The MPE X-ray test facility PANTER: Calibration of hard X-ray (15–50 kev) optics     

M. J. Freyberg  H. Bräuninger  W. Burkert  G. D. Hartner  O. Citterio  F. Mazzoleni  G. Pareschi  D. Spiga  S. Romaine  P. Gorenstein  B. D. Ramsey 《Experimental Astronomy》2005,20(1-3):405-412

The Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) in Garching, Germany, uses its large X-ray beam line facility PANTER for testing X-ray astronomical instrumentation. A number of telescopes, gratings, filters, and detectors, e.g. for astronomical satellite missions like Exosat, ROSAT, Chandra (LETG), BeppoSAX, SOHO (CDS), XMM-Newton, ABRIXAS, Swift (XRT), have been successfully calibrated in the soft X-ray energy range (< 15keV). Moreover, measurements with mirror test samples for new missions like ROSITA and XEUS have been carried out at PANTER. Here we report on an extension of the energy range, enabling calibrations of hard X-ray optics over the energy range 15–50 keV. Several future X-ray astronomy missions (e.g., Simbol-X, Constellation-X, XEUS) have been proposed, which make use of hard X-ray optics based on multilayer coatings. Such optics are currently being developed by the Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (OAB), Milano, Italy, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), Cambridge, MA, USA. These optics have been tested at the PANTER facility with a broad energy band beam (up to 50 keV) using the XMM-Newton EPIC-pn flight spare CCD camera with its good intrinsic energy resolution, and also with monochromatic X-rays between C-K (0.277 keV) and Cu-Kα (8.04 keV). PACS: 95.55.Ka, 95.55.Aq, 41 50.+h, 07.85.Fv  相似文献   

Simulations of multimode bolometric interferometers     

George Saklatvala  Michael P. Hobson  Stafford Withington 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2006,367(3):1194-1200

We describe a procedure for the numerical modelling of astronomical interferometers, with particular relevance to far-infrared and submillimetre wavelengths. The scheme is based on identifying a set of modes that carry power from the sky to the detector. The procedure is extremely general, and can be used to model scalar or vector fields, in any state of coherence and polarization, the only limitation being that the propagation of a coherent field through the system be described by an integral transform, a constraint that is in practise always met.
We present simulations of ideal, multimode two-dimensional interferometers, and show that the modal theory reproduces the correct behaviour of both Michelson and Fizeau interferometers. We calculate simulated visibility data for a multimode bolometric Michelson interferometer, with a synthesized source, and produce a dirty map, recovering the original source with the usual artefacts associated with interferometers.  相似文献   

The 550-au Mission: a critical discussion     

S. G. Turyshev  B-G. Andersson 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2003,341(2):577-582

We have studied the science rationale, goals and requirements for a mission aimed at using the gravitational lensing from the Sun as a way of achieving high angular resolution and high signal amplification. We find that such a mission concept is compromised by several practical problems. Most severe are the effects due to the plasma in the solar atmosphere which cause refraction and scattering of the propagating rays. These effects either limit the frequencies that can be observed to those above ∼1 THz, or they move the optical point outwards beyond the vacuum value of ≥550 au. (Thus for observing frequency of 300 GHz the optical point is moved outwards to ∼ 680 au.) Density fluctuations in the inner solar atmosphere will further cause random pathlength differences for different rays. The corrections for the radiation from the Sun itself will also be a major challenge at any wavelength used, but could be mitigated with coronographic techniques. Given reasonable constraints on the spacecraft (particularly in terms of size and propulsion), source selection as well as severe navigational constraints further add to the difficulties for a potential mission. Nevertheless, unbiased surveys of small-scale structure on the sky at short wavelengths might be the most promising application of such a mission.  相似文献   

Particle-mesh simulations of the Lyα forest     

Avery Meiksin  Martin White 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2001,324(1):141-148

We have analysed short-exposure high-resolution images obtained on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), Big Telescope Azimuthal (BTA) and CanadaFranceHawaii Telescope (CFHT) in order to investigate mechanical vibrations that are capable of reducing the high angular resolution allowed by speckle-interferometric methods. After filtering the photon noise we have computed power spectra of the image centres of gravity. In these spectra we have found vibration features that differ from one telescope to another and that vary in particular with the zenith angle. In the case of the WHT we discuss these results in terms of possible causes and in terms of degradation of the transfer function. We present some means to improve the data.  相似文献   

Exact optics – II. Exploration of designs on- and off-axis     

R. V. Willstrop  D. Lynden-Bell 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2003,342(1):33-49

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Design of a high update-rate star sensor for arcsec-level attitude determination from balloon-borne X/γ astronomy platforms     

G. Palladino  A. Basili  G. Di Cocco  T. Franceschini  G. Landini  S. Silvestri  A. Barbini  M. Galimberti  L. A. Gizzi 《Experimental Astronomy》2006,21(3):169-187

This paper describes the design of a star sensor based upon a high dynamic range CCD in order to reach an arcsec-level attitude determination in balloon-borne missions. A custom star identification software was developed and laboratory-tested on a prototype assembled using commercial components. A set of numerical simulations have been carried out to study the dependence on the pointing precision of the centroid position accuracy, the number of detected stars and the effect of the image focusing. Moreover, the role of the electronic noise and the discrete pixel structure on the light signals is identified by the analysis of numerical simulations. Laboratory tests confirm that the arcsec pointing accuracy with a 1 Hz update rate can be achieved with our combination of custom-developed software and selected hardware components.  相似文献   

Estimation of anisoplanatism in adaptive optics by generalized SCIDAR profiling     

R. W. Wilson  N. J. Wooder  F. Rigal  J. C. Dainty 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2003,339(2):491-494

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Design of 2-M to 6-M Liquid Mirror Containers     

Robert Content 《Experimental Astronomy》2003,15(3):123-145

A new design is proposed for large (up to 6-m) liquid mirror containers. The design uses Kevlar, foam and aluminum, as in previous designs, but with a different configuration that makes the container lighter, stronger and more rigid. The results of finite element analysis are presented, consisting in the deformations due to temperature changes and to weight, and in the security factor for each material when maximum constraints are applied. Tilt rigidity is also analyzed. They show that the composite material construction technique gives a good performance up to 6 m diameters. The figures and tables contained in this paper can be used as recipes to build containers having diameters between 2 and 6 m. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

Muon flux at the geographical South Pole     

X. Bai  T.K. Gaisser  A. Karle  K. Rawlins  G.M. Spiczak  Todor Stanev 《Astroparticle Physics》2006,25(6):361-367

The muon flux at the South Pole was measured for five zenith angles, 0°, 15°, 35°, 82.13° and 85.15° with a scintillator muon telescope incorporating ice Cherenkov tank detectors as the absorber. We compare the measurements with other data and with calculations.  相似文献   

硬X射线成像仪量能器测试系统的设计与实现          下载免费PDF全文

陈娇龙  张永强  张岩  郭建华 《天文学报》2024,65(3):31

硬X射线成像仪(Hard X-ray Imager, HXI)是先进天基太阳天文台(Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory, ASO-S)的3大载荷之一, 其中量能器作为其重要组成部分, 承担着观测30--200keV能段的太阳硬X射线的任务. 在卫星发射之前, 需要开展大量的测试工作, 以确保HXI量能器的各项功能和性能满足设计需求. HXI量能器通道数众多, 内含99个溴化镧探测器, 分别由8块相同的前端电子学板控制. 除了对各个通道的性能进行测试外, 地检系统还需模拟量能器在轨面对不同太阳活动时的运行情况, 对量能器进行全面完备的测试. 此外, 地检系统还需足够稳定, 能满足量能器在单机测试、环境试验、热真空与振动等多个不同测试项目的长时间测试需求. 为此, 设计了地检板与上位机软件, 结合放射源、直流电源、高压模块等组成一套HXI量能器的地检系统, 对8块前端电子学板实现同步配置与管理, 能高效完成指令发送与数据接收, 满足量能器最大数据输出带宽400Mbps的需求. 利用该系统, 在地面完成了HXI量能器的功能、性能验证, 获得了量能器的线性、死时间、能量分辨率等各项性能指标, 为HXI量能器的在轨高性能运行提供了保障.  相似文献