Current Status Of The ASTRO-H SXT Development -- New Housing Design And EM Reflectors --
Abstract
ASTRO-H is an X-ray astronomical observatory slated to be launched from Japan in 2014. Its objectives range from high resolution imaging and spectroscopy below 20 keV to studying the hard X-ray sky out to 80 keV, along with a gamma-ray spectrometer up to 500 keV, which covers an unprecedentedly wide energy range with great sensitivity on the single X-ray astronomy satellite ever. To accomplish these goals, it will carry, among other instruments, four grazing incidence imaging telescopes, two covering the soft X-ray band and the remaining the higher energies. All the imaging telescopes are of the Wolter I variety, implemented in an approximate scheme with nested conical reflectors, constructed of thin aluminum substrate (150-300 µm), with an epoxy replicated buffer layer, supporting the reflecting surface. Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) employs gold mono layer coatings to make use of the total external reflection. The diameter and the focal length are 45 cm and 5.6 m, respectively. Expected performance is an effective area of about 400 cm^2 @ 6keV, and an angular resolution of 1.3 arcmin (HPD). By the HEAD meeting in early March, 2010, we will have a preriminaly mirror housing design. Most of forming mandrels will be fabricated and more than half of the reflector production for an engineering model (EM) will be done. In this paper, we report the current status of the SXT development and discuss the new housing design, quality of the reflectors, and expected performance based on the EM reflectors.
- Publication:
-
AAS/High Energy Astrophysics Division #11
- Pub Date:
- March 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010HEAD...11.4102O