25 research outputs found
X-ray Evaluation of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-Ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) Nickel-Replicated Mirrors
X-ray observations of astronomical objects provides diagnostics not available in any other wavelength regime, however the capability of making these observation at a high spatial resolution has proven challenging. Recently, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has made good progress in employing computer numerical control (CNC) polishing techniques on electroless nickel mandrels as part of our replicated grazing incidence optics program. CNC polishing has afforded the ability to deterministically refine mandrel figure, thereby improving mirror performance. The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a MSFC-led sounding rocket instrument that is designed to make the first ever soft x-ray spectral observations of the Sun spatially resolved along a narrow slit. MaGIXS incorporates some of the first mirrors produced at MSFC using this polishing technique. Here we present the predicted mirror performance obtained from metrology, after completion of CNC polishing, as well as the results of X-ray tests performed on the MaGIXS telescope mirror before and after mounting
On the Alignment and Focusing of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)
The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a NASA sounding rocket instrument that is designed to observe soft X-ray emissions from 24 - 6.0 A (0.5 - 2.0 keV energies) in the solar atmosphere. For the rst time, high-temperature, low-emission plasma will be observed directly with 5 arcsecond spatial resolution and 22 mA spectral resolution. The unique optical design consists of a Wolter - I telescope and a 3-optic grazing- incidence spectrometer. The spectrometer utilizes a nite conjugate mirror pair and a blazed planar, varied line spaced grating, which is directly printed on a silicon substrate using e-beam lithography. The grating design is being nalized and the grating will be fabricated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Izentis LLC. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is producing the nickel replicated telescope and spectrometer mirrors using the same facilities and techniques as those developed for the ART-XC and FOXSI mirrors. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) will mount and align the optical sub-assemblies based on previous experience with similar instruments, such as the Hinode X-Ray Telescope (XRT). The telescope and spectrometer assembly will be aligned in visible light through the implementation of a theodolite and reference mirrors, in addition to the centroid detector assembly (CDA) { a device designed to align the AXAF-I nested mirrors. Focusing of the telescope and spectrometer will be achieved using the X-ray source in the Stray Light Facility (SLF) at MSFC. We present results from an alignment sensitivity analysis performed on the on the system and we also discuss the method for aligning and focusing MaGIXS
Marshall Grazing Incidence X-Ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)
Outline: Scientific motivation for MaGIXS (Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer) - Demonstrate sensitivity of MaGIXS to determine high temperature plasma; Instrument design - Challenges involved; Instrument status - alignment and calibration
Determining the Frequency of Coronal Heating with the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-Ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)
No abstract availabl
On the alignment and focusing of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)
The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a NASA sounding rocket instrument that is designed to observe soft X-ray emissions from 24 - 6.0 脜 (0.5 - 2.0 keV energies) in the solar atmosphere. For the first time, high-temperature, low-emission plasma will be observed directly with 5 arcsecond spatial resolution and 22 m脜 spectral resolution. The unique optical design consists of a Wolter - I telescope and a 3-optic grazing-incidence spectrometer. The spectrometer utilizes a finite conjugate mirror pair and a blazed planar, varied line spaced grating, which is directly printed on a silicon substrate using e-beam lithography. The grating design is being finalized and the grating will be fabricated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Izentis LLC. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is producing the nickel replicated telescope and spectrometer mirrors using the same facilities and techniques as those developed for the ART-XC and FOXSI mirrors. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) will mount and align the optical sub-assemblies based on previous experience with similar instruments, such as the Hinode X-Ray Telescope (XRT). The telescope and spectrometer assembly will be aligned in visible light through the implementation of a theodolite and reference mirrors, in addition to the centroid detector assembly (CDA) - a device designed to align the AXAF-I nested mirrors. Focusing of the telescope and spectrometer will be achieved using the X-ray source in the Stray Light Facility (SLF) at MSFC. We present results from an alignment sensitivity analysis performed on the on the system and we also discuss the method for aligning and focusing MaGIXS. Keywords: X-ray, Alignment, Sounding Rocke
On the Development of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrograph (MaGIXS) Mirrors
The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrograph (MaGIXS) is a sounding rocket experiment that will obtain spatially resolved soft X-ray spectra of the solar corona from 0.5 - 2 keV. The optical system comprises a Wolter-I telescope mirror, a slit spectrograph, and a CCD camera. The spectrograph has a finite conjugate paraboloid pair, which re-images the slit, and a varied line-space planar reflection grating. Both the Wolter-I mirror and paraboloid pair are being fabricated at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), using nickel replication. The MaGIXS mirror mandrels have been diamond turned, polished, and have yielded a set of engineering mirrors. Unlike other grazing incidence instruments, such as FOXSI, ART-XC, and IXPE, the MaGIXS prescriptions have large departure from a cone. This property exacerbates challenges with conventional lap polishing techniques and interferometric metrology. Here we discuss the progression of the optical surfaces of the mandrels through lap polishing, X-ray data from the replicated shells obtained in the MSFC Stray Light Facility (SLF), and our transition to using the ZEEKO computer numerical controlled (CNC) polisher for figure correction
Calibration of the MaGIXS experiment II: Flight Instrument Calibration
The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a sounding
rocket experiment that observes the soft X-ray spectrum of the Sun from 6.0 -
24 Angstrom (0.5 - 2.0 keV), successfully launched on 30 July 2021. End-to-end
alignment of the flight instrument and calibration experiments are carried out
using the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility (XRCF) at NASA Marshall Space Flight
Center. In this paper, we present the calibration experiments of MaGIXS, which
include wavelength calibration, measurement of line spread function, and
determination of effective area. Finally, we use the measured instrument
response function to predict the expected count rates for MaGIXS flight
observation looking at a typical solar active regionComment: 20 pages, 16 figures, Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Determining the nanoflare heating frequency of an X-ray Bright Point observed by MaGIXS
Nanoflares are thought to be one of the prime candidates that can heat the
solar corona to its multi-million kelvin temperature. Individual nanoflares are
difficult to detect with the present generation instruments, however their
presence can be inferred by comparing simulated nanoflare-heated plasma
emissions with the observed emission. Using HYDRAD coronal loop simulations, we
model the emission from an X-ray bright point (XBP) observed by the Marshall
Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS), along with nearest-available
observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard Solar Dynamics
Observatory (SDO) and X-Ray Telescope (XRT) onboard Hinode observatory. The
length and magnetic field strength of the coronal loops are derived from the
linear-force-free extrapolation of the observed photospheric magnetogram by
Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard SDO. Each loop is assumed to be
heated by random nanoflares, whose magnitude and frequency are determined by
the loop length and magnetic field strength. The simulation results are then
compared and matched against the measured intensity from AIA, XRT, and MaGIXS.
Our model results indicate the observed emissions from the XBP under study
could be well matched by a distribution of nanoflares with average delay times
1500 s to 3000 s, which suggest that the heating is dominated by high-frequency
events. Further, we demonstrate the high sensitivity of MaGIXS and XRT to
diagnose the heating frequency using this method, while AIA passbands are found
to be the least sensitive.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (ApJ
The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-Ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)
No abstract availabl