The BEaTriX x-ray facility at work: activities and future development

Abstract

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.

Authors 19

1. Bianca Salmaso

   Brera Astronomical Observatory

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Italy)

2. Daniele Spiga

   Brera Astronomical Observatory · National Institute for Astrophysics

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF Astronomical Observatory Brera , Via E. Bianchi 46 , 23807 Merate , Lecco ( Italy )

   INAF Astronomical Observatory Brera, Via E. Bianchi 46, 23807 Merate, Lecco (Italy)

3. Stefano Basso

   Brera Astronomical Observatory

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Italy)

4. Davide Sisana

   Brera Astronomical Observatory · National Institute for Astrophysics · Politecnico di Milano

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF Astronomical Observatory Brera , Via E. Bianchi 46 , 23807 Merate , Lecco ( Italy )

   Politecnico Milano Bovisa , Via La Masa 34 , 20156 Milano ( Italy )

   INAF Astronomical Observatory Brera, Via E. Bianchi 46, 23807 Merate, Lecco (Italy)

   Politecnico Milano Bovisa, Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milano (Italy)

5. M. Ghigo

   Brera Astronomical Observatory

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Italy)

6. G. Vecchi

   Brera Astronomical Observatory

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Italy)

7. Giorgia Sironi

   Brera Astronomical Observatory

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Italy)

8. Vincenzo Cotroneo

   Brera Astronomical Observatory

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Italy)

9. Giovanni Pareschi

   Brera Astronomical Observatory

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Italy)

10. Gianpiero Tagliaferri

    Brera Astronomical Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Italy)

11. C. Ferrari

    Brera Astronomical Observatory · Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism · National Research Council

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Italy)

    Istituto dei Materiali per l'Elettronica ed il Magnetismo, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Italy)

12. Giancarlo Parodi
    Affiliation as printed

    BCV Progetti (Italy)

13. Vadim Burwitz

    Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (Germany)

14. Desirée Della Monica Ferreira

    DTU Space

    Affiliation as printed

    DTU Space (Denmark)

15. Marcos Bavdaz

    European Space Agency · European Space Research and Technology Centre

    Affiliation as printed

    European Space Research and Technology Ctr., European Space Agency (Netherlands)

16. Ivo Ferreira

    European Space Agency · European Space Research and Technology Centre

    Affiliation as printed

    European Space Research and Technology Ctr., European Space Agency (Netherlands)

17. Maximilien J. Collon
18. Giuseppe Vacanti Aachen Cosine measurement systems

    Cosine (Netherlands)

    Affiliation as printed

    Cosine Measurement Systems (Netherlands)

19. Sjoerd Verhoeckx Aachen Cosine measurement systems

    Cosine (Netherlands)

    Affiliation as printed

    Cosine Measurement Systems (Netherlands)