VERT-X: VERTical X-ray raster-scan facility for ATHENA calibration. The concept design.
Abstract
Calibration of the ATHENA telescope is a critical aspect of the project and raises significant difficulties due to the unprecedented size, mass and focal length of the mirror assembly. The VERT-X project, financed by ESA and started in January 2019 by a Consortium led by INAF and which includes EIE, Media Lario Technologies, GPAP, and BCV Progetti, aims to design an innovative calibration facility. In the VERT-X design the parallel beam, needed for calibration, is produced placing a source in the focus of an X-ray collimator. This system is mounted on a raster-scan mechanism which covers the entire ATHENA optics. The compactness of the VERT-X design allows a vertical geometry for the ATHENA calibration facility, with several potential benefits with respect to the long horizontal tube calibration facilities.
- Publication:
-
Optics for EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Astronomy IX
- Pub Date:
- September 2019
- DOI:
- 10.1117/12.2530713
- Bibcode:
- 2019SPIE11119E..0OM