targets irradiated by the Nike laser. The spectrometer consists of a dispersive transmission grating of 2500 lines/mm or 5000 lines/mm and a detection system consisting of an absolutely calibrated Si photodiode array and a charge coupled device camera. In this article, this spectrometer was used to study the spatial distribution of soft x-ray radiation from low Z elements (primarily carbon) that lasted tens of nanoseconds after the main laser illumination was over. We recorded soft x-ray emission as a function of the target material and target orientation with respect to the incoming laser beam and the spectrometer line of sight. While a number of spectral features have been identified in the data, the instrument's combined temporal and spatial resolution allowed observation of the plasma expansion from CH targets for up to ˜25 ns after the cessation of the main laser pulse. The inferred plasma expansion velocities are slightly higher than those previously reported.

SMM hard X-ray observations of the soft gamma-ray repeater 1806-20

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kouveliotou, C.; Norris, J. P.; Cline, T. L.; Dennis, B. R.; Desai, U. D.; Orwig, L. E.

1987-01-01

Six bursts from the soft gamma-ray repeater (SGR) 1806-20 have been recorded with the SMM Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer during a highly active phase in 1983. Rise and decay times of less than 5 ns have been detected. Time profiles of these events indicate low-level emission prior to and after the main peaks. The results suggest that SGRs are distinguished from classical gamma-ray bursts by repetition, softer nonvarying spectra, short durations, simple temporal profiles, and a tendency for source locations to correlate with Population I objects. SGR characteristics differ from those of type I X-ray bursts, but they appear to have similarities with the type II bursts from the Rapid Burster.

The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) for Athena

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ravera, Laurent; Barret, Didier; Willem den Herder, Jan; Piro, Luigi; Cledassou, Rodolphe; Pointecouteau, Etienne; Peille, Philippe; Pajot, Francois; Arnaud, Monique; Pigot, Claude;

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;

Development of a 32-channel ASIC for an X-ray APD detector onboard the ISS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arimoto, Makoto; Harita, Shohei; Sugita, Satoshi; Yatsu, Yoichi; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Ikeda, Hirokazu; Tomida, Hiroshi; Isobe, Naoki; Ueno, Shiro; Mihara, Tatehiro; Serino, Motoko; Kohmura, Takayoshi; Sakamoto, Takanori; Yoshida, Atsumasa; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Hatori, Satoshi; Kume, Kyo; Hasegawa, Takashi

2018-02-01

We report on the design and performance of a mixed-signal application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) dedicated to avalanche photodiodes (APDs) in order to detect hard X-ray emissions in a wide energy band onboard the International Space Station. To realize wide-band detection from 20 keV to 1 MeV, we use Ce:GAGG scintillators, each coupled to an APD, with low-noise front-end electronics capable of achieving a minimum energy detection threshold of 20 keV. The developed ASIC has the ability to read out 32-channel APD signals using 0.35 μm CMOS technology, and an analog amplifier at the input stage is designed to suppress the capacitive noise primarily arising from the large detector capacitance of the APDs. The ASIC achieves a performance of 2099 e- + 1.5 e-/pF at root mean square (RMS) with a wide 300 fC dynamic range. Coupling a reverse-type APD with a Ce:GAGG scintillator, we obtain an energy resolution of 6.7% (FWHM) at 662 keV and a minimum detectable energy of 20 keV at room temperature (20 °C). Furthermore, we examine the radiation tolerance for space applications by using a 90 MeV proton beam, confirming that the ASIC is free of single-event effects and can operate properly without serious degradation in analog and digital processing.

Design Parameters and Objectives of a High-­Resolution X-­ray Imaging Crystal Spectrometer for the Large Helical Device (LHD)

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

Bitter, M; Gates, D; Neilson, H

A high-resolution X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer, whose instrumental concept was thoroughly tested on NSTX and Alcator C-Mod, is presently being designed for LHD. The instrument will record spatially resolved spectra of helium-like Ar16+ and provide ion temperature profiles with spatial and temporal resolutions of 1 cm and > 10 ms which are obtained by a tomographic inversion of the spectral data, using the stellarator equilibrium reconstruction codes, STELLOPT and PIES. Since the spectrometer will be equipped with radiation hardened, high count rate, PILATUS detectors,, it is expected to be operational for all experimental conditions on LHD, which include plasmas ofmore » high density and plasmas with auxiliary RF and neutral beam heating. The special design features required by the magnetic field structure at LHD will be described.« less

Kilopixel X-Ray Microcalorimeter Arrays for Astrophysics: Device Performance and Uniformity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eckart, M. E.; Adams, J. S.; Bailey, C. N.; Bandler, S. R.; Busch, S. E.; Chervenak, J. A.; Finkbeiner, F. M.; Kelley, R. L.; Kilbourne, C. A.; Porter, F. S.;

The Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) on-board blackbody calibration system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Best, Fred A.; Revercomb, Henry E.; Knuteson, Robert O.; Tobin, David C.; Ellington, Scott D.; Werner, Mark W.; Adler, Douglas P.; Garcia, Raymond K.; Taylor, Joseph K.; Ciganovich, Nick N.; Smith, William L., Sr.; Bingham, Gail E.; Elwell, John D.; Scott, Deron K.

2005-01-01

The NASA New Millennium Program's Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) instrument provides enormous advances in water vapor, wind, temperature, and trace gas profiling from geostationary orbit. The top-level instrument calibration requirement is to measure brightness temperature to better than 1 K (3 sigma) over a broad range of atmospheric brightness temperatures, with a reproducibility of +/-0.2 K. For in-flight radiometric calibration, GIFTS uses views of two on-board blackbody sources (290 K and 255 K) along with cold space, sequenced at regular programmable intervals. The blackbody references are cavities that follow the UW Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) design, scaled to the GIFTS beam size. The cavity spectral emissivity is better than 0.998 with an absolute uncertainty of less than 0.001. Absolute blackbody temperature uncertainties are estimated at 0.07 K. This paper describes the detailed design of the GIFTS on-board calibration system that recently underwent its Critical Design Review. The blackbody cavities use ultra-stable thermistors to measure temperature, and are coated with high emissivity black paint. Monte Carlo modeling has been performed to calculate the cavity emissivity. Both absolute temperature and emissivity measurements are traceable to NIST, and detailed uncertainty budgets have been developed and used to show the overall system meets accuracy requirements. The blackbody controller is housed on a single electronics board and provides precise selectable set point temperature control, thermistor resistance measurement, and the digital interface to the GIFTS instrument. Plans for the NIST traceable ground calibration of the on-board blackbody system have also been developed and are presented in this paper.

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-01

In this photograph, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO) was installed and mated to the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) inside the Shuttle Columbia's cargo bay at the Kennedy Space Center. The CXO will help 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. X-ray astronomy can only be done from space because Earth's atmosphere blocks x-rays from reaching the surface. The Observatory provides images that are 50 times more detailed than previous x-ray missions. At more than 45 feet in length and weighing more than 5 tons, the CXO was carried into low-Earth orbit by the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93 mission) on July 22, 1999. The Observatory was deployed from the Shuttle's cargo bay at 155 miles above the Earth. Two firings of an attached IUS rocket, and several firings of its own onboard rocket motors, after separating from the IUS, placed the Observatory into its working orbit. The IUS is a solid rocket used to place spacecraft into orbit or boost them away from the Earth on interplanetary missions. Since its first use by NASA in 1983, the IUS has supported a variety of important missions, such as the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, Galileo spacecraft, Magellan spacecraft, and Ulysses spacecraft. The IUS was built by the Boeing Aerospace Co., at Seattle, Washington and managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center.

The increasing X-Ray Activity of PKS 2155-304

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapanadze, Bidzina

2016-10-01

The southern TeV-detected HBL source PKS 2155-304 (z=0.116) is prominent with its very strong TeV/X-ray flaring behaviour (see, e.g., Aharonian et al. 2009, A & A, 502, 749; Abramowski et al. 2012, A & A, 539; Kapanadze et al. 2014, MNRAS, 444; 1076), and, therefore, it represents one of the frequent Swift targets (203 observations since 2005 November 17). In the framework of our Target of Opportunity (ToO) request Number 8344, the source was pointed nine time by X-Ray Telescope onboard the Swift satellite (Swift-XRT) since 2016 August 5 with one week intervals between the successive observations.

X-Ray Probes of Jupiter's Auroral Zones, Galilean Moons, and the Io Plasma Torus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, R. F.; Ramsey, B. D.; Swartz, D. A.; Rehak, P.; Waite, J. H., Jr.; Cooper, J. F.; Johnson, R. E.

2005-01-01

Remote observations from the Earth orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory and the XMM-Newton Observatory have shown the the Jovian system is a rich and complex source of x-ray emission. The planet's auroral zones and its disk are powerful sources of x-ray emission, though with different origins. Chandra observations discovered x-ray emission from the Io plasma torus and from the Galilean moons Io, Europa, and possibly Ganymede. The emission from the moons is due to bombardment of their surfaces by highly energetic magnetospheric protons, and oxygen and sulfur ions, producing fluorescent x-ray emission lines from the elements in their surfaces against an intense background continuum. Although very faint when observed from Earth orbit, an imaging x-ray spectrometer in orbit around the icy Galilean moons would provide a detail mapping of the elemental composition in their surfaces. Here we review the results of Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the Jovian system and describe the characteristics of X-MIME, an imaging x-ray spectrometer undergoing study for possible application to future missions to Jupiter such as JIMO. X-MIME has the ultimate goal of providing detailed high-resolution maps of the elemental abundances of the surfaces of Jupiter's icy moons and Io, as well as detailed study of the x-ray mission from the Io plasma torus, Jupiter's auroral zones, and the planetary disk.

Noiseless coding for the Gamma Ray spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, R.; Lee, J. J.

1985-01-01

The payload of several future unmanned space missions will include a sophisticated gamma ray spectrometer. Severely constrained data rates during certain portions of these missions could limit the possible science return from this instrument. This report investigates the application of universal noiseless coding techniques to represent gamma ray spectrometer data more efficiently without any loss in data integrity. Performance results demonstrate compression factors from 2.5:1 to 20:1 in comparison to a standard representation. Feasibility was also demonstrated by implementing a microprocessor breadboard coder/decoder using an Intel 8086 processor.

The MIT high resolution X-ray spectroscopy instruments on AXAF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canizares, C. R.; Dewey, D.; Galton, E. B.; Markert, T. H.; Smith, Henry I.; Schattenburg, M. L.; Woodgate, B. E.; Jordan, S.

1992-01-01

The general design and performance characteristics of MIT's two dispersive spectrometers, the Bragg Crystal Spectrometer (BCS) and the High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETG), now being developed for the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), are described. Particular attention is given to the development of the critical technologies incorporated into these instruments, including BCS diffractors, imaging gas flow proportional counters, and grating elements for the HETG. The principal stages and the current status of the developments are reviewed.

Search for thermal X-ray features from the Crab nebula with the Hitomi soft X-ray spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hitomi Collaboration; Aharonian, Felix; Akamatsu, Hiroki; Akimoto, Fumie; Allen, Steven W.; Angelini, Lorella; Audard, Marc; Awaki, Hisamitsu; Axelsson, Magnus; Bamba, Aya; Bautz, Marshall W.; Blandford, Roger; Brenneman, Laura W.; Brown, Gregory V.; Bulbul, Esra; Cackett, Edward M.; Chernyakova, Maria; Chiao, Meng P.; Coppi, Paolo S.; Costantini, Elisa; de Plaa, Jelle; de Vries, Cor P.; den Herder, Jan-Willem; Done, Chris; Dotani, Tadayasu; Ebisawa, Ken; Eckart, Megan E.; Enoto, Teruaki; Ezoe, Yuichiro; Fabian, Andrew C.; Ferrigno, Carlo; Foster, Adam R.; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Furuzawa, Akihiro; Galeazzi, Massimiliano; Gallo, Luigi C.; Gandhi, Poshak; Giustini, Margherita; Goldwurm, Andrea; Gu, Liyi; Guainazzi, Matteo; Haba, Yoshito; Hagino, Kouichi; Hamaguchi, Kenji; Harrus, Ilana M.; Hatsukade, Isamu; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Hayashi, Takayuki; Hayashida, Kiyoshi; Hiraga, Junko S.; Hornschemeier, Ann; Hoshino, Akio; Hughes, John P.; Ichinohe, Yuto; Iizuka, Ryo; Inoue, Hajime; Inoue, Yoshiyuki; Ishida, Manabu; Ishikawa, Kumi; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Kaastra, Jelle; Kallman, Tim; Kamae, Tsuneyoshi; Kataoka, Jun; Katsuda, Satoru; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Kelley, Richard L.; Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Kitaguchi, Takao; Kitamoto, Shunji; Kitayama, Tetsu; Kohmura, Takayoshi; Kokubun, Motohide; Koyama, Katsuji; Koyama, Shu; Kretschmar, Peter; Krimm, Hans A.; Kubota, Aya; Kunieda, Hideyo; Laurent, Philippe; Lee, Shiu-Hang; Leutenegger, Maurice A.; Limousin, Olivier; Loewenstein, Michael; Long, Knox S.; Lumb, David; Madejski, Greg; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Maier, Daniel; Makishima, Kazuo; Markevitch, Maxim; Matsumoto, Hironori; Matsushita, Kyoko; McCammon, Dan; McNamara, Brian R.; Mehdipour, Missagh; Miller, Eric D.; Miller, Jon M.; Mineshige, Shin; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Miyazawa, Takuya; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Mori, Hideyuki; Mori, Koji; Mukai, Koji; Murakami, Hiroshi; Mushotzky, Richard F.; Nakagawa, Takao; Nakajima, Hiroshi; Nakamori, Takeshi; Nakashima, Shinya; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Nobukawa, Kumiko K.; Nobukawa, Masayoshi; Noda, Hirofumi; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ohashi, Takaya; Ohno, Masanori; Okajima, Takashi; Ota, Naomi; Ozaki, Masanobu; Paerels, Frits; Paltani, Stéphane; Petre, Robert; Pinto, Ciro; Porter, Frederick S.; Pottschmidt, Katja; Reynolds, Christopher S.; Safi-Harb, Samar; Saito, Shinya; Sakai, Kazuhiro; Sasaki, Toru; Sato, Goro; Sato, Kosuke; Sato, Rie; Sato, Toshiki; Sawada, Makoto; Schartel, Norbert; Serlemtsos, Peter J.; Seta, Hiromi; Shidatsu, Megumi; Simionescu, Aurora; Smith, Randall K.; Soong, Yang; Stawarz, Łukasz; Sugawara, Yasuharu; Sugita, Satoshi; Szymkowiak, Andrew; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Takeda, Shin'ichiro; Takei, Yoh; Tamagawa, Toru; Tamura, Takayuki; Tanaka, Takaaki; Tanaka, Yasuo; Tanaka, Yasuyuki T.; Tashiro, Makoto S.; Tawara, Yuzuru; Terada, Yukikatsu; Terashima, Yuichi; Tombesi, Francesco; Tomida, Hiroshi; Tsuboi, Yohko; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Tsuru, Takeshi Go; Uchida, Hiroyuki; Uchiyama, Hideki; Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Ueda, Shutaro; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Uno, Shin'ichiro; Urry, C. Megan; Ursino, Eugenio; Watanabe, Shin; Werner, Norbert; Wilkins, Dan R.; Williams, Brian J.; Yamada, Shinya; Yamaguchi, Hiroya; Yamaoka, Kazutaka; Yamasaki, Noriko Y.; Yamauchi, Makoto; Yamauchi, Shigeo; Yaqoob, Tahir; Yatsu, Yoichi; Yonetoku, Daisuke; Zhuravleva, Irina; Zoghbi, Abderahmen; Tominaga, Nozomu; Moriya, Takashi J.

2018-03-01

The Crab nebula originated from a core-collapse supernova (SN) explosion observed in 1054 AD. When viewed as a supernova remnant (SNR), it has an anomalously low observed ejecta mass and kinetic energy for an Fe-core-collapse SN. Intensive searches have been made for a massive shell that solves this discrepancy, but none has been detected. An alternative idea is that SN 1054 is an electron-capture (EC) explosion with a lower explosion energy by an order of magnitude than Fe-core-collapse SNe. X-ray imaging searches were performed for the plasma emission from the shell in the Crab outskirts to set a stringent upper limit on the X-ray emitting mass. However, the extreme brightness of the source hampers access to its vicinity. We thus employed spectroscopic technique using the X-ray micro-calorimeter on board the Hitomi satellite. By exploiting its superb energy resolution, we set an upper limit for emission or absorption features from as yet undetected thermal plasma in the 2-12 keV range. We also re-evaluated the existing Chandra and XMM-Newton data. By assembling these results, a new upper limit was obtained for the X-ray plasma mass of ≲ 1 M⊙ for a wide range of assumed shell radius, size, and plasma temperature values both in and out of collisional equilibrium. To compare with the observation, we further performed hydrodynamic simulations of the Crab SNR for two SN models (Fe-core versus EC) under two SN environments (uniform interstellar medium versus progenitor wind). We found that the observed mass limit can be compatible with both SN models if the SN environment has a low density of ≲ 0.03 cm-3 (Fe core) or ≲ 0.1 cm-3 (EC) for the uniform density, or a progenitor wind density somewhat less than that provided by a mass loss rate of 10-5 M⊙ yr-1 at 20 km s-1 for the wind environment.

Modeling Contamination Migration on the Chandra X-Ray Observatory - III

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, Stephen L.; Swartz, Douglas A.; Tice, Neil W.; Plucinsky, Paul P.; Grant, Catherine E.; Marshall, Herman L.; Vikhlinin, Alexy A.; Tennant, Allyn F.; Dahmer, Matthew T.

2015-01-01

During its first 16 years of operation, the cold (about -60 C) optical blocking filter of the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS), aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory, has accumulated a growing layer of molecular contamination that attenuates low-energy x rays. Over the past few years, the accumulation rate, spatial distribution, and composition have changed. This evolution has motivated further analysis of contamination migration within and near the ACIS cavity, in part to evaluate potential bake-out scenarios intended to reduce the level of contamination. Keywords: X-ray astronomy, CCDs, contamination, modeling and simulation, spacecraft operations

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-08-01

This is an extraordinary first image from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, tracing the aftermath of a gigantic stellar explosion in such sturning detail that scientists can see evidence of what may be a neutron star or black hole near the center. The red, green, and blue regions in this image of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A show where the intensity of low, medium, and high energy X-rays, respectively, is greatest. The red material on the left outer edge is enriched in iron, whereas the bright greenish white region on the low left is enriched in silicon and sulfur. In the blue region on the right edge, low and medium energy X-rays have been filtered out by a cloud of dust and gas in the remnant . The image was made with the CXO's Advanced Charged-Coupled Device (CCD) Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS). Photo credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/Rutgers/J.Hughes

Advanced Technology in Small Packages Enables Space Science Research Nanosatellites: Examples from the NASA Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer CubeSat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woods, T. N.

2017-12-01

Nanosatellites, including the CubeSat class of nanosatellites, are about the size of a shoe box, and the CubeSat modular form factor of a Unit (1U is 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm) was originally defined in 1999 as a standardization for students developing nanosatellites. Over the past two decades, the satellite and instrument technologies for nanosatellites have progressed to the sophistication equivalent to the larger satellites, but now available in smaller packages through advanced developments by universities, government labs, and space industries. For example, the Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT) attitude determination and control system (ADCS) has demonstrated 3-axis satellite control from a 0.5-Unit system with 8 arc-second stability using reaction wheels, torque rods, and a star tracker. The first flight demonstration of the BCT ADCS was for the NASA Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) CubeSat. The MinXSS CubeSat mission, which was deployed in May 2016 and had its re-entry in May 2017, provided space weather measurements of the solar soft X-rays (SXR) variability using low-power, miniaturized instruments. The MinXSS solar SXR spectra have been extremely useful for exploring flare energetics and also for validating the broadband SXR measurements from the NOAA GOES X-Ray Sensor (XRS). The technology used in the MinXSS CubeSat and summary of science results from the MinXSS-1 mission will be presented. Web site: http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/minxss/

The ASTRO-H (Hitomi) X-Ray Astronomy Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takahashi, Tadayuki; Kokubun, Motohide; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Kelley, Richard; Ohashi, Takaya; Aharonian, Felix; Akamatsu, Hiroki; Akimoto, Fumie; Allen, Steve; Anabuki, Naohisa;

The ASTRO-H (Hitomi) x-ray astronomy satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Tadayuki; Kokubun, Motohide; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Kelley, Richard; Ohashi, Takaya; Aharonian, Felix; Akamatsu, Hiroki; Akimoto, Fumie; Allen, Steve; Anabuki, Naohisa; Angelini, Lorella; Arnaud, Keith; Asai, Makoto; Audard, Marc; Awaki, Hisamitsu; Axelsson, Magnus; Azzarello, Philipp; Baluta, Chris; Bamba, Aya; Bando, Nobutaka; Bautz, Marshall; Bialas, Thomas; Blandford, Roger; Boyce, Kevin; Brenneman, Laura; Brown, Greg; Bulbul, Esra; Cackett, Edward; Canavan, Edgar; Chernyakova, Maria; Chiao, Meng; 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; Furuzawa, Akihiro; Galeazzi, Massimiliano; Gallo, Luigi; Gandhi, Poshak; Gilmore, Kirk; Giustini, Margherita; Goldwurm, Andrea; Gu, Liyi; Guainazzi, Matteo; Haas, Daniel; Haba, Yoshito; Hagino, Kouichi; Hamaguchi, Kenji; Harayama, Atsushi; Harrus, Ilana; Hatsukade, Isamu; Hayashi, Takayuki; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Hayashida, Kiyoshi; Hiraga, Junko; Hirose, Kazuyuki; Hornschemeier, Ann; Hoshino, Akio; Hughes, John; Ichinohe, Yuto; Iizuka, Ryo; Inoue, Yoshiyuki; Inoue, Hajime; Ishibashi, Kazunori; Ishida, Manabu; Ishikawa, Kumi; Ishimura, Kosei; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Itoh, Masayuki; Iwata, Naoko; Iyomoto, Naoko; Jewell, Chris; Kaastra, Jelle; Kallman, Timothy; Kamae, Tuneyoshi; Kara, Erin; Kataoka, Jun; Katsuda, Satoru; Katsuta, Junichiro; Kawaharada, Madoka; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Kawano, Taro; Kawasaki, Shigeo; Khangulyan, Dmitry; Kilbourne, Caroline; Kimball, Mark; King, Ashley; Kitaguchi, Takao; Kitamoto, Shunji; Kitayama, Tetsu; Kohmura, Takayoshi; Kosaka, Tatsuro; Koujelev, Alex; Koyama, Katsuji; Koyama, Shu; Kretschmar, Peter; Krimm, Hans; Kubota, Aya; Kunieda, Hideyo; Laurent, Philippe; Lebrun, François; Lee, Shiu-Huang; Leutenegger, Maurice; Limousin, Olivier; Loewenstein, Michael; Long, Knox; Lumb, David; Madejski, Grzegorz; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Maier, Daniel; Makishima, Kazuo; Markevitch, Maxim; Masters, Candace; Matsumoto, Hironori; Matsushita, Kyoko; McCammon, Dan; McGuinness, Daniel; McNamara, Brian; Mehdipour, Missagh; Miko, Joseph; Miller, Jon; Miller, Eric; Mineshige, Shin; Minesugi, Kenji; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Miyazawa, Takuya; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Mori, Koji; Mori, Hideyuki; Moroso, Franco; Moseley, Harvey; Muench, Theodore; Mukai, Koji; Murakami, Hiroshi; Murakami, Toshio; Mushotzky, Richard; Nagano, Housei; Nagino, Ryo; Nakagawa, Takao; Nakajima, Hiroshi; Nakamori, Takeshi; Nakano, Toshio; Nakashima, Shinya; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Namba, Yoshiharu; Natsukari, Chikara; Nishioka, Yusuke; Nobukawa, Masayoshi; Nobukawa, Kumiko; Noda, Hirofumi; Nomachi, Masaharu; O'Dell, Steve; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ogawa, Hiroyuki; Ogawa, Mina; Ogi, Keiji; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Okajima, Takashi; Okamoto, Atsushi; Okazaki, Tsuyoshi; Ota, Naomi; Ozaki, Masanobu; Paerels, Frederik; Paltani, Stéphane; Parmar, Arvind; Petre, Robert; Pinto, Ciro; Pohl, Martin; Pontius, James; Porter, F. Scott; Pottschmidt, Katja; Ramsey, Brian; Reynolds, Christopher; Russell, Helen; Safi-Harb, Samar; Saito, Shinya; Sakai, Shin-ichiro; Sakai, Kazuhiro; Sameshima, Hiroaki; Sasaki, Toru; Sato, Goro; Sato, Yoichi; Sato, Kosuke; Sato, Rie; Sawada, Makoto; Schartel, Norbert; Serlemitsos, Peter; Seta, Hiromi; Shibano, Yasuko; Shida, Maki; Shidatsu, Megumi; Shimada, Takanobu; Shinozaki, Keisuke; Shirron, Peter; Simionescu, Aurora; Simmons, Cynthia; Smith, Randall; Sneiderman, Gary; Soong, Yang; Stawarz, Łukasz; 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; Tanaka, Yasuyuki; 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; Ueda, Shutaro; Ueno, Shiro; Uno, Shin'ichiro; Urry, Meg; Ursino, Eugenio; de Vries, Cor; Wada, Atsushi; Watanabe, Shin; Watanabe, Tomomi; Werner, Norbert; Wik, Daniel; Wilkins, Dan; Williams, Brian; Yamada, Takahiro; Yamada, Shinya; Yamaguchi, Hiroya; Yamaoka, Kazutaka; Yamasaki, Noriko; Yamauchi, Makoto; Yamauchi, Shigeo; Yaqoob, Tahir; Yatsu, Yoichi; Yonetoku, Daisuke; Yoshida, Atsumasa; Yuasa, Takayuki; Zhuravleva, Irina; Zoghbi, Abderahmen

2016-07-01

The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E > 2 keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft X-rays to gamma-rays. After a successful launch on 2016 February 17, the spacecraft lost its function on 2016 March 26, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the on-board instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month.

Full Field X-Ray Fluorescence Imaging Using Micro Pore Optics for Planetary Surface Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sarrazin, P.; Blake, D. F.; Gailhanou, M.; Walter, P.; Schyns, E.; Marchis, F.; Thompson, K.; Bristow, T.

2016-01-01

Many planetary surface processes leave evidence as small features in the sub-millimetre scale. Current planetary X-ray fluorescence spectrometers lack the spatial resolution to analyse such small features as they only provide global analyses of areas greater than 100 mm(exp 2). A micro-XRF spectrometer will be deployed on the NASA Mars 2020 rover to analyse spots as small as 120m. When using its line-scanning capacity combined to perpendicular scanning by the rover arm, elemental maps can be generated. We present a new instrument that provides full-field XRF imaging, alleviating the need for precise positioning and scanning mechanisms. The Mapping X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer - "Map-X" - will allow elemental imaging with approximately 100µm spatial resolution and simultaneously provide elemental chemistry at the scale where many relict physical, chemical and biological features can be imaged in ancient rocks. The arm-mounted Map-X instrument is placed directly on the surface of an object and held in a fixed position during measurements. A 25x25 mm(exp 2) surface area is uniformly illuminated with X-rays or alpha-particles and gamma-rays. A novel Micro Pore Optic focusses a fraction of the emitted X-ray fluorescence onto a CCD operated at a few frames per second. On board processing allows measuring the energy and coordinates of each X-ray photon collected. Large sets of frames are reduced into 2d histograms used to compute higher level data products such as elemental maps and XRF spectra from selected regions of interest. XRF spectra are processed on the ground to further determine quantitative elemental compositions. The instrument development will be presented with an emphasis on the characterization and modelling of the X-ray focussing Micro Pore Optic. An outlook on possible alternative XRF imaging applications will be discussed.

Comparison of solar hard X-ray and UV line and continuum bursts with high time resolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orwig, L. E.; Woodgate, B. E.

1986-01-01

A comparison of data sets from the UV Spectrometer and Polarimeter and Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer instruments on SMM has established the close relationship of the impulsive phase hard X-ray and UV continuum and OV line emissions, lending support to the notion that they have a similar origin low in the solar atmosphere. These results severely constrain models that attempt to explain impulsive phase hard X-rays and UV emission; alternative processes of impulsive-phase UV continuum production should accordingly be considered. Attention is given to an electron beam 'hole boring' mechanism and a photoionization radiation transport mechanism.

Onboard data-processing architecture of the soft X-ray imager (SXI) on NeXT satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozaki, Masanobu; Dotani, Tadayasu; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Hayashida, Kiyoshi; Tsuru, Takeshi G.

2004-09-01

NeXT is the X-ray satellite proposed for the next Japanese space science mission. While the satellite total mass and the launching vehicle are similar to the prior satellite Astro-E2, the sensitivity is much improved; it requires all the components to be lighter and faster than previous architecture. This paper shows the data processing architecture of the X-ray CCD camera system SXI (Soft X-ray Imager), which is the top half of the WXI (Wide-band X-ray Imager) of the sensitivity in 0.2-80keV. The system is basically a variation of Astro-E2 XIS, but event extraction speed is much faster than it to fulfill the requirements coming from the large effective area and fast exposure period. At the same time, data transfer lines between components are redesigned in order to reduce the number and mass of the wire harnesses that limit the flexibility of the component distribution.

Elemental mapping and microimaging by x-ray capillary optics.

PubMed

Hampai, D; Dabagov, S B; Cappuccio, G; Longoni, A; Frizzi, T; Cibin, G; Guglielmotti, V; Sala, M

2008-12-01

Recently, many experiments have highlighted the advantage of using polycapillary optics for x-ray fluorescence studies. We have developed a special confocal scheme for micro x-ray fluorescence measurements that enables us to obtain not only elemental mapping of the sample but also simultaneously its own x-ray imaging. We have designed the prototype of a compact x-ray spectrometer characterized by a spatial resolution of less than 100 microm for fluorescence and less than 10 microm for imaging. A couple of polycapillary lenses in a confocal configuration together with a silicon drift detector allow elemental studies of extended samples (approximately 3 mm) to be performed, while a CCD camera makes it possible to record an image of the same samples with 6 microm spatial resolution, which is limited only by the pixel size of the camera. By inserting a compound refractive lens between the sample and the CCD camera, we hope to develop an x-ray microscope for more enlarged images of the samples under test.

Resolve Instrument on X-ray Astronomy Recovery Mission (XARM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishisaki, Y.; Ezoe, Y.; Yamada, S.; Ichinohe, Y.; Fujimoto, R.; Takei, Y.; Yasuda, S.; Ishida, M.; Yamasaki, N. Y.; Maeda, Y.; Tsujimoto, M.; Iizuka, R.; Koyama, S.; Noda, H.; Tamagawa, T.; Sawada, M.; Sato, K.; Kitamoto, S.; Hoshino, A.; Brown, G. V.; Eckart, M. E.; Hayashi, T.; Kelley, R. L.; Kilbourne, C. A.; Leutenegger, M. A.; Mori, H.; Okajima, T.; Porter, F. S.; Soong, Y.; McCammon, D.; Szymkowiak, A. E.

2018-04-01

The X-ray Astronomy Recovery Mission (XARM) is a recovery mission of ASTRO-H/Hitomi, which is expected to be launched in Japanese Fiscal Year of 2020 at the earliest. The Resolve instrument on XARM consists of an array of 6 × 6 silicon-thermistor microcalorimeters cooled down to 50 mK and a high-throughput X-ray mirror assembly with the focal length of 5.6 m. Hitomi was launched into orbit in February 2016 and observed several celestial objects, although the operation of Hitomi was terminated in April 2016. The soft X-ray spectrometer (SXS) on Hitomi demonstrated high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of 5 eV FWHM in orbit for most of the pixels. The Resolve instrument is planned to mostly be a copy of the Hitomi SXS and soft X-ray telescope designs, though several changes are planned based on the lessons learned from Hitomi. We report a brief summary of the SXS performance and the status of the Resolve instrument.

Operating Modes and Cooling Capabilities of the 3-Stage ADR Developed for the Soft-X-ray Spectrometer Instrument on Astro-H

PubMed Central

Shirron, Peter J; Kimball, Mark O; James, Bryan L; Muench, Theo; DiPirro, Michael J; Letmate, Richard V; Sampson, Michael A; Bialas, Tom G; Sneiderman, Gary A; Porter, Frederick S; Kelley, Richard L

2017-01-01

A 3-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR)[1] is used on the Soft X-ray Spectrometer instrument[2] on Astro-H[3] to cool a 6×6 array of x-ray microcalorimeters to 50 mK. The ADR is supported by a cryogenic system[4] consisting of a superfluid helium tank, a 4.5 K Joule-Thomson (JT) cryocooler, and additional 2-stage Stirling cryocoolers that pre-cool the JT cooler and cool radiation shields within the cryostat. The ADR is configured so that it can use either the liquid helium or the JT cryocooler as its heat sink, giving the instrument an unusual degree of tolerance for component failures or degradation in the cryogenic system. The flight detector assembly, ADR and dewar were integrated into the flight dewar in early 2014, and have since been extensively characterized and calibrated. This paper summarizes the operation and performance of the ADR in all of its operating modes. PMID:28111478

Operating Modes and Cooling Capabilities of the 3-Stage ADR Developed for the Soft-X-ray Spectrometer Instrument on Astro-H.

PubMed

Shirron, Peter J; Kimball, Mark O; James, Bryan L; Muench, Theo; DiPirro, Michael J; Letmate, Richard V; Sampson, Michael A; Bialas, Tom G; Sneiderman, Gary A; Porter, Frederick S; Kelley, Richard L

2016-03-01

A 3-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR)[1] is used on the Soft X-ray Spectrometer instrument[2] on Astro-H[3] to cool a 6×6 array of x-ray microcalorimeters to 50 mK. The ADR is supported by a cryogenic system[4] consisting of a superfluid helium tank, a 4.5 K Joule-Thomson (JT) cryocooler, and additional 2-stage Stirling cryocoolers that pre-cool the JT cooler and cool radiation shields within the cryostat. The ADR is configured so that it can use either the liquid helium or the JT cryocooler as its heat sink, giving the instrument an unusual degree of tolerance for component failures or degradation in the cryogenic system. The flight detector assembly, ADR and dewar were integrated into the flight dewar in early 2014, and have since been extensively characterized and calibrated. This paper summarizes the operation and performance of the ADR in all of its operating modes.

Thermodynamic Performance of the 3-Stage ADR for the Astro-H Soft X-Ray Spectrometer Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shirron, Peter J.; Kimball, Mark O.; James, Bryan L.; Muench, Theodore; DiPirro, Michael J.; Bialas, Thomas G.; Sneiderman, Gary A.; Porter, Frederick S.; Kelley, Richard L.

2015-01-01

The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) instrument[1] on Astro-H[2] will use a 3-stage ADR[3] to cool the microcalorimeter array to 50 mK. In the primary operating mode, two stages of the ADR cool the detectors using superfluid helium at =1.20 K as the heat sink[4]. In the secondary mode, which is activated when the liquid helium is depleted, the ADR uses a 4.5 K Joule-Thomson cooler as its heat sink. In this mode, all three stages operate together to continuously cool the (empty) helium tank and singleshot cool the detectors. The flight instrument - dewar, ADR, detectors and electronics - were integrated in 2014 and have since undergone extensive performance testing. This paper presents a thermodynamic analysis of the ADR's operation, including cooling capacity, heat rejection to the heat sinks, and various measures of efficiency.

X-ray source development for EXAFS measurements on the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Coppari, F; Thorn, D B; Kemp, G E; Craxton, R S; Garcia, E M; Ping, Y; Eggert, J H; Schneider, M B

2017-08-01

Extended X-ray absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) measurements require a bright, spectrally smooth, and broad-band x-ray source. In a laser facility, such an x-ray source can be generated by a laser-driven capsule implosion. In order to optimize the x-ray emission, different capsule types and laser irradiations have been tested at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). A crystal spectrometer is used to disperse the x-rays and high efficiency image plate detectors are used to measure the absorption spectra in transmission geometry. EXAFS measurements at the K-edge of iron at ambient conditions have been obtained for the first time on the NIF laser, and the requirements for optimization have been established.

Capillary Optics Based X-Ray Micro-Imaging Elemental Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hampai, D.; Dabagov, S. B.; Cappuccio, G.; Longoni, A.; Frizzi, T.; Cibin, G.

2010-04-01

A rapidly developed during the last few years micro-X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (μXRF) is a promising multi-elemental technique for non-destructive analysis. Typically it is rather hard to perform laboratory μXRF analysis because of the difficulty of producing an original small-size X-ray beam as well as its focusing. Recently developed for X-ray beam focusing polycapillary optics offers laboratory X-ray micro probes. The combination of polycapillary lens and fine-focused micro X-ray tube can provide high intensity radiation flux on a sample that is necessary in order to perform the elemental analysis. In comparison to a pinhole, an optimized "X-ray source-op tics" system can result in radiation density gain of more than 3 orders by the value. The most advanced way to get that result is to use the confocal configuration based on two X-ray lenses, one for the fluorescence excitation and the other for the detection of secondary emission from a sample studied. In case of X-ray capillary microfocusing a μXRF instrument designed in the confocal scheme allows us to obtain a 3D elemental mapping. In this work we will show preliminary results obtained with our prototype, a portable X-ray microscope for X-ray both imaging and fluorescence analysis; it enables μXRF elemental mapping simultaneously with X-ray imaging. A prototype of compact XRF spectrometer with a spatial resolution less than 100 μm has been designed.

Reflectivity around the gold L-edges of x-ray reflector of the soft x-ray telescope onboard ASTRO-H

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, Yoshitomo; Kikuchi, Naomichi; Kurashima, Sho; Ishida, Manabu; Iizuka, Ryo; Hayashi, Takayuki; Okajima, Takashi; Matsumoto, Hironori; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Saji, Shigetaka; Sato, Toshiki; Tachibana, Sasagu; Mori, Hideyuki; Christensen, Finn; Brejnholt, Nicolai; Nitta, Kiyofumi; Uruga, Tomoya

2016-07-01

We report the atomic scattering factor in the 11.2{15.4 keV for the ASTRO-H Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT)9 obtained in the ground based measurements. The large effective area of the SXT covers above 10 keV. In fact, the flight data show the spectra of the celestical objects in the hard X-ray band. In order to model the area, the reflectivity measurements in the 11.2{15.4 keV band with the energy pitch of 0.4 { 0.7 eV were made in the synchrotron beamline Spring-8 BL01B1. We obtained atomic scattering factors f1 and f2 by the curve fitting to the reflectivities of our witness sample. The edges associated with the gold's L-I, II, and III transitions are identified, of which the depths are found to be roughly 60% shallower than those expected from the Henke's atomic scattering factor.

Reflectivity Around the Gold L-Edges of X-Ray Reflector of the Soft X-Ray Telescope Onboard ASTRO-H

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maeda, Yoshitomo; Kikuchi, Naomichi; Kurashima, Sho; Ishida, Manabu; Iizuka, Ryo; Hayashi, Takayuki; Okajima, Takashi; Matsumoto, Hironori; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Saji, Shigetaka;

The Sun's X-ray Emission During the Recent Solar Minimum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sylwester, Janusz; Kowalinski, Mirek; Gburek, Szymon; Siarkowski, Marek; Kuzin, Sergey; Farnik, Frantisek; Reale, Fabio; Phillips, Kenneth J. H.

2010-02-01

The Sun recently underwent a period of a remarkable lack of major activity such as large flares and sunspots, without equal since the advent of the space age a half century ago. A widely used measure of solar activity is the amount of solar soft X-ray emission, but until recently this has been below the threshold of the X-ray-monitoring Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). There is thus an urgent need for more sensitive instrumentation to record solar X-ray emission in this range. Anticipating this need, a highly sensitive spectrophotometer called Solar Photometer in X-rays (SphinX) was included in the solar telescope/spectrometer TESIS instrument package on the third spacecraft in Russia's Complex Orbital Observations Near-Earth of Activity of the Sun (CORONAS-PHOTON) program, launched 30 January 2009 into a near-polar orbit. SphinX measures X-rays in a band similar to the GOES longer-wavelength channel.

X-Ray Spectroscopy of Optically Bright Planets using the Chandra Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ford, P. G.; Elsner, R. F.

2005-01-01

Since its launch in July 1999, Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) has observed several planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) and 6 comets. At 0.5 arc-second spatial resolution, ACIS detects individual x-ray photons with good quantum efficiency (25% at 0.6 KeV) and energy resolution (20% FWHM at 0.6 KeV). However, the ACIS CCDs are also sensitive to optical and near-infrared light, which is absorbed by optical blocking filters (OBFs) that eliminate optical contamination from all but the brightest extended sources, e.g., planets. .Jupiter at opposition subseconds approx.45 arc-seconds (90 CCD pixels.) Since Chandra is incapable of tracking a moving target, the planet takes 10 - 20 kiloseconds to move across the most sensitive ACIS CCD, after which the observatory must be re-pointed. Meanwhile, the OBF covering that CCD adds an opt,ical signal equivalent to approx.110 eV to each pixel that lies within thc outline of the Jovian disk. This has three consequences: (1) the observatory must be pointed away from Jupiter while CCD bias maps are constructed; (2) most x-rays from within the optical image will be misidentified as charged-particle background and ignored; and (3) those x-rays that are reported will bc assigned anomalously high energies. The same also applies to thc other planets, but is less serious since they are either dimmer at optical wavelengths, or they show less apparent motion across the sky, permitting reduced CCD exposure times: the optical contamination from Saturn acids approx.15 eV per pixel, and from Mars and Venus approx.31 eV. After analyzing a series of short .Jupiter observations in December 2000, ACIS parameters were optimized for the February 2003 opposition. CCD bias maps were constructed while Chandra pointed away from Jupiter, and the subsequent observations employed on-board software to ignore any pixel that contained less charge than that expected from optical leakage. In addition, ACIS was commanded to report 5 x 5

X-ray observations of two short but intense solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nitta, Nariaki; Dennis, Brian R.; Kiplinger, Alan L.

1990-01-01

This paper presents continuum X-ray spectra of impulsive emission in two short but intense solar flares which have relatively weak soft X-ray emissions, combining data obtained with soft X-ray and hard X-ray spectrometers on board two satellites, the SMM and Hinotori. In both flares, photon spectra of the impulsive component are found to flatten toward low energies, suggesting that a low-energy cutoff of the electron spectrum could be greater than about 50 keV and that the total energy contained in the electrons is significantly less than that usually quoted for a cutoff energy of about 20 keV. Different shapes of the X-ray spectrum at energies below 50 keV in other flares can be attributed to the variety in the relative strength of gradual and impulsive emissions. In one of the two flares, observations with the imager on Hinotori suggest that hard X-ray emission is likely to be associated with loop footpoints. It is argued that contamination by the gradual soft X-ray emission and/or the asymmetry of loops could explain the detection of single sources in the majority of flares that have been imaged in hard X-rays.

A nearly on-axis spectroscopic system for simultaneously measuring UV-visible absorption and X-ray diffraction in the SPring-8 structural genomics beamline.

PubMed

Sakaguchi, Miyuki; Kimura, Tetsunari; Nishida, Takuma; Tosha, Takehiko; Sugimoto, Hiroshi; Yamaguchi, Yoshihiro; Yanagisawa, Sachiko; Ueno, Go; Murakami, Hironori; Ago, Hideo; Yamamoto, Masaki; Ogura, Takashi; Shiro, Yoshitsugu; Kubo, Minoru

2016-01-01

UV-visible absorption spectroscopy is useful for probing the electronic and structural changes of protein active sites, and thus the on-line combination of X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic analysis is increasingly being applied. Herein, a novel absorption spectrometer was developed at SPring-8 BL26B2 with a nearly on-axis geometry between the X-ray and optical axes. A small prism mirror was placed near the X-ray beamstop to pass the light only 2° off the X-ray beam, enabling spectroscopic analysis of the X-ray-exposed volume of a crystal during X-ray diffraction data collection. The spectrometer was applied to NO reductase, a heme enzyme that catalyzes NO reduction to N2O. Radiation damage to the heme was monitored in real time during X-ray irradiation by evaluating the absorption spectral changes. Moreover, NO binding to the heme was probed via caged NO photolysis with UV light, demonstrating the extended capability of the spectrometer for intermediate analysis.

Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) science instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winkler, Carl E.; Dailey, Carroll C.; Cumings, Nesbitt P.

1991-01-01

The overall AXAF program is summarized, with particular emphasis given to its science instruments. The science objectives established for AXAF are to determine the nature of celestial objects, from normal stars to quasars, to elucidate the nature of the physical processes which take place in and between astronomical objects, and to shed light on the history and evolution of the universe. Attention is given to the AXAF CCD imaging spectrometer, which is to provide spectrally and temporally resolved imaging, or, in conjunction with transmission grating, high-resolution dispersed spectral images of celestial sources. A high-resolution camera, an X-ray spectrometer, and the Bragg Crystal Spectrometer are also discussed.

Oxygen, Neon, and Iron X-Ray Absorption in the Local Interstellar Medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gatuzz, Efrain; Garcia, Javier; Kallman, Timothy R.; Mendoza, Claudio

2016-01-01

We present a detailed study of X-ray absorption in the local interstellar medium by analyzing the X-ray spectra of 24 galactic sources obtained with the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer and the XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer. Methods. By modeling the continuum with a simple broken power-law and by implementing the new ISMabs X-ray absorption model, we have estimated the total H, O, Ne, and Fe column densities towards the observed sources. Results. We have determined the absorbing material distribution as a function of source distance and galactic latitude longitude. Conclusions. Direct estimates of the fractions of neutrally, singly, and doubly ionized species of O, Ne, and Fe reveal the dominance of the cold component, thus indicating an overall low degree of ionization. Our results are expected to be sensitive to the model used to describe the continuum in all sources.

Spectra of clinical CT scanners using a portable Compton spectrometer.

PubMed

Duisterwinkel, H A; van Abbema, J K; van Goethem, M J; Kawachimaru, R; Paganini, L; van der Graaf, E R; Brandenburg, S

2015-04-01

Spectral information of the output of x-ray tubes in (dual source) computer tomography (CT) scanners can be used to improve the conversion of CT numbers to proton stopping power and can be used to advantage in CT scanner quality assurance. The purpose of this study is to design, validate, and apply a compact portable Compton spectrometer that was constructed to accurately measure x-ray spectra of CT scanners. In the design of the Compton spectrometer, the shielding materials were carefully chosen and positioned to reduce background by x-ray fluorescence from the materials used. The spectrum of Compton scattered x-rays alters from the original source spectrum due to various physical processes. Reconstruction of the original x-ray spectrum from the Compton scattered spectrum is based on Monte Carlo simulations of the processes involved. This reconstruction is validated by comparing directly and indirectly measured spectra of a mobile x-ray tube. The Compton spectrometer is assessed in a clinical setting by measuring x-ray spectra at various tube voltages of three different medical CT scanner x-ray tubes. The directly and indirectly measured spectra are in good agreement (their ratio being 0.99) thereby validating the reconstruction method. The measured spectra of the medical CT scanners are consistent with theoretical spectra and spectra obtained from the x-ray tube manufacturer. A Compton spectrometer has been successfully designed, constructed, validated, and applied in the measurement of x-ray spectra of CT scanners. These measurements show that our compact Compton spectrometer can be rapidly set-up using the alignment lasers of the CT scanner, thereby enabling its use in commissioning, troubleshooting, and, e.g., annual performance check-ups of CT scanners.

X-ray spectra of supernova remnants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szymkowiak, A. E.

1985-01-01

X-ray spectra were obtained from fields in three supernova remnants with the solid state spectrometer of the HEAO 2 satellite. These spectra, which contain lines from K-shell transitions of several abundant elements with atomic numbers between 10 and 22, were compared with various models, including some of spectra that would be produced by adiabatic phase remnants when the time-dependence of the ionization is considered.

Wavelength dispersive analysis with the synchrotron x ray fluorescence microprobe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rivers, M. L.; Thorn, K. S.; Sutton, S. R.; Jones, K. W.; Bajt, S.

1993-01-01

A wavelength dispersive spectrometer (WDS) was tested on the synchrotron x ray fluorescence microprobe at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Compared to WDS spectra using an electron microprobe, the synchrotron WDS spectra have much better sensitivity and, due to the absence of bremsstrahlung radiation, lower backgrounds. The WDS spectrometer was successfully used to resolve REE L fluorescence spectra from standard glasses and transition metal K fluorescence spectra from kamacite.

The Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barret, D.

2017-10-01

The Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) is a high-resolution X-ray spectrometer, providing 2.5 eV spectral resolution, over a 5' (equivalent diameter) field of view, and count rate capabilities up to 1 Crab in the 0.2-12 keV range. Approaching the end of its feasibility study (scheduled around the end of 2017), I will briefly recall the scientific objectives of Athena driving the X-IFU specifications and will describe its current baseline configuration and the expected performances. I will outline the on-going technology developments that will enable the X-IFU. The X-IFU will be developed by an international consortium led by France (IRAP/CNES), the Netherlands (SRON), Italy (IAPS), with ESA member state contributions from Belgium, Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain and Switzerland, and international partner contributions from Japan and the United States. This talk is given on behalf of the X-IFU Consortium.

Tenth International Colloquium on UV and X-Ray Spectroscopy of Astrophysical and Laboratory Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silver, Eric H.; Kahn, Steven M.

UV and X-ray spectroscopy of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas draws interest from many disciplines. Contributions from international specialists are collected together in this book from a timely recent conference. In astrophysics, the Hubble Space Telescope, Astro 1 and ROSAT observatories are now providing UV and X-ray spectra and images of cosmic sources in unprecedented detail, while the Yohkoh mission recently collected superb data on the solar corona. In the laboratory, the development of ion-trap facilities and novel laser experiments are providing vital new data on high temperature plasmas. Recent innovations in the technology of spectroscopic instrumentation are discussed. These papers constitute an excellent up-to-date review of developments in short-wavelength spectroscopy and offer a solid introduction to its theoretical and experimental foundations. These proceedings give an up-to-date review of developments in short-wavelength spectroscopy and offer a solid introduction to its theoretical and experimental foundations. Various speakers presented some of the first results from the high resolution spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, the high sensitivity far ultraviolet and X-ray spectrometers of the ASTRO 1 Observatory, the imaging X-ray spectrometer on the ROSAT Observatory, and the high resolution solar X-ray spectrometer on Yohkoh. The development of ion trap devices had brought about a revolution in laboratory investigations of atomic processes in highly charged atoms. X-ray laser experiments had not only yielded considerable insight into electron ion interactions in hot dense plasmas, but also demonstrated the versatility of laser plasmas as laboratory X-ray sources. Such measurements also motivated and led to refinements in the development of large-scale atomic and molecular codes. On the instrumental side, the design and development of the next series of very powerful short wavelength observatories had generated a large number of

In-situ wavelength calibration and temperature control for the C-Mod high-resolution x-ray crystal imaging spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado-Aparicio, Luis F.; Podpaly, Y.; Reinke, M. L.; Gao, C.; Rice, J.; Scott, S.; Bitter, M.; Hill, K.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Johnson, D.; Wilson, J. R.

2010-11-01

An x-ray crystal imaging spectrometer with high spectral and spatial resolution is currently being used on Alcator C-Mod to infer time histories of temperature and velocity profiles. An in-situ wavelength calibration using a 1 μm palladium filter in between the crystal and the detectors of choice is being proposed as a natural wavelength-marker using the transmission changes across the L-II and L-III edges at 3722.9 mA and 3907.1 mA, respectively. Recent results also indicate that the crystal temperature should be kept constant within a fraction of a degree since the thermal expansion of the quartz crystal will change the interplanar (2d) spacing and introduce fictitious velocity measurements of several km/s. A detailed temperature scan indicates a thermal expansion coefficient (α) of 13.5x10-6 /^oC and thus a false Doppler shift of 4.05.δT[^oC] km/s.

Tetrahedral hydrocarbon nanoparticles in space: X-ray spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilalbegović, G.; Maksimović, A.; Valencic, L. A.

2018-06-01

It has been proposed, or confirmed, that diamond nanoparticles exist in various environments in space: close to active galactic nuclei, in the vicinity of supernovae and pulsars, in the interior of several planets in the Solar system, in carbon planets, and other exoplanets, carbon-rich stars, meteorites, in X-ray active Herbig Ae/Be stars, and in the interstellar medium. Using density functional theory methods, we calculate the carbon K-edge X-ray absorption spectrum of two large tetrahedral nanodiamonds: C26H32 and C51H52. We also study and test our methods on the astrophysical molecule CH4, the smallest C-H tetrahedral structure. A possible detection of nanodiamonds from X-ray spectra by future telescopes, such as the project Arcus, is proposed. Simulated spectra of the diffuse interstellar medium using Cyg X-2 as a source show that nanodiamonds studied in this work can be detected by Arcus, a high-resolution X-ray spectrometer mission selected by NASA for a Phase A concept study.

X-ray source development for EXAFS measurements on the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Coppari, F.; Thorn, D. B.; Kemp, G. E.; ...

2017-08-28

We present that extended X-ray absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) measurements require a bright, spectrally smooth, and broad-band x-ray source. In a laser facility, such an x-ray source can be generated by a laser-driven capsule implosion. In order to optimize the x-ray emission, different capsule types and laser irradiations have been tested at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). A crystal spectrometer is used to disperse the x-rays and high efficiency image plate detectors are used to measure the absorption spectra in transmission geometry. Finally, EXAFS measurements at the K-edge of iron at ambient conditions have been obtained for the first timemore » on the NIF laser, and the requirements for optimization have been established.« less

The X-ray Detectability of Electron Beams Escaping from the Sun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saint-Hilaire, Pascal; Krucker, Säm; Christe, Steven; Lin, Robert P.

2009-05-01

We study the detectability and characterization of electron beams as they leave their acceleration site in the low corona toward interplanetary space through their nonthermal X-ray bremsstrahlung emission. We demonstrate that the largest interplanetary electron beams (gsim1035 electrons above 10 keV) can be detected in X-rays with current and future instrumentation, such as RHESSI or the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) onboard Hinode. We make a list of optimal observing conditions and beam characteristics. Amongst others, good imaging (as opposed to mere localization or detection in spatially integrated data) is required for proper characterization, putting the requirement on the number of escaping electrons (above 10 keV) to gsim3 × 1036 for RHESSI, gsim3 × 1035 for Hinode/XRT, and gsim1033 electrons for the FOXSI sounding rocket scheduled to fly in 2011. Moreover, we have found that simple modeling hints at the possibility that coronal soft X-ray jets could be the result of local heating by propagating electron beams.

Remote X-ray fluorescence experiments for future missions to Mercury

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, P. E.; Trombka, J. I.

1997-01-01

To date, the only deep space mission to Mercury, Mariner 10, as well as ground-based observations have failed to provide direct measurements of that planet's composition. Such measurements are fundamental for the understanding of Mercury's origin and the inner solar system's history. The spin-stabilized Mercury Orbiter proposed for launch in the first or second decade of the twenty-first century as part of the ESA's Horizon 2000-plus plan could address this problem by including the X-ray spectrometer proposed here. X-ray spectrometers act as detectors for the X-ray emission induced by the solar flux incident on planetary surfaces. This emission is strongly dependent on the chemical composition of the surface as well as on the solar spectrum. Characteristic fluorescent lines, the most prominent being the K-alpha lines, are of sufficient intensity for major elements (Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Fe) to allow orbital measurement by remote X-ray detectors. The X-ray spectrometers described here will all have established heritage for space missions by 2000. These instruments have previously flown, are being flown as part of the NASA NEAR (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) or Clark SSTI (Small Science and Technology Initiative) missions, or are now under development as part of NASA Facility Instrument Development Program. The instrument package would probably consist of an array of solid state detectors for surface measurements, as well as one which would act as a solar monitor. Calculations of anticipated results have been done for a variety of orbital and instrument configurations, and a variety of lunar soil compositions which could be analogous: anorthositie gabbro bearing soils from lunar highlands (Apollo 16), high-Mg basalt-rich soils from a KREEP-bearing area (Apollo 15), and mare basalt bearing soils (Apollo 12). The mission being considered here should result in maps of abundances of major elements, including Mg, Al, Si, Ca, and Fe, for much of Mercury's surface, with

THE X-RAY DETECTABILITY OF ELECTRON BEAMS ESCAPING FROM THE SUN

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

Saint-Hilaire, Pascal; Krucker, Saem; Christe, Steven

2009-05-01

We study the detectability and characterization of electron beams as they leave their acceleration site in the low corona toward interplanetary space through their nonthermal X-ray bremsstrahlung emission. We demonstrate that the largest interplanetary electron beams ({approx}>10{sup 35} electrons above 10 keV) can be detected in X-rays with current and future instrumentation, such as RHESSI or the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) onboard Hinode. We make a list of optimal observing conditions and beam characteristics. Amongst others, good imaging (as opposed to mere localization or detection in spatially integrated data) is required for proper characterization, putting the requirement on the number ofmore » escaping electrons (above 10 keV) to {approx}>3 x 10{sup 36} for RHESSI, {approx}>3 x 10{sup 35} for Hinode/XRT, and {approx}>10{sup 33} electrons for the FOXSI sounding rocket scheduled to fly in 2011. Moreover, we have found that simple modeling hints at the possibility that coronal soft X-ray jets could be the result of local heating by propagating electron beams.« less

Development of a Silicon Drift Detector Array: An X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer for Remote Surface Mapping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaskin, Jessica A.; Carini, Gabriella A.; Wei, Chen; Elsner, Ronald F.; Kramer, Georgiana; De Geronimo, Gianluigi; Keister, Jeffrey W.; Zheng, Li; Ramsey, Brian D.; Rehak, Pavel;

Lunar elemental analysis obtained from the Apollo gamma-ray and X-ray remote sensing experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)