185 research outputs found
Thermal Transport Model for Heat Sink Design
A document discusses the development of a finite element model for describing thermal transport through microcalorimeter arrays in order to assist in heat-sinking design. A fabricated multi-absorber transition edge sensor (PoST) was designed in order to reduce device wiring density by a factor of four. The finite element model consists of breaking the microcalorimeter array into separate elements, including the transition edge sensor (TES) and the silicon substrate on which the sensor is deposited. Each element is then broken up into subelements, whose surface area subtends 10 10 microns. The heat capacity per unit temperature, thermal conductance, and thermal diffusivity of each subelement are the model inputs, as are the temperatures of each subelement. Numerical integration using the Finite in Time Centered in Space algorithm of the thermal diffusion equation is then performed in order to obtain a temporal evolution of the subelement temperature. Thermal transport across interfaces is modeled using a thermal boundary resistance obtained using the acoustic mismatch model. The document concludes with a discussion of the PoST fabrication. PoSTs are novel because they enable incident x-ray position sensitivity with good energy resolution and low wiring density
Searching for keV Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter with X-ray Microcalorimeter Sounding Rockets
High-resolution X-ray spectrometers onboard suborbital sounding rockets can
search for dark matter candidates that produce X-ray lines, such as decaying
keV-scale sterile neutrinos. Even with exposure times and effective areas far
smaller than XMM-Newton and Chandra observations, high-resolution, wide
field-of-view observations with sounding rockets have competitive sensitivity
to decaying sterile neutrinos. We analyze a subset of the 2011 observation by
the X-ray Quantum Calorimeter instrument centered on Galactic coordinates l =
165, b = -5 with an effective exposure of 106 seconds, obtaining a limit on the
sterile neutrino mixing angle of sin^2(2 theta) < 7.2e-10 at 95% CL for a 7 keV
neutrino. Better sensitivity at the level of sin^2(2 theta) ~ 2.1e-11 at 95\%
CL for a 7 keV neutrino is achievable with future 300-second observations of
the galactic center by the Micro-X instrument, providing a definitive test of
the sterile neutrino interpretation of the reported 3.56 keV excess from galaxy
clusters.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Ap
Multiabsorber Transition-Edge Sensors for X-Ray Astronomy
We are developing arrays of position-sensitive microcalorimeters for future x-ray astronomy applications. These position-sensitive devices commonly referred to as hydras consist of multiple x-ray absorbers, each with a different thermal coupling to a single-transition-edge sensor microcalorimeter. Their development is motivated by a desire to achieve very large pixel arrays with some modest compromise in performance. We report on the design, optimization, and first results from devices with small pitch pixels (<75 m) being developed for a high-angular and energy resolution imaging spectrometer for Lynx. The Lynx x-ray space telescope is a flagship mission concept under study for the National Academy of Science 2020 decadal survey. Broadband full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) resolution measurements on a 9-pixel hydra have demonstrated E(FWHM) = 2.23 0.14 eV at Al-K, E(FWHM) = 2.44 0.29 eV at Mn-K, and E(FWHM) = 3.39 0.23 eV at Cu-K. Position discrimination is demonstrated to energies below <1 keV and the device performance is well-described by a finite-element model. Results from a prototype 20-pixel hydra with absorbers on a 50-m pitch have shown E(FWHM) = 3.38 0.20 eV at Cr-K1. We are now optimizing designs specifically for Lynx and extending the number of absorbers up to 25/hydra. Numerical simulation suggests optimized designs could achieve 3 eV while being compatible with the bandwidth requirements of the state-of-the art multiplexed readout schemes, thus making a 100,000 pixel microcalorimeter instrument a realistic goal
High-resolution Laboratory Measurements of K-shell X-ray Line Polarization and Excitation Cross Sections in Heliumlike S XV Ions
We report measurements of electron-impact excitation cross sections for the
strong K-shell n=2-1 transitions in S XV using the LLNL EBIT-I electron beam
ion trap, two crystal spectrometers, and the EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer. The
cross sections are determined by direct normalization to the well known cross
sections of radiative electron capture, measured simultaneously. Using
contemporaneous polarization measurements with the two crystal spectrometers,
whose dispersion planes are oriented parallel and perpendicular to the electron
beam direction, the polarization of the direct excitation line emission is
determined, and in turn the isotropic total cross sections are extracted. We
further experimentally investigate various line-formation mechanisms, finding
that radiative cascades and collisional inner-shell ionization dominate the
degree of linear polarization and total line-emission cross sections of the
forbidden line .Comment: 16 Pages, 9 Figures, published in Ap
X-ray Spectral Study of the extended emission,'the Cap', located 11.6 kpc above the disk of M82
The extended X-ray emission from 'the Cap' region located 11' (11.6 kpc)
above the disk of the starburst galaxy M82 has been observed with Suzaku and
XMM-Newton. Owing to the good energy resolution and the large collecting area
of the XIS on Suzaku, combined with similar properties of the EPIC instrument
on XMM-Newton, we have clearly detected K-shell emission lines from O VII, O
VIII, Ne X, Mg XI, Mg XII and the Fe-L complex. Two optically-thin thermal
plasma components are required to fit the observed X-ray spectra. We have
determined the metal abundances of O, Ne, Mg, Si and Fe in this region for the
first time. Their metal abundance ratios agree well with those of metal-poor
stars and the model prediction of metals synthesized by type-II supernovae, but
they are not consistent with the metallicities of type-Ia supernovae. This
result is support for the idea that the origin of the metals in the Cap is
type-II supernovae explosions occurring in the starburst regions in the M82
galaxy. We discuss the possible contribution from sputtered dust grains to the
metals in the Cap. An emission line consistent with the C VI transition of n=4
to 1 at 0.459 keV is marginally detected, although it is not statistically
significant at the 99% confidence level; the presence of this line would
suggest charge-exchange processes in the Cap.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figuer
Absorber Materials for Transition-Edge Sensor X-ray Microcalorimeters
Arrays of superconducting transition-edge sensors (TES) can provide high spatial and energy resolution necessary for x-ray astronomy. High quantum efficiency and uniformity of response can be achieved with a suitable absorber material, in which absorber x-ray stopping power, heat capacity, and thermal conductivity are relevant parameters. Here we compare these parameters for bismuth and gold. We have fabricated electroplated gold, electroplated gold/electroplated bismuth, and evaporated gold/evaporated bismuth 8x8 absorber arrays and find that a correlation exists between the residual resistance ratio (RRR) and thin film microstructure. This finding indicates that we can tailor absorber material conductivity via microstructure alteration, so as to permit absorber thermalization on timescales suitable for high energy resolution x-ray microcalorimetry. We show that by incorporating absorbers possessing large grain size, including electroplated gold and electroplated gold/electroplated bismuth, into our current Mo/Au TES, devices with tunable heat capacity and energy resolution of 2.3 eV (gold) and 2.1 eV (gold/bismuth) FWHM at 6 keV have been fabricated
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