SRG/eROSITA in-flight background at L2

Michael Freyberg; Emanuele Perinati; Florian Pacaud; Tanja Eraerds; Eugene Churazov; Konrad Dennerl; Peter Predehl; Andrea Merloni; Norbert Meidinger; Esra Bulbul; Susanne Friedrich; Marat Gilfanov; Chris Tenzer; Christian Pommranz; Dominique Eckert; Jürgen Schmitt; Marcella Brusa; Andrea Santangelo

doi:10.1117/12.2562709

13 December 2020 SRG/eROSITA in-flight background at L2

Michael Freyberg, Emanuele Perinati, Florian Pacaud, Tanja Eraerds, Eugene Churazov, Konrad Dennerl, Peter Predehl, Andrea Merloni, Norbert Meidinger, Esra Bulbul, Susanne Friedrich, Marat Gilfanov, Chris Tenzer, Christian Pommranz, Dominique Eckert, Jürgen Schmitt, Marcella Brusa, Andrea Santangelo

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11444, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2020: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 114441O (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2562709
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2020, Online Only

Abstract

eROSITA aboard the Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma satellite, successfully launched in July 2019, is the first X-ray astronomical telescope operational at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. A prime scientific goal of eROSITA is the detection of 100000 clusters of galaxies, which at the fainter luminosity end appears as weak and slightly extended objects. For a reliable detection and characterization of the sources also a detailed knowledge of the instrumental background is required. In the light of the upcoming ESA Athena mission and other future X-ray missions, eROSITA can play a role as pathfinder in terms of space environment and non-X-ray background at L2.. Initial results related to the eROSITA in-flight background have been obtained during Commissioning and subsequent Calibration and Performance Verification phases. The eROSITA background is composed of various components, such as from the electronics, from particle induced radiation inside the camera, external particles registered (and rejected) onboard, stray-light from celestial sources, and general X-ray background. By means of dedicated variations of the set-up (e.g., filter wheel, on-board processing) and viewing direction we started to disentangle the components and origins. Particle background variations appear to be low, which may be expected due to the low solar activity at the moment. The general background level appears to exceed pre-launch expectation. This is currently under investigation.

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Michael Freyberg, Emanuele Perinati, Florian Pacaud, Tanja Eraerds, Eugene Churazov, Konrad Dennerl, Peter Predehl, Andrea Merloni, Norbert Meidinger, Esra Bulbul, Susanne Friedrich, Marat Gilfanov, Chris Tenzer, Christian Pommranz, Dominique Eckert, Jürgen Schmitt, Marcella Brusa, and Andrea Santangelo "SRG/eROSITA in-flight background at L2", Proc. SPIE 11444, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2020: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 114441O (13 December 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2562709

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