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ATHENA X-IFU thermal filters development status toward the end of the instrument phase-A

Barbera, M; Lo Cicero, U; Sciortino, L; D'Anca, F; Lo Cicero, G; Parodi, G; Sciortino, S; ... Piro, L; + view all (2018) ATHENA X-IFU thermal filters development status toward the end of the instrument phase-A. In: Proceedings of Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray. (pp. 106991R-1-106991R-15). SPIE: Austin, TX, United States. Green open access

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Abstract

The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) is one of the two instruments of the Athena astrophysics space mission approved by ESA in the Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Science Programme. The X-IFU consists of a large array of transition edge sensor micro-calorimeters that will operate at ∼100 mK inside a sophisticated cryostat. A set of thin filters, highly transparent to X-rays, will be mounted on the opening windows of the cryostat thermal shields in order to attenuate the IR radiative load, to attenuate radio frequency electromagnetic interferences, and to protect the detector from contamination. Thermal filters are critical items in the proper operation of the X-IFU detector in space. They need to be strong enough to survive the launch stresses but very thin to be highly transparent to X-rays. They essentially define the detector quantum efficiency at low energies and are fundamental to make the photon shot noise a negligible contribution to the energy resolution budget. In this paper, we review the main results of modeling and characterization tests of the thermal filters performed during the phase A study to identify the suitable materials, optimize the design, and demonstrate that the chosen technology can reach the proper readiness before mission adoption.

Type: Proceedings paper
Title: ATHENA X-IFU thermal filters development status toward the end of the instrument phase-A
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2018
ISBN-13: 9781510619517
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1117/12.2314450
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2314450
Language: English
Additional information: © 2018 SPIE. This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Space and Climate Physics
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10055631
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