Modeling contamination migration on the Chandra X-ray Observatory IV

Stephen L. O'Dell; Douglas A. Swartz; Neil W. Tice; Paul P. Plucinsky; Herman L. Marshall; Akos Bogdan; Catherine E. Grant; Allyn F. Tennant; Matthew Dahmer

doi:10.1117/12.2274818

Translator Disclaimer

29 August 2017 Modeling contamination migration on the Chandra X-ray Observatory IV

Stephen L. O'Dell, Douglas A. Swartz, Neil W. Tice, Paul P. Plucinsky, Herman L. Marshall, Akos Bogdan, Catherine E. Grant, Allyn F. Tennant, Matthew Dahmer

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 10397, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XX; 103970C (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2274818
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2017, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

During its first 18 years of operation, the cold (about -60°C) optical blocking filters of the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS), aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory, has accumulated a growing layer of molecular contamination, which attenuates low-energy x rays. Over the past several years, the accumulation rate, spatial distribution, and composition have changed. This evolution has motivated further analysis of contamination migration within and near the ACIS cavity, in part to evaluate potential bake-out scenarios intended to reduce the level of contamination. This paper, the fourth on this topic, reports the results of recent contamination-migration simulations and their relevance to a decision whether to bake-out the ACIS instrument.

Citation Download Citation

Stephen L. O'Dell, Douglas A. Swartz, Neil W. Tice, Paul P. Plucinsky, Herman L. Marshall, Akos Bogdan, Catherine E. Grant, Allyn F. Tennant, and Matthew Dahmer "Modeling contamination migration on the Chandra X-ray Observatory IV", Proc. SPIE 10397, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XX, 103970C (29 August 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2274818

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE