ASTRO-E high-resolution x-ray spectrometer

Richard L. Kelley; Michael Damian Audley; Kevin R. Boyce; Susan R. Breon; Ryuichi Fujimoto; Keith C. Gendreau; Stephen S. Holt; Yoshitaka Ishisaki; Dan McCammon; Tatehiro Mihara; Kazuhisa Mitsuda; Samuel Harvey Moseley Jr.; David Brent Mott; Frederick Scott Porter; Caroline Kilbourn Stahle; Andrew E. Szymkowiak

doi:10.1117/12.366493

22 October 1999 ASTRO-E high-resolution x-ray spectrometer

Richard L. Kelley, Michael Damian Audley, Kevin R. Boyce, Susan R. Breon, Ryuichi Fujimoto, Keith C. Gendreau, Stephen S. Holt, Yoshitaka Ishisaki, Dan McCammon, Tatehiro Mihara, Kazuhisa Mitsuda, Samuel Harvey Moseley Jr., David Brent Mott, Frederick Scott Porter, Caroline Kilbourn Stahle, Andrew E. Szymkowiak

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3765, EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy X; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.366493
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1999, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

The Astro-E High Resolution X-ray Spectrometer (XRS) was developed jointly by the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and the Institute of Space and Astronomical Science in Japan. The instrument is based on a new approach to spectroscopy, the x-ray microcalorimeter. This device senses the energies of individual x-ray photons as heat with extreme precision. A 32 channel array of microcalorimeters is being employed, each with an energy resolution of about 12 eV at 6 keV. This will provide spectral resolving power 10 times higher than any other non-dispersive x-ray spectrometer. The instrument incorporates a three stage cooling system capable of operating the array at 60 mK for about two years in orbit. The array sits at the focus of a grazing incidence conical mirror. The quantum efficiency of the microcalorimeters and the reflectivity of the x-ray mirror system combine to give high throughput over the 0.3- 12 keV energy band. This new capability will enable the study of a wide range of high-energy astrophysical sources with unprecedented spectral sensitivity. This paper presents the basic design requirements and implementation of the XRS, and also describes the instrument parameters and performance.

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Richard L. Kelley, Michael Damian Audley, Kevin R. Boyce, Susan R. Breon, Ryuichi Fujimoto, Keith C. Gendreau, Stephen S. Holt, Yoshitaka Ishisaki, Dan McCammon, Tatehiro Mihara, Kazuhisa Mitsuda, Samuel Harvey Moseley Jr., David Brent Mott, Frederick Scott Porter, Caroline Kilbourn Stahle, and Andrew E. Szymkowiak "ASTRO-E high-resolution x-ray spectrometer", Proc. SPIE 3765, EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy X, (22 October 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.366493

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