The Cryogenic Anticoincidence Detector for ATHENA-XMS

Macculi, C.; Colasanti, L.; Lotti, Simone; Natalucci, L.; Piro, L.; Bagliani, D.; Biasotti, M.; Gatti, F.; Torrioli, G.; Barbera, Marco; Rosa, G. La; Mineo, T.; Perinati, E.

doi:10.1007/s10909-012-0504-z

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…It is worth of note that the gaussian fit over the thermal component provides a central value of 12 ms, fully compatible with what expected from previous assessment (section 3.1). Here it is not reported but the thermal rise time constant is similar to the athermal decay time since the thermal phonon family is populated when the athermals decay, and this trend has been seen in several experiments 7,8 . The detector has been also illuminated by the 55 Fe55 source, and the energy spectrum evaluated by the in-time integral of the triggered pulses is shown in Fig.…”

Section: The Double Pulse Fitting Analysis For the Tes1 Casementioning

confidence: 50%

The Cryogenic AntiCoincidence detector for ATHENA: the progress towards the final pixel design

et al. 2014

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"The Hot and Energetic Universe" is the scientific theme approved by the ESA SPC for a Large mission to be flown in the next ESA slot (2028th) timeframe. ATHENA is a space mission proposal tailored on this scientific theme. It will be the first X-ray mission able to perform the so-called "Integral field spectroscopy", by coupling a high-resolution spectrometer, the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU), to a high performance optics so providing detailed images of its field of view (5' in diameter) with an angular resolution of 5" and fine energy-spectra (2.5eV@E<7keV). The X-IFU is a kilo-pixel array based on TES (Transition Edge Sensor) microcalorimeters providing high resolution spectroscopy in the 0.2-12 keV range. Some goals is the detection of faint and diffuse sources as Warm Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) or galaxies outskirts. To reach its challenging scientific aims, it is necessary to shield efficiently the X-IFU instrument against background induced by external particles: the goal is 0.005 cts/cm^2/s/keV. This scientific requirement can be met by using an active Cryogenic AntiCoincidence (CryoAC) detector placed very close to X-IFU (~ 1 mm below). This is shown by our GEANT4 simulation of the expected background at L2 orbit. The CryoAC is a TES based detector as the X-IFU sharing with it thermal and mechanical interfaces, so increasing the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the payload. It is a 2x2 array of microcalorimeter detectors made by Silicon absorber (each of about 80 mm^2 and 300 μm thick) and sensed by an Ir TES. This choice shows that it is possible to operate such a detector in the so-called athermal regime which gives a response faster than the X-IFU (< 30 μs), and low energy threshold (above few keV). Our consortium has developed and tested several samples, some of these also featured by the presence of Al-fins to efficiently collect the athermal phonons, and increased x-ray absorber area (up to 1 cm^2). Here the results of deep test related to one of the last sample produced (namely AC-S5), and steps to reach the final detector design will be discussed

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Section: The Double Pulse Fitting Analysis For the Tes1 Casementioning

confidence: 50%

The Cryogenic AntiCoincidence detector for ATHENA: the progress towards the final pixel design

et al. 2014

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“…Consider for comparison AC-S3, an old sample with 3 rectangular Al islands (2x5 mm 2 ) connecting 4 Ir/Au TES (each one 1x1.5 mm 2 ). In that case the wide area athermals collectors permitted the quasiparticle recombination during their diffusion in the aluminum, generating a late family of phonons 14 . This phenomenon is well highlighted in Fig.…”

Section: The Pulse Dynamicmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cryogenic AntiCoincidence Detector for ATHENA X-IFU: Assessing the Role of the Athermal Phonons Collectors in the AC-S8 Prototype

et al. 2018

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The ATHENA X-ray Observatory is the second large-class mission in the ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 science programme. One of the two on-board instruments is the X-IFU, an imaging spectrometer based on a large array of TES microcalorimeters. To reduce the particle-induced background, the spectrometer works in combination with a Cryogenic Anticoincidence detector (CryoAC), placed less than 1 mm below the TES array. The last CryoAC single-pixel prototypes, namely AC-S7 and AC-S8, are based on large area (1 cm 2 ) Silicon absorbers sensed by 65 parallel-connected iridium TES. This design has been adopted to improve the response generated by the athermal phonons, which will be used as fast anticoincidence flag. The latter sample is featured also with a network of Aluminum fingers directly connected to the TES, designed to further improve the athermals collection efficiency. In this paper we will report the main results obtained with AC-S8, showing that the additional fingers network is able to increase the energy collected from the athermal part of the pulses (from the 6% of AC-S7 up to the 26 % with AC-S8). Furthermore, the finger design is able to prevent the quasiparticle recombination in the aluminum, assuring a fast pulse rising front (L/R limited). In our road map, the AC-S8 prototype is the last step before the development of the CryoAC Demonstration Model (DM), which will be the detector able to demonstrate the critical technologies expected in the CryoAC development programme.

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“…These features have been proven to be the best compromise among the large and uniform surface coverages for an efficient athermal signal detection and the necessity of constraining down the heat capacity contribution of the metal films. One of the prototypes, ACS-8, has in addition different Al-fingers directly connected to the TES to investigate the feasibility of further efficiency improvement [7][8][9].…”

Section: Development Of the Last Prototypes: Ac-s7 Ac-s8mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cryogenic AntiCoincidence Detector for the ATHENA X-IFU: Design Aspects by Geant4 Simulation and Preliminary Characterization of the New Single Pixel

et al. 2016

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The ATHENA observatory is the second large-class ESA mission, in the context of the Cosmic Vision 2015-2025, scheduled to be launched on 2028 at L2 orbit. One of the two planned focal plane instruments is the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU), which will be able to perform simultaneous high-grade energy spectroscopy and imaging over the 5 arcmin FoV by means of a kilo-pixel array of transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeters, coupled to a high-quality X-ray optics. The X-IFU sensitivity is degraded by the particle background, induced by primary protons of both solar and cosmic rays' origin and secondary electrons. A Cryogenic AntiCoincidence (CryoAC) TES-based detector, located <1 mm below the TES array, will allow the mission to reach the background level that enables its scientific goals. The CryoAC is a 4-pixel detector made of Silicon absorbers sensed by Iridium TESs. We currently achieve a TRL = 3-4 at the single-pixel level. We have designed and developed two further prototypes in order to reach TRL = 4. The design of the CryoAC has been also optimized using the Geant4 simulation tool. Here we will describe some results from the Geant4 simulations performed to optimize the design and preliminary test results from the first of the two detectors, 1 cm 2 area, made of 65 Ir TESs.

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The Cryogenic Anticoincidence Detector for ATHENA-XMS

Cited by 10 publications

References 6 publications

The Cryogenic AntiCoincidence detector for ATHENA: the progress towards the final pixel design

The Cryogenic AntiCoincidence detector for ATHENA: the progress towards the final pixel design

The Cryogenic AntiCoincidence Detector for ATHENA X-IFU: Assessing the Role of the Athermal Phonons Collectors in the AC-S8 Prototype

The Cryogenic AntiCoincidence Detector for the ATHENA X-IFU: Design Aspects by Geant4 Simulation and Preliminary Characterization of the New Single Pixel

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