The development of the THESEUS SXI optics

Charlotte Feldman; Paul O'Brien; Richard Willingale; Emile Schyns; Romain Roudot; Ray Fairbend; Julien Séguy; Hannah Lerman; Ian Hutchinson; Melissa McHugh; Alexander Lodge; Roisin Speight

doi:10.1117/12.2562141

13 December 2020 The development of the THESEUS SXI optics

Charlotte Feldman, Paul O'Brien, Richard Willingale, Emile Schyns, Romain Roudot, Ray Fairbend, Julien Séguy, Hannah Lerman, Ian Hutchinson, Melissa McHugh, Alexander Lodge, Roisin Speight

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11444, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2020: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 114448X (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2562141
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2020, Online Only

Conference Poster

Abstract

The Transient High Energy Sources and Early Universe Surveyor is an ESA M5 candidate mission currently in Phase A, with Launch in ∼2032. The aim of the mission is to complete a Gamma Ray Burst survey and monitor transient X-ray events. The University of Leicester is the PI institute for the Soft X-ray Instrument (SXI), and is responsible for both the optic and detector development. The SXI consists of two wide field, lobster eye X-ray modules. Each module consists of 64 Micro Pore Optics (MPO) in an 8 by 8 array and 8 CMOS detectors in each focal plane. The geometry of the MPOs comprises a square packed array of microscopic pores with a square cross-section, arranged over a spherical surface with a radius of curvature twice the focal length of the optic. Working in the photon energy range 0.3-5 keV, the optimum L/d ratio (length of pore L and pore width d) is upwards of 50 and is constant across the whole optic aperture for the SXI. The performance goal for the SXI modules is an angular resolution of 4.5 arcmin, localisation accuracy of ∼1 arcmin and employing an L/d of 60. During the Phase A study, we are investigating methods to improve the current performance and consistency of the MPOs, in cooperation with the manufacturer Photonis France SAS. We present the optics design of the THESEUS SXI modules and the programme of work designed to improve the MPOs performance and the results from the study.

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Charlotte Feldman, Paul O'Brien, Richard Willingale, Emile Schyns, Romain Roudot, Ray Fairbend, Julien Séguy, Hannah Lerman, Ian Hutchinson, Melissa McHugh, Alexander Lodge, and Roisin Speight "The development of the THESEUS SXI optics", Proc. SPIE 11444, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2020: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 114448X (13 December 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2562141

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