The focal plane assembly for the Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit instrument
- Authors: Jackson, B.; van Weers, H.; van der Kuur, J.; den Hartog, R.; Akamatsu, H.; Argan, A.; Bandler, S.; Barbera, M.; Barret, D.; Bruijn, M.; Chervenak, J.; Dercksen, J.; Gatti, F.; Gottardi, L.; Haas, D.; den Herder, J.; Kilbourne, C.; Kiviranta, M.; Lam Trong, T.; van Leeuwen, B.; Macculi, C.; Piro, L.; Smith, S.
- Publication year: 2016
- Type: Contributo in atti di convegno pubblicato in volume
- OA Link: http://hdl.handle.net/10447/215547
Abstract
This paper summarizes a preliminary design concept for the focal plane assembly of the X-ray Integral Field Unit on the Athena spacecraft, an imaging microcalorimeter that will enable high spectral resolution imaging and point-source spectroscopy. The instrument's sensor array will be a ~ 3840-pixel transition edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter array, with a frequency domain multiplexed SQUID readout system allowing this large-format sensor array to be operated within the thermal constraints of the instrument's cryogenic system. A second TES detector will be operated in close proximity to the sensor array to detect cosmic rays and secondary particles passing through the sensor array for off-line coincidence detection to identify and reject events caused by the in-orbit high-energy particle background. The detectors, operating at 55 mK, or less, will be thermally isolated from the instrument cryostat's 2 K stage, while shielding and filtering within the FPA will allow the instrument's sensitive sensor array to be operated in the expected environment during both on-ground testing and in-flight operation, including straylight from the cryostat environment, low-energy photons entering through the X-ray aperture, low-frequency magnetic fields, and high-frequency electric fields.