X-ray optics at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

O’Dell, Stephen L.; Atkins, Carolyn; Broadway, David M.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Gaskin, Jessica A.; Gubarev, Mikhail V.; Kilaru, Kiranmayee; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery J.; Ramsey, Brian D.; Roche, Jacqueline M.; Swartz, Douglas A.; Tennant, Allyn F.; Weisskopf, Martin C.; Zavlin, V. E.

doi:10.1117/12.2179415

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…5 Replicated full-shell optics are made by an entirely different process and have a different set of benefits and challenges. 6,41,42 The best performance to date is individual replicated mirror shells that have around 8 arc sec HPD and larger (>1 m) diameter replicated optics have yet to be proven. 6 Surface treatments such as differential deposition and ion milling can further improve performance.…”

Section: Fig 5 Chandra Wolter Type I and Lynxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lynx X-Ray Observatory: an overview

Gaskin

Swartz

Vikhlinin

et al. 2019

J. Astron. Telesc. Instrum. Syst.

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131

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Lynx, one of the four strategic mission concepts under study for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey, provides leaps in capability over previous and planned x-ray missions and provides synergistic observations in the 2030s to a multitude of space-and ground-based observatories across all wavelengths. Lynx provides orders of magnitude improvement in sensitivity, on-axis subarcsecond imaging with arcsecond angular resolution over a large field of view, and high-resolution spectroscopy for point-like and extended sources in the 0.2-to 10-keV range. The Lynx architecture enables a broad range of unique and compelling science to be carried out mainly through a General Observer Program. This program is envisioned to include detecting the very first seed black holes, revealing the high-energy drivers of galaxy formation and evolution, and characterizing the mechanisms that govern stellar evolution and stellar ecosystems. The Lynx optics and science instruments are carefully designed to optimize the science capability and, when combined, form an exciting architecture that utilizes relatively mature technologies for a cost that is compatible with the projected NASA Astrophysics budget. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

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Section: Fig 5 Chandra Wolter Type I and Lynxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lynx X-Ray Observatory: an overview

Gaskin

Swartz

Vikhlinin

et al. 2019

J. Astron. Telesc. Instrum. Syst.

Self Cite

131

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“…The FOXSI mirror shells are Wolter type 1 geometry (Werner, 1977) and are monolithic structures containing both the parabolic ¯rst mirror and the hyperbolic second mirror segments. These mirrors were manufactured using an electroformed nickel replication process developed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) (see O'Dell et al, 2015 for a review of the optics program) whereby the shells are electro-deposited onto superpolished mandrels. Once formed, the shells are released from the mandrel by cooling in a chilled-water bath.…”

Section: X-ray Opticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

FOXSI-2: Upgrades of the Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager for its Second Flight

Christe

Glesener

Buitrago-Casas

et al. 2016

J. Astron. Instrum.

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The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) sounding rocket payload flew for the second time on 2014 December 11. To enable direct Hard X-Ray (HXR) imaging spectroscopy, FOXSI makes use of grazing-incidence replicated focusing optics combined with fine-pitch solid-state detectors. FOXSI’s first flight provided the first HXR focused images of the Sun. For FOXSI’s second flight several updates were made to the instrument including updating the optics and detectors as well as adding a new Solar Aspect and Alignment System (SAAS). This paper provides an overview of these updates as well as a discussion of their measured performance.

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“…Consequently, a certain level of technical expertise and experience is necessary to overcome this issue [21]. In order to solve this problem, NASA uses passivation [22] on the surface of the mandrel, and other institutions use the method of adding TiN [23,24] isolation film to reduce the binding force between the mandrel and the shell, but the specific details have not been reported. Due to its excellent adhesion China's involvement in the manufacturing of X-ray optical systems began relatively late, resulting in a significant lag in the development of high-resolution and large effective area technologies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on the Fabrication Process of X-ray Focusing Mirrors

Liao,

Ding,

Chen

et al. 2023

Micromachines

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The eXTP (enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarization) satellite is a prominent X-ray astronomy satellite designed primarily for conducting deep space X-ray astronomical observations. The satellite’s scientific payload consists of X-ray focusing mirrors. In order to fulfill the requirements of weight reduction and enhanced effective area, the thickness of mirrors is reduced to the sub-millimeter range and a multi-layer nested structure is employed. Manufacturing mirrors poses a significant challenge to both their quality and efficiency. The present research investigates the optimal replication process for mandrel ultraprecision machining, polishing, coating, electroforming nickel, and demolding. It analyzes the factors contributing to the challenging separation and the inability to release the mirror shells. Additionally, an automatic demolding device is developed, and the X-ray performance of the replication mirrors is verified. The fabrication process flow of the mirrors was initially introduced. To ensure the easy release of the mirror shells from the mandrels, a layer of diamond-like carbon (DLC) was applied as a release layer between the Au and NiP alloy. The adhesion strength of Au-C was found to be significantly lower than that of Au-NiP, as demonstrated by both molecular dynamic simulation and tensile testing. The development of an automatic demolding device with force feedback has been successfully completed. The reduction in the half-power diameter (HPD) of the mirror from 48 inches to 25 inches is an improvement that surpasses the production target.

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X-ray optics at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Cited by 10 publications

References 3 publications

Lynx X-Ray Observatory: an overview

Lynx X-Ray Observatory: an overview

FOXSI-2: Upgrades of the Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager for its Second Flight

Study on the Fabrication Process of X-ray Focusing Mirrors

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