Progress on the Micro-X sounding rocket x-ray telescope: completion of flight hardware

P. Wikus; J. S. Adams; R. Baker; S. R. Bandler; W. Brys; D. Dewey; W. B. Doriese; M. E. Eckart; E. Figueroa-Feliciano; R. Goeke; R. Hamersma; G. C. Hilton; U. Hwang; K. D. Irwin; R. L. Kelley; C. A. Kilbourne; S. W. Leman; D. McCammon; T. Okajima; R. H. O'Neal Jr.; F. S. Porter; C. D. Reintsema; J. M. Rutherford; P. Serlemitsos; T. Saab; K. Sato; Y. Soong; S. N. Trowbridge

doi:10.1117/12.857034

29 July 2010 Progress on the Micro-X sounding rocket x-ray telescope: completion of flight hardware

P. Wikus, J. S. Adams, R. Baker, S. R. Bandler, W. Brys, D. Dewey, W. B. Doriese, M. E. Eckart, E. Figueroa-Feliciano, R. Goeke, R. Hamersma, G. C. Hilton, U. Hwang, K. D. Irwin, R. L. Kelley, C. A. Kilbourne, S. W. Leman, D. McCammon, T. Okajima, R. H. O'Neal Jr., F. S. Porter, C. D. Reintsema, J. M. Rutherford, P. Serlemitsos, T. Saab, K. Sato, Y. Soong, S. N. Trowbridge

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7732, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 77321P (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857034
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Micro-X is a rocket-borne X-ray telescope which will use an array of Transition Edge Sensor (TES) microcalorimeters to obtain high resolution soft X-ray spectra of extended astronomical sources. The microcalorimeter array consists of 128 pixels with a size of 590 μm × 590 μm each. The TESs are read out with a time-division Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) multiplexing system. The instrument's front end assembly, which contains the microcalorimeter array and two SQUID amplification stages, is located at the focal point of a conically approximated Wolter mirror with a focal length of 2100 mm and a point spread function of 2.4 arcmin half-power diameter. The telescope's effective area amounts to ~ 300 cm² at 1 keV. The TES array is cooled with an Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator. The first flight of Micro-X is scheduled for 2011, and will likely target a Si knot in the Puppis A supernova remnant. The time available for the observation above an altitude of 160 km will be in excess of 300 seconds. The design, manufacturing and assembly of the flight hardware has recently been completed, and system testing is underway. We describe the final design of the Micro-X instrument, and report on the overall status of the project.

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P. Wikus, J. S. Adams, R. Baker, S. R. Bandler, W. Brys, D. Dewey, W. B. Doriese, M. E. Eckart, E. Figueroa-Feliciano, R. Goeke, R. Hamersma, G. C. Hilton, U. Hwang, K. D. Irwin, R. L. Kelley, C. A. Kilbourne, S. W. Leman, D. McCammon, T. Okajima, R. H. O'Neal Jr., F. S. Porter, C. D. Reintsema, J. M. Rutherford, P. Serlemitsos, T. Saab, K. Sato, Y. Soong, and S. N. Trowbridge "Progress on the Micro-X sounding rocket x-ray telescope: completion of flight hardware", Proc. SPIE 7732, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 77321P (29 July 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857034

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