0000000001148976
AUTHOR
Mikko Kiviranta
The Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit: a consolidated design for the system requirement review of the preliminary definition phase
The Athena X-ray Integral Unit (X-IFU) is the high resolution X-ray spectrometer, studied since 2015 for flying in the mid-30s on the Athena space X-ray Observatory, a versatile observatory designed to address the Hot and Energetic Universe science theme, selected in November 2013 by the Survey Science Committee. Based on a large format array of Transition Edge Sensors (TES), it aims to provide spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy, with a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV (up to 7 keV) over an hexagonal field of view of 5 arc minutes (equivalent diameter). The X-IFU entered its System Requirement Review (SRR) in June 2022, at about the same time when ESA called for an overall X-IFU redesign (i…
The focal plane assembly for the Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit instrument
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…
Sub-kelvin current amplifier using DC-SQUID
Abstract We have set up a system where a low-noise DC-SQUID is used as a current amplifier. The SQUID output is read using a wide band electronics unit based on the noise cancellation scheme. The SQUID has been installed in a compact Nanoway PDR50 dilution refrigerator, and superconducting transitions of Ti/Au thermometer strips for X-ray calorimeter applications have been measured. We can operate at 100 mK using a SQUID with Pd shunt resistors. Noise and bandwidth results of the setup are presented.