Paper
6 October 2011 Design and analysis of mirror modules for IXO and beyond
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Advancements in X-ray astronomy demand thin, light, and closely packed thin optics which lend themselves to segmentation of the annular mirrors and, in turn, a modular approach to the mirror design. The functionality requirements of such a mirror module are well understood. A baseline modular concept for the proposed International X-Ray Observatory (IXO) Flight Mirror Assembly (FMA) consisting of 14,000 glass mirror segments divided into 60 modules was developed and extensively analyzed. Through this development, our understanding of module loads, mirror stress, thermal performance, and gravity distortion have greatly progressed. The latest progress in each of these areas is discussed herein. Gravity distortion during horizontal X-ray testing and on-orbit thermal performance have proved especially difficult design challenges. In light of these challenges, fundamental trades in modular X-ray mirror design have been performed. Future directions in module X-ray mirror design are explored including the development of a 1.8 m diameter FMA utilizing smaller mirror modules. The effect of module size on mirror stress, module selfweight distortion, thermal control, and range of segment sizes required is explored with advantages demonstrated from smaller module size in most cases.
© (2011) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Ryan S. McClelland, Cory Powell, Timo T. Saha, and William W. Zhang "Design and analysis of mirror modules for IXO and beyond", Proc. SPIE 8147, Optics for EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Astronomy V, 81470O (6 October 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.893649
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Cited by 7 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Mirrors

Distortion

X-rays

Glasses

Finite element methods

Mirror structures

Observatories

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