Component testing for x-ray spectroscopy and polarimetry

Alan Garner; Herman L. Marshall; Sarah N. Trowbridge Heine; Ralf K. Heilmann; Jungki Song; Norbert S. Schulz; Beverly J. LaMarr; Mark Egan

doi:10.1117/12.2529607

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9 September 2019 Component testing for x-ray spectroscopy and polarimetry

Alan Garner, Herman L. Marshall, Sarah N. Trowbridge Heine, Ralf K. Heilmann, Jungki Song, Norbert S. Schulz, Beverly J. LaMarr, Mark Egan

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Proceedings Volume 11118, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXI; 1111811 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2529607
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2019, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

We present the performance and recent results of the MIT polarimetry beamline. Originally designed for testing Chandra HETG gratings, the beamline has been adapted to test components for soft x-ray polarimetry applications. Since then, its monochromator capabilities have also been used to test gratings. We present results on the measured absolute efficiencies of the Arcus Phase A gratings using the B-K, O-K, and C-K emission lines. The beamline has also been used to develop tools and techniques to measure the linear polarization of soft X-rays (0.2-0.8 keV), which form the basis for a sounding rocket mission REDSoX (Rocket Experiment Demonstration of a Soft X-ray Polarimeter) and a possible orbital mission. We present our tests to align the REDSoX gratings, as well as our idea to use thin twisted crystals as a possible alternative to laterally-graded multilayer mirrors. Support for this work was provided in part by the NASA grant NNX15AL14G and a grant from the MIT Kavli Institute.

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Alan Garner, Herman L. Marshall, Sarah N. Trowbridge Heine, Ralf K. Heilmann, Jungki Song, Norbert S. Schulz, Beverly J. LaMarr, and Mark Egan "Component testing for x-ray spectroscopy and polarimetry", Proc. SPIE 11118, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXI, 1111811 (9 September 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2529607

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