NASA / MSFC has been preparing for X-ray calibration of the large
optic for the future ESA Athena mission at the 500 meter XRCF
beamline. Improvements include new facility X-ray detectors (Six
Amptek C2 window SDDs and a PI-MTE3 4k CCD camera), stages, and
verification of the facility's operation to the level reached for the
ground calibration of the Chandra X-ray telescope. The XRCF 1.5
meter beam size requires that a flight Athena optic be calibrated by
combining measurements from the six individual sub-sectors of the full
optic. New XRCF capabilities for the Athena measurement include the
ability to measure 12 meter focal length optics with the focal point
not co-linear with the facility optical axis.
As part of these preparations, in January 2023 we tested an SPO module
at the XRCF, aligning the optic in the facility and measuring the
point spread function and effective area at two separate energies.
Our results agree well with previous measurements of this module taken
at the MPE PANTER X-ray beamline. We present a synopsis of the
XRCF facility and its X-ray testing equipment, results from the
XRT#4 testing campaign in January 2023, and show that the XRCF is
currently capable of testing and calibrating large optics for the next
generation of flagship and probe class X-ray observatories.
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