Search

The BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray) facility has completed the commissioning phase. This unique compact facility – that occupies an area of 8 x 14 m2 - provides a large (170 mm × 60 mm) collimated (< 2.5 arcsec) monochromatic beam at the energy of 4.51 keV. Its concept is based on the combination of a microfocus X-ray source, a parabolic mirror, and a set of silicon crystals, one of which is asymmetrically cut with respect to the lattice planes. The tests have proven the BEaTriX capability to perform the acceptance tests for Point Spread Function and Effective Area of the NewAthena Silicon Pore Optics Mirror Modules (MM) with a 3 MM/day throughput. The second BEaTriX beamline at the X-ray of 1.49 keV is currently being developed. The optomechanical design, and simulation of alignment tolerances have been completed. The parabolic mirror is being polished at INAF-OAB, on the basis of the experience matured with producing the parabolic mirror for the 4.51 keV beam line. The crystals for the monochromator (Quartz 10-10) and the beam expander (ADP 101) are being procured. Differently from the 4.51 keV beam line, all three crystals for the 1.49 keV are asymmetrically cut, as a special design has been adopted to guarantee the specifications. Owing to the good results obtained by BEaTriX at the INAF labs in Italy, a feasibility study is also ongoing to replicate the facility with a similar design at cosine B.V. in The Netherlands (where the MMs will be produced) for measuring the MMs SPO at 1.49 and 6.4 keV before and after the vibrational tests.

BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray) is the compact (18m × 9m) X-ray facility being implemented at INAF for the acceptance tests of the ATHENA Silicon Pore Optics Mirror Modules (MM) working at the two energies of 1.49 and 4.51 keV. It adopts an innovative design based on a collimating mirror and Bragg crystals in proper configuration to provide a large and parallel beam. The 4.51 keV line provides a parallel beam with 170 mm x 60 mm size and it has been calibrated and characterized in term of intensity, uniformity, divergence and stability. This paper traces the path taken for the best-achieved alignment of the different optical components, from the preliminary phases to the final step where the function of merit was obtained directly from the parallel beam itself. The alignment method used a combination of optical and mechanical tools: laser tracker, micro-alignment telescope (MAT), 3D measuring machine (CMM) and self-designed holed plates. The final characterization of the X-ray beam is presented.

The future Athena observatory will feature optics with unprecedented collecting area enabled by silicon pore optics technology. In order to achieve the telescope effective area requirements at 1 keV and 7 keV, thin film coatings of iridium with a low-density overcoat are deposited onto the mirror substrates. Assembling the coated silicon pore optics plates into mirror modules for the Athena optics requires wet chemical processing and thermal annealing. While iridium appears to be compatible with the post-coating processes, previous studies have shown degradation of the low-density material. The overcoat layer is particularly critical for the low-energy telescope performance, so several candidate materials (boron carbide, silicon carbide and carbon) have been studied to identify a compatible thin film design. We present the characterisation of x-ray mirror performance using x-ray reflectometry, as well as the measurements of residual film stress with stylus profilometry. Furthermore, we evaluate the effects of post-coating treatment in order to recommend the most suitable overcoat material for the telescope.

The BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray) facility is now operative at the INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico Brera (Merate, Italy). This facility has been specifically designed and built for the X-ray acceptance tests (PSF and Effective Area) of the ATHENA Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) Mirror Modules (MM). The unique setup creates a parallel, monochromatic, large X-ray beam, that fully illuminates the aperture of the MMs, generating an image at the ATHENA focal length of 12 m. This is made possible by a microfocus X-ray source followed by a chain of optical components (a paraboloidal mirror, 2 channel cut monochromators, and an asymmetric silicon crystal) able to expand the X-ray beam to a 6 cm × 17 cm size with a residual divergence of 1.5 arcsec (vertical) × 2.5 arcsec (horizontal). This paper reports the commissioning of the 4.5 keV beam line, and the first light obtained with a Mirror Module.

Nanometer-thin multilayer coatings can enable high performance of focusing X-ray telescopes to energies up to 200 keV and beyond. In this paper we discuss the multilayer parameters and their limitations necessary for the reflection of hard X-ray photons. We present several multilayer coating designs that are optimized with a Differential Evolution algorithm to perform a stochastic global search of the multi-parametric model space. The coating designs are based on the new specifications of the HEX-P mission geometry, optimizing within the energy range 60 keV - 200 keV. We compare the simulated reflectivity spectra of Si/Ni, Si/Pt and Si/W, at different incident angles. We find the effective upper limit of bilayers in the multilayer stack, beyond which reflectivity will not be increased. We discuss a hybrid multilayer coating design, consisting of either a Si/Pt or Si/W multilayer with a top Si/Ni multilayer.

The thin film deposition technology for fabrication of the mirror optics for the Advanced Telescope for HighEnergy Astrophysics (ATHENA) has been established. Numerous coating process parameters impact the quality of the thin films. Defining a margin within the coating process parameter space, where the deposited thin film performs similar in X-ray reflectivity is key to avoid unforeseen risks within the coating process for the ATHENA flight optics production. In this work, we investigate the coating process parameter influence on the thin film properties with a focus on micro roughness, deposition rate and residual film stress when deposited under various process conditions. The thin films were produced by varying the following three coating process parameters: discharge power, discharge voltage and working gas pressure. The thin films were characterized using X–ray reflectometry at 3.4–10.0 keV. A main result of this work is that the residual stress of single layer iridium and boron carbide films can be reduced by a factor of approximately two, by increasing the working gas pressure while maintaining a high film quality.

As COVID-19 spread across Brazil, it quickly reached remote regions including Amazon's ultra-peripheral locations where patient transportation through rivers is added to the list of obstacles to overcome. This article analyses the pandemic's effects in the access of riverine communities to the prehospital emergency healthcare system in the Brazilian Upper Amazon River region. To do so, we present two studies that by using a Resilience Engineering approach aimed to predict the functioning of the Brazilian Mobile Emergency Medical Service (SAMU) for riverside and coastal areas during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the normal system functioning. Study I, carried out before the pandemic, applied ethnographic methods for data collection and the Functional Resonance Analysis Method - FRAM for data analysis in order to develop a model of the mobile emergency care in the region during typical conditions of operation. Study II then estimated how changes in variability dynamics would alter system functioning during the pandemic, arriving at three trends that could lead the service to collapse. Finally, the accuracy of predictions is discussed after the pandemic first peaked in the region. Findings reveal that relatively small changes in variability dynamics can deliver strong implications to operating care and safety of expeditions aboard water ambulances. Also, important elements that add to the resilient capabilities of the system are extra-organizational, and thus during the pandemic safety became jeopardized as informal support networks grew fragile. Using FRAM for modelling regular operation enabled prospective scenario analysis that accurately predicted disruptions in providing emergency care to riverine population.

This article describes BabyIAXO, an intermediate experimental stage of the International Axion Observatory (IAXO), proposed to be sited at DESY. IAXO is a large-scale axion helioscope that will look for axions and axion-like particles (ALPs), produced in the Sun, with unprecedented sensitivity. BabyIAXO is conceived to test all IAXO subsystems (magnet, optics and detectors) at a relevant scale for the final system and thus serve as prototype for IAXO, but at the same time as a fully-fledged helioscope with relevant physics reach itself, and with potential for discovery. The BabyIAXO magnet will feature two 10 m long, 70 cm diameter bores, and will host two detection lines (optics and detector) of dimensions similar to the final ones foreseen for IAXO. BabyIAXO will detect or reject solar axions or ALPs with axion-photon couplings down to gaγ ∼ 1.5 × 10−11 GeV−1, and masses up to ma ∼ 0.25 eV. BabyIAXO will offer additional opportunities for axion research in view of IAXO, like the development of precision x-ray detectors to identify particular spectral features in the solar axion spectrum, and the implementation of radiofrequency-cavity-based axion dark matter setups.

Axions are a natural consequence of the Peccei-Quinn mechanism, the most compelling solution to the strong-CP problem. Similar axion-like particles (ALPs) also appear in a number of possible extensions of the Standard Model, notably in string theories. Both axions and ALPs are very well motivated candidates for Dark Matter, and in addition, they would be copiously produced at the sun’s core. A relevant effort during the last decade has been the CAST experiment at CERN, the most sensitive axion helioscope to-date. The International Axion Observatory (IAXO) is a large-scale 4th generation helioscope. As its primary physics goal, IAXO will look for solar axions or ALPs with a signal to background ratio of about 5 orders of magnitude higher than CAST. Recently the IAXO collaboration has proposed and intermediate experimental stage, BabyIAXO, conceived to test all IAXO subsystems (magnet, optics, detectors and sun-tracking systems) at a relevant scale for the final system and thus serve as pathfinder for IAXO but at the same time as a fully-fledged helioscope with record and relevant physics reach in itself with potential for discovery. BabyIAXO was endorsed by the Physics Review committee of DESY last May 2019. Here we will review the status and prospects of BabyIAXO and its potential to probe the most physics motivated regions of the axion & ALPs parameter space.

The thin film coating technology for the European Space Agency mission, Advanced Telescope for High-Energy Astrophysics (Athena) has been established. The X-ray optics of the Athena telescope is based on Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) technology which is enhanced by the thin film coatings deposited on the reflective surface of the SPO plates. In this work, we present a literature study of the coating process parameter space and provide an overview of the thin film properties with a focus on micro roughness, chemical composition and wear resistance when deposited under various process conditions. We determined, that the thin film density depends strongly on the mobility of the adatoms on the substrate surface. Some coating process parameters, which have a significant impact on the adatom mobility are the discharge voltage, the working gas pressure and the substrate temperature.

BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray) is the X-ray facility under construction at the INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico Brera (Merate, Italy) to prove that it is possible to perform the X-ray acceptance tests (PSF and Aeff) of the ATHENA mirror modules at the required rate and with the required accuracy. The unique optical setup makes use of a micro-focus X-ray source with anode in Titanium, a paraboloidal mirror with small radius of curvature, and a set of crystals to monochromate and expand the beam to fully illuminate the entrance pupil of the ATHENA MMs. The quality of the optical components, and their precise alignment, guarantees the production of a parallel beam at 4.51 keV, to be extended in a second phase to 1.49 keV in order to complete the acceptance requirements for the ATHENA MMs. The completion of the facility is expected to occur in July this year, while the commissioning will start in September. In this paper, we present the current status.

The Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics (Athena) is a Cosmic Vision L-class mission of the European Space Agency selected for launch in the early 2030s1. The observatory features a single X-ray telescope with a 12 m focal length. The focusing Wolter-I optics is based on Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) technology2. The Athena science objectives require a high performance in the 0.3-12 keV range which is obtained with X-ray reflective thin films.

We present an experimental examination of iridium and boron carbide thin-film coatings for the purpose of fabricating x-ray optics. We use a combination of x-ray reflectometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to model the structure, composition, density, thickness, and micro-roughness of the thin films. We demonstrate in our analyses how the two characterization techniques are complementary, and from this we derive that an overlayer originating from atmospheric contamination with a thickness between 1.0–1.6 nm is present on the surface. The magnetron sputtered iridium films are measured to have a density of 22.4g/cm3. The boron carbide film exhibits a change in chemical composition in the top ∼2nm of the film surface when exposed to the ambient atmosphere. The chemical reaction occurring on the surface is due to an incorporation of oxygen and hydrogen present in the ambient atmosphere. Lastly, we present a correlation between the absorption edges and the emission lines exhibited by the thin films in an energy range from 50–800 eV and the impact on the reflectivity performance due to contamination in thin films.

We present the latest progress on the industrial scale coating facility for the Advanced Telescope for High-ENergy Astrophysics (ATHENA) mission. The facility has been successfully commissioned and tested, completing an important milestone in preparation of the Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) production capability. We qualified the coating facility by depositing iridium and boron carbide thin films in different configurations under various process conditions including pre-coating in-system plasma cleaning. The thin films were characterized with X-Ray Reectometry (XRR) using laboratory X-ray sources Cu K-α at 8.048 keV and PTB's four-crystal monochromator beamline at the synchrotron radiation facility BESSY II in the energy range from 3.6 keV to 10.0 keV. Additional X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were performed with Al K-α radiation to analyze the composition of the deposited thin films.

X-ray reflectivity (XRR) characterization of X-ray mirrors is an essential step for designing space telescopes and instruments. We report on production and characterization of platinum thin films coated onto a at thick glass substrate for evaluating measurement results obtained using several XRR systems. The main objective of this study is to compare the XRR results measured using facilities at the Technical University of Denmark, DTU Space, and BESSY II for the Advanced Telescope for High-ENergy Astrophysics (ATHENA) mission funded by the European Space Agency, ESA. This sample will be used as a reference sample for testing and calibrating similar measurements at relevant X-ray facilities. This information demonstrates the stable performance of the platinum mirror as a reference sample. Also, the overlayer effect on mirror performance is investigated.

Qualification of coating performance at the low-energy range of the Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (ATHENA) is important to ensure that the mirror coatings satisfy the performance criteria required to meet ATHENA's science objectives. We report on the design, implementation, and expected performance of a state-of-the-art Low-Energy X-ray Reflectometer (LEXR) acquired with the purpose of qualifying the soft energy X-ray performance of mirror coatings for ATHENA. The reflectometer components are housed in a vacuum chamber and utilizes a microfocus Al source with custom made Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors and W/Si monochromator to produce a collimated beam of 1.487 keV photons. The system has been designed with source interchangeability, allowing reconfiguration to an 8.048 keV reflectometer using a Cu source or other energies with sources such as Fe, Mg, etc. Several mirror samples can be mounted on a motorized stage, and a 2D CCD camera is used to obtain spatially resolved detection.

Excellent X-ray reflective mirror coatings are key in order to meet the performance requirements of the ATHENA telescope. The baseline coating design of ATHENA was initially formed by Ir/B4C but extensive studies have identified critical issues with the stability of the B4C top layer which shows strong evolution over time and appears incompatible with the industrialization processes required for the production of mirror modules. Motivated by the need for a compatible top layer material to improve the telescope performance at low energies and based on simulated performance, a SiC top layer has been selected as the best substitute to B4C. We report the latest development of Ir/SiC bilayer coatings optimized for ATHENA and the characterization of coating performance and stability.

We present a ray tracing simulation of the Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) optics for the THESEUS observatory using the open-source McXtrace software package. THESEUS is a candidate mission within the Cosmic Vision programme of the European Space Agency and is designed to monitor high-energy transient events in the entire sky, therefore relying on fast slewing of the spacecraft. This capability will however impose large temperature variations and gradients across the optics which can cause thermoelastic deformation of the Soft X-ray Imager microchannel optics. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact on the point spread function (PSF) due to in-orbit temperature variation. Based on thermal analysis of the Soft X-ray Imager, perturbations to the ideal microchannel geometry are derived and provided as input to the ray tracer.