Estimate of the impact of background particles on the X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer on IXO

Lotti, Simone; Perinati, E.; Natalucci, L.; Piro, L.; Mineo, T.; Colasanti, L.; Macculi, C.

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2012.05.055

Cited by 12 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…This component can be further reduced using a graded shielding with materials of a low yield for secondary electrons. 33,34 The most suited material was found to be Kapton. This shielding allows us to meet the background requirements stated in Tab.…”

Section: Particle Background Rejectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) for Athena

et al. 2014

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Athena is designed to implement the Hot and Energetic Universe science theme selected by the European Space Agency for the second large mission of its Cosmic Vision program. The Athena science payload consists of a large aperture high angular resolution X-ray optics (2 m2 at 1 keV) and twelve meters away, two interchangeable focal plane instruments: the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) and the Wide Field Imager. The X-IFU is a cryogenic X-ray spectrometer, based on a large array of Transition Edge Sensors (TES), offering 2:5 eV spectral resolution, with ~5" pixels, over a field of view of 50 in diameter. In this paper, we present the X-IFU detector and readout electronics principles, some elements of the current design for the focal plane assembly and the cooling chain. We describe the current performance estimates, in terms of spectral resolution, effective area, particle background rejection and count rate capability. Finally, we emphasize on the technology developments necessary to meet the demanding requirements of the X-IFU, both for the sensor, readout electronics and cooling chain

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Section: Particle Background Rejectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) for Athena

et al. 2014

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“…The first background estimates have been extensively discussed by Lotti et al (2012). Summarizing, as shown in Fig.…”

Section: Internal Particle Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The insertion of the ACD and secondarily the use of pattern-recognition algorithms decreases the background by an order of magnitude to a level of 0.31 cts cm −2 s −1 in the 0.2−10 keV energy band, cutting the primary proton component and leaving a residual background rate induced mostly by secondary electrons. We refer to this background count rate as the "original" or "nominal" background value, since it was obtained in the official configuration foreseen for ATHENA before this work (Lotti et al 2012). This performance is possible thanks to a solution developed by our team, which is adopting an active cryogenic ACD (Macculi et al 2012(Macculi et al , 2013, and refrences therein) to be placed underneath (∼mm) the X-IFU main detector.…”

Section: Internal Particle Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is because the main contribution to the L2 background is given by the secondary electrons created by minimum ionizing particles (MIP) protons; in L2 we can cut this contribution with our design improvements, but in LEO most MIP (those with E <∼ 8.8 keV, which represent ∼90% of the CR protons in the worst case at the solar maximum) cannot reach the detector since they are blocked by the Earth magnetic field. Furthermore, while in L2 the unrejected background is almost completely induced by CR protons (Lotti et al 2012), in LEO there are several other background components for which the design optimization is less effective. Our results for LEO agree with the background of ∼0.05 cts cm −2 s −1 measured by the Suzaku microcalorimeter array (XRS; Perinati et al 2012), which is the same kind of instrument placed in the same orbit.…”

Section: Internal Particle Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The former is generated by particles traveling through the spacecraft, releasing energy inside the detector, also creating swarms of secondary particles (mostly electrons) along the way. These secondaries can also reach the detector, and their flux is often anything but negligible in the soft X-ray band since it is hard to discriminate them using anticoincidence systems (Lotti et al 2012). This can be a problem especially for "naked" devices such as microcalorimeters or back-illuminated CCDs, that do not present an inactive layer on the surface capable of absorbing such low-energy particles (Lotti et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In-orbit background of X-ray microcalorimeters and its effects on observations

Lotti

Cea

Macculi

et al. 2014

A&A

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Context. Observations in the X-ray energy band are often limited by the background because of the low fluxes of typical sources. The background can easily be higher than the signal itself, and thus any mission with the scientific goal of observing faint and/or extended sources in the X-ray band must deal with the background problem. ESA has recently selected "the hot and energetic universe" as science theme for the second large-class mission in the Cosmic Vision science program, to be pursued with an advanced X-ray observatory to be launched in 2028, and at present ATHENA is the proposal that is most likely to be selected for this slot. The mission is aimed to place an X-ray telescope in the L2 orbit equipped with an X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) based on high spectral resolution transition-edge microcalorimeters, and has among its goals the detection and characterization of high-redshift active galactic nuclei (AGNs), cluster of galaxies and their outskirts, which is why great care must be taken to reduce the background impact on the detection/characterization of these sources. Aims. The background is composed of a diffuse component and an internal particle component for any satellite operating in the X-ray band. We take as reference the X-ray IFU instrument that will be placed onboard the ATHENA mission to analyze both these components and their variability for different orbits, observational conditions and/or design choices. We also show how different background levels affect the instrumental performance, and the scientific results obtainable with the instrument in the best configuration. The X-IFU is a cryogenic X-ray spectrometer, based on a large array of 3840 transition-edge sensors (TES) of 250 μm side, with a spectral energy resolution of 2.5 eV in the 0.2−10 keV energy band, over a field of view of 5 × 5 arcmin 2 , high count rate capability and a 5 arcsec angular resolution. Methods. There are no experimental data about the background experienced by microcalorimeters in the L2 orbit, and thus the particle background levels were calculated by means of Monte Carlo simulations: we considered the original design configuration and an improved configuration aimed to reduce the unrejected background, and tested them in the L2 orbit and in the low Earth orbit, comparing the results with experimental data reported by other X-ray instruments. For the diffuse component, we used the background levels measured from a 1 sr region representative of typical high galactic latitude pointings and analyzed the variations expected with the different orbital conditions. To show the results obtainable with the improved configuration we simulated the observation of a faint, high-redshift, point source (F [0.5−10 keV] ∼ 6.4 × 10 −16 erg cm −2 s −1 , z = 3.7), and of a hot galaxy cluster at R 200 (S b [0.5−2 keV] = 8.61 × 10 −16 erg cm −2 s −1 arcmin −2 , T = 6.6 keV). Results. First we confirm that implementing an active cryogenic anticoincidence reduces the particle background by an order of magnitude and brings ...

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A First Application of Machine and Deep Learning for Background Rejection in the ALPS II TES Detector

Meyer¹,

Katharina²,

Januschek³

et al. 2023

Annalen der Physik

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Axions and axion‐like particles are hypothetical particles predicted in extensions of the standard model and are promising cold dark matter candidates. The Any Light Particle Search (ALPS II) experiment is a light‐shining‐through‐the‐wall experiment that aims to produce these particles from a strong light source and magnetic field and subsequently detect them through a reconversion into photons. With an expected rate ≈1 photon per day, a sensitive detection scheme needs to be employed and characterized. One foreseen detector is based on a transition edge sensor (TES). Here, the machine and deep learning algorithms for the rejection of background events recorded with the TES are investigated. A first application of convolutional neural networks to classify time series data measured with the TES is also presented.

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Estimate of the impact of background particles on the X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer on IXO

Cited by 12 publications

References 12 publications

The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) for Athena

The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) for Athena

In-orbit background of X-ray microcalorimeters and its effects on observations

A First Application of Machine and Deep Learning for Background Rejection in the ALPS II TES Detector

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