The Microchannel X-ray Telescope for the Gamma-Ray Burst mission SVOM

Authors :: Adrian Martindale
Phil Evans
K. Mercier
Bertrand Cordier
Richard Willingale
Andrea Santangelo
Jochen Greiner
N. A. Webb
O. Godet
C. Rossin
J. A. Paul
Norbert Meidinger
S. Basa
D. Gotz
F. Gonzalez
A. P. Beardmore
J. L. Osborne
Kirpal Nandra
Emanuele Perinati
P. T. O'Brien
Publication Year :: 2014
Publisher :: arXiv, 2014.
Abstract: We present the Microchannel X-ray Telescope, a new light and compact focussing telescope that will be flying on the Sino-French SVOM mission dedicated to Gamma-Ray Burst science. The MXT design is based on the coupling of square pore micro-channel plates with a low noise pnCCD. MXT will provide an effective area of about 50 cmsq, and its point spread function is expected to be better than 3.7 arc min (FWHM) on axis. The estimated sensitivity is adequate to detect all the afterglows of the SVOM GRBs, and to localize them to better then 60 arc sec after five minutes of observation.<br />Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, to be published in SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, Montreal, June 2014