This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 7807, including the Title Page, Copyright Information, Table of Contents, and the Conference Committee listing.

The approved German X-ray telescope eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) is the core instrument on the Russian Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission. After satellite launch to Lagrangian point L2 in near future, eROSITA will perform a survey of the entire X-ray sky. In the soft band (0.5 keV - 2 keV), it will be about 30 times more sensitive than ROSAT, while in the hard band (2 keV - 8 keV) it will provide the first complete imaging survey of the sky. The design driving science is the detection of 100,000 clusters of galaxies up to redshift z ~ 1.3 in order to study the large scale structure in the Universe and test cosmological models including Dark Energy. Detection of single X-ray photons with information about their energy, arrival angle and time is accomplished by an array of seven identical and independent PNCCD cameras. Each camera is assigned to a dedicated mirror system of Wolter-I type. The key component of the camera is a 5 cm • 3 cm large, back-illuminated, 450 μm thick and fully depleted frame store PNCCD chip. It is a further development of the sensor type which is in operation aboard the XMM-Newton satellite since 1999. Development and production of the CCDs for the eROSITA project were performed in the semiconductor laboratory of the Max-Planck-Institutes for Physics and Extraterrestrial Physics, the MPI Halbleiterlabor. By means of a unique so-called 'cold-chuck probe station', we have characterized the performance of each PNCCD sensor on chip-level. Various tests were carried out for a detailed characterization of the CCD and its custom-made analog readout ASIC. This includes in particular the evaluation of the optimum detector operating conditions in terms of operating sequence, supply voltages and operating temperature in order to achieve optimum performance. In the course of the eROSITA camera development, an engineering model of the eROSITA flight detector was assembled and is used for tests since 2010. Based on these results and on the extensive tests with lab model detectors, the design of the front-end electronics has meanwhile been finalized for the flight cameras. Furthermore, the specifications for the other supply and control electronics were precisely concluded on the basis of the experimental tests.

We present the development of the data acquisition system for the X-ray CCD camera (SXI: Soft X-ray Imager) onboard the ASTRO-H satellite. Two types of breadboard models (BBMs) of SXI electronics have been produced to verify the functions of each circuit board and to establish the data acquisition system from CCD to SpaceWire (SpW) I/F. Using BBM0, we verified the basic design of the CCD driver, function of the Δ∑-ADC, data acquisition of the frame image, and stability of the SpW communication. We could demonstrate the energy resolution of 164 eV (FWHM) at 5.9 keV. Using BBM1, we verified acquisition of the housekeeping information and the frame images.

We report on the development of the X-ray CCD for the soft X-ray imager (SXI) onboard ASTRO-H. SXI CCDs are P-channel, back-illuminated type manufactured by Hamamatsu Photonics K. K. Experiments with prototype CCD for the SXI shows the device has a depletion layer as thick as 200μm, high efficiency for hard X-rays. By irradiating soft X-rays to the prototype CCD for the SXI. At the same time, we found a significant low energy tail in the soft X-ray response of the SXI prototype CCD. We thus made several small size CCD chips with different treatment in processing the surface layers. CCDs with one of the surface layers treatment show a low energy tail of which intensity is one order of magnitude smaller than that of the original SXI prototype CCD for 0.5keV X-ray incidence. The same treatment will be applied to the flight model CCDs of the SXI. We also performed experiments to inject charge with the SXI prototype CCD, which is needed to mitigate the radiation damage in the orbit. We investigated the operation conditions of the charge injection. Using the potential equilibration method, charges are injected in each column homogeneously, though the amount of the charge must be larger than 20ke^-.

Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) is a CCD camera onboard the ASTRO-H satellite which is scheduled to be launched in 2014. The SXI camera contains four CCD chips, each with an imaing aread of 31mmx31 mm, arrayed in mosaic, which cover the whole FOV area of 38'x38'. The SXI CCD of which model name is HPK Pch-NeXT4 is a P-channel type, back-illuminated, fully depleted device with a thickness of 200μm. We have developed an engineering model of the SXI camera body with coolers, and analog electronics for them. Combined with the bread board digital electronics, we succeeded in operation the whole the SXI system. The CCDs are cooled down to -120°C with this system, and X-rays from ⁵⁵Fe sources are detected. Although optimization of the system is in progress, the energy resolution of typical 200 eV and best 156 eV (FWHM) at 5.9 keV are obtained. The readout noise is 10 e^- to 15 e^-, and to be improved its goal value of 5 e^-. On-going function tests and environment tests reveal some issues to be solved until the producntion of the SXI flight model in 2012.

X-ray polarimetry promises to give qualitatively new information about high-energy astrophysical sources, such as binary black hole systems, micro-quasars, active galactic nuclei, and gamma-ray bursts. We designed, built and tested a hard X-ray polarimeter X-Calibur to be used in the focal plane of the InFOCμS grazing incidence hard X-ray telescope. X-Calibur combines a low-Z Compton scatterer with a CZT detector assembly to measure the polarization of 10-80 keV X-rays making use of the fact that polarized photons Compton scatter preferentially perpendicular to the electric field orientation. X-Calibur achieves a high detection efficiency of order unity.

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) will be the first space mission to focus in the hard X-ray (5-80 keV) band. The NuSTAR instrument carries two co-aligned grazing incidence hard X-ray telescopes. Each NuSTAR focal plane consists of four 2 mm CdZnTe hybrid pixel detectors, each with an active collecting area of 2 cm x 2 cm. Each hybrid consists of a 32x32 array of 605 μm pixels, read out with the Caltech custom low-noise NuCIT ASIC. In order to characterize the spectral response of each pixel to the degree required to meet the science calibration requirements, we have developed a model based on Geant4 together with the Shockley-Ramo theorem customized to the NuSTAR hybrid design. This model combines a Monte Carlo of the X-ray interactions with subsequent charge transport within the detector. The combination of this model and calibration data taken using radioactive sources of ⁵⁷Co, ¹⁵⁵Eu and ²⁴¹Am enables us to determine electron and hole mobility-lifetime products for each pixel, and to compare actual to ideal performance expected for defect-free material.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most drastic and intriguing phenomena in high energy astrophysics. The nature of relativistic collimated outflows that bight be generated by gravitational collapses of massive stars is to investigate the physical process just around the central engines by constraining magnetic environment. For this purpose we developed a compact and high sensitive hard x-ray polarimeter aboard a university class micro-satellite "TSUBAME." Unsurprisingly, any micro-satellites have stringent limitations on size, mass, and power consumption restricting the effective area of detectors. However, high luminosities of GRBs allow us to measure their polarizations only if we start observations just after the ignitions. TSUBAME overcomes this problem by using compact an high-torque actuators, control moment gyroscopes, that enable high speed attitude control faster than 6° s^-1. Cooperating with a wide field burst monitor on board for real time position determination of GRBs, TSUBAME can start a pointing observation within ~15 s after the detection for any GRBs in the half-sky field of view of the burst monitor.

Within the framework of the European Space Agency's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 program, a third call for mission proposals (M3) was released to identify candidate missions for a launch slot in 2020-2022 that are to be studied in detail. The progress on the M3 astrophysics mission candidate studies is presented in this paper. The third medium-sized launch opportunity of the Cosmic Vision program limits the candidates to VEGA or Soyuz-compatible spacecraft to be launched from Kourou with a cost ceiling of 470 M∈. Following the first down-selection by the advisory structure, the selected proposals are undergoing internal studies in the Concurrent Design Facility. The mission concepts of the proposals are developed, the requirements refined, and the feasibility of the missions is assessed. The paper provides a summary of the status of these studies and describes the different spacecraft designs. A thorough description of the model payloads is given with special emphasis on their characteristics, requirements, design, and technical implementation. We also shed light on the ongoing reformulation of the IXO mission into ATHENA and present first results.

The Far-ultraviolet Imaging Rocket Experiment (FIRE) is a sounding rocket payload that was designed to image the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) from 900-1000A and search for young, hot stars. Selected to match the GALEX mission capabilities, FIRE has a resolution of 8 arcseconds with a 54 arcminute field-of-view. To achieve the desired wavelength limits, FIRE utilized a single parabolic mirror coated with silicon carbide, an indium filter and a detector coated with rubidium bromide. In combination, they gave a throughput of approximately 2% from 900-1000A with a throughput of less than 10^-5 at the major source of noise, 1216A Lyman-alpha. To ensure that the 2000A thick indium filter survived launch, the filter and detector were encased in a vacuum canister where the pressure was maintained with a small ion pump and opened after ascent to allow data collection. FIRE launched for the first time on January 28th, 2011 from Poker Flat Research Range in northern Alaska with M51 as a primary target and G191B2B as a calibration target. This flight culminated in the first ever astronomical image taken at the wavelengths of 900-1000A and was successful in all its technology demonstration goals. This paper will describe the scientific motivation, design considerations and initial results.

The Johns Hopkins University sounding rocket group is entering the final fabrication phase of the Far-ultraviolet Off Rowland-circle Telescope for Imaging and Spectroscopy (FORTIS); a sounding rocket borne multi-object spectro-telescope designed to provide spectral coverage of 43 separate targets in the 900 - 1800 Angstrom bandpass over a 30' x 30' field-of- view. Using "on-the-fly" target acquisition and spectral multiplexing enabled by a GSFC microshutter array, FORTIS will be capable of observing the brightest regions in the far-UV of nearby low redshift (z ~ 0.002 - 0.02) star forming galaxies to search for Lyman alpha escape, and to measure the local gas-to-dust ratio. A large area (~ 45 mm x 170 mm) microchannel plate detector built by Sensor Sciences provides an imaging channel for targeting flanked by two redundant spectral outrigger channels. The grating is ruled directly onto the secondary mirror to increase efficiency. In this paper, we discuss the recent progress made in the development and fabrication of FORTIS, as well as the results of early calibration and characterization of our hardware, including mirror/grating measurements, detector performance, and early operational tests of the microshutter arrays.

The WHIMex X-ray observatory will provide an order of magnitude improvement in sensitivity and spectroscopic resolution, ushering in a new era in astrophysics. With resolution ≥ 4,000 and collecting area 250 cm² in the 0.2- 0.8 keV band, WHIMex will greatly extend the spectroscopic discoveries of Chandra and XMM with a low-cost, highly-productive Explorer mission. WHIMex's spectra will provide a wealth of new information on the physical conditions of baryonic matter from the local regions of our Galaxy out to the Cosmic Web and the large-scale structures of the Universe. This baryonic matter is thought to result from gravitational collapse of moderately over-dense, dark-matter filaments of the Cosmic Web. The chemical enrichment of the Cosmic Web appears to arise from galactic super winds and early generations of massive stars. WHIMex will test these theories, distinguish between competing models, and provide new insights into galaxy evolution and the structure of the universe High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy was identified by the ASTRO 2010 decadal survey as a high-priority capability in the coming decade for a wide variety of science goals. Unfortunately, no other planned mission can address this science until IXO flies, no earlier than the late 2020s. WHIMex achieves its high level of performance in a single-instrument, affordable package using X-ray optical technologies developed for IXO and NuSTAR by academic, industrial and government research centers. The technology readiness levels of all the components are high. We plan to build an optical test module and raise the optical system readiness to TRL 6 during Phase A.

eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) is the core instrument on the Russian Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission which is scheduled for launch in 2013. eROSITA will perform an all-sky survey lasting four years, followed by a phase of three years for pointed observations. eROSITA consists of seven identical Mirror Modules, each equipped with 54 Wolter-I shells with an outer diameter of 360 mm. This would provide an effective area of ~1500 cm² at 1.5 keV and an on axis PSF HEW of 15 arcsec resulting in an effective angular resolution of 28 arcsec averaged over the field of view. In the focus of each mirror module, a fast frame-store pn-CCD provides a field of view of 1°in diameter. In this paper we report on the instrument development and its status only.

DUAL will study the origin and evolution of the elements and explores new frontiers of physics: extreme energies that drive powerful stellar explosions and accelerate particles to macroscopic energies; extreme densities that modify the laws of physics around the most compact objects known; and extreme fields that influence matter in a way that is unknown on Earth. The variability of these extreme objects requires continuous all-sky coverage, while detailed study demands an improvement in sensitivity over previous technologies by at least an order of magnitude. The DUAL payload is composed of an All-Sky Compton Imager (ASCI), and two optical modules, the Laue-Lens Optic (LLO) and the Coded-Mask Optic (CMO). The ASCI serves dual roles simultaneously, both as an optimal focal-plane sensor for deep observations with the optical modules and as a sensitive true all-sky telescope in its own right for all-sky surveys and monitoring. While the optical modules are located on the main satellite, the All-Sky Compton Imager is situated on a deployable structure at a distance of 30 m from the satellite. This configuration not only permits to maintain the less massive payload at the focal distance, it also greatly reduces the spacecraft-induced detector background, and, above all it provides ASCI with a continuous all-sky exposure.

Current FUV instrumentation is seriously compromised by poor reflectivity. The best existing coatings for the 90 - 115 nm range are SiC (30% reflectivity across the band) and LiF/Aluminum (60% reflectivity from 100 nm to 115 nm). An improved coating therefore would enable the production of vastly more sensitive instruments in the 90 - 200 nm range. An additional goal in the development of an alternate FUV coating is to overcome the well-documented hygroscopic behaviors of LiF coatings, which currently impose handling concerns that in turn drive cost and schedule. The coatings we will develop in this effort must also function well through the conventional silicon-based detector bandpass (200 nm to 1100 nm). By ensuring that these new coatings are usable at many wavelengths, we will make it possible to incorporate ultraviolet instruments into future large missions without compromising the science capability of other instruments or increasing cost and risk due to handling issues.

The color dependence of the measured decline of the on-orbit sensitivity of the FUV channel of the HST Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (HST-COS) indicated the principal loss mechanism to be degradation of the cesium iodide (CsI) photocathode of the open-faced FUV detector. A possible cause of this degradation is contamination by atomic oxygen (AO), prompting an investigation of the interaction of AO with CsI. To address this question, opaque CsI photocathodes were deposited on stainless steel substrates employing the same deposition techniques and parameters used for the photocathodes of the HST-COS FUV detector. The as-deposited FUV quantum efficiency of these photocathodes was measured in the 117-174 nm range. Several of the photocathodes were exposed to varying levels of thermalized, atomic oxygen (AO) fluence (produced via an RF plasma). The post AO exposure QE's were measured and the degradation of sensitivity versus wavelength and AO fluence are presented.

A new method of fabricating microchannel plates has been investigated, employing microcapillary arrays of borosilicate glass that are deposited with resistive and secondary emissive layers using atomic layer deposition. Microchannel plates of this kind have been made in sizes from 33 mm to 200 mm, with pore sizes of 40 μm and 20 μm, pore length to diameter ratios of 60:1, bias angles of 8°, and open areas from 60% to 83%. Tests with single MCPs and MCP pairs have been done and show good imaging quality, gain comparable to conventional MCPs, low background rates (~ 0.085 events sec^-1 cm^-2), fast pulse response, and good ageing characteristics. The quantum efficiency for bare and alkali halide coated MCPs is similar to conventional MCPs, and we have also been able to deposit opaque GaN(Mg) cathodes directly onto these MCPs.

Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) have been traditionally used on high resolution soft X-ray spectrometers, but with their ability to increase the signal level in the detector before the readout noise of the system is added, Electron-Multiplying CCDs (EM-CCDs) have the potential to offer many advantages in soft X-ray detection. Through this signal multiplication an EM-CCD has advantages over conventioanl CCDs of increased signal, suppressed noise, faster readout speeds for the same equivalent readout noise and an increased inmmunity to Electro-Magnetic Intereference. This paper will look at present and future spacel applications for high resolution soft X-ray spectrometers and assess the advantages and disadvantage of using EM-CCDs in these applications.

Orthogonal transfer array CCDs were originally developed by the University of Hawaii and MIT Lincoln Laboratory for use in the focal planes of the ground-based Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS). These devices have relatively large area (5x5 cm) and a novel, multiple-output readout architecture that makes them attractive for certain applications in spaced-base X-ray astronomy. We have therefore conducted a series of tests to determine their sensitivity to proton radiation encountered on-orbit. We report effects of typical on-orbit proton exposure on charge transfer efficiency, dark current, noise and spectral resolution as a function of device operating temperature and readout parameters.

In this paper, the optical and electrical performance of a newly developed silicon photodiode based on pure boron CVD technology (PureB-diodes) is introduced. Due to their extremely shallow p-n junction, with the depletion zone starting only a few nanometers below the surface, and nm-thin pure-boron-layer coverage of the anode surface, PureB-diodes have so far demonstrated the highest reported spectral responsivity in all sub-visible ultraviolet (UV) ranges: DUV (deep ultraviolet), VUV (vacuum ultraviolet) and EUV (extreme ultraviolet), covering a spectrum from 220 nm down to few nanometersMoreover, the measured responsivity at 13.5 nm wavelengths (EUV) approaches the theoretical maximum (~0.27A/W). PureB-diodes also maintain excellent electrical characteristics, with saturation-current values typical for high-quality silicon diodes, and a high breakdown voltage. Experimental results have demonstrated the extremely high radiation hardness of PureB-diodes when exposed to high EUV radiant exposures in the order of a few hundred kJ/cm². No change in the responsivity is observed within the experimental uncertainty. In the more challenging DUV and especially VUV ranges, PureB-diodes demonstrate a slight initial drop of responsivity (1 to 2%), after which they stabilizes their performance.

EXtreme ultraviolet spectrosCope for ExosphEric Dynamics (EXCEED) will carry out the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectroscopic imaging observations from earth orbit. It clarifies the plasma distributions and compositions around the various planets and examines the interactions with the solar wind. Observations should be carried out at high altitude so that the earth's atmospheric absorption is free. Our spectral range is from 60 to 145 nm and the spectral resolution is 0.3 to 1 nm (FWHM). The mission is planned to be launched in 2013, beginning of the next period of solar maximum. In this paper, we will introduce the general mission overview, scientific objectives and development of instrument.

We present the Colorado High-resolution Echelle Stellar Spectrograph (CHESS) sounding rocket payload. The design uses a mechanical collimator made from a grid of square tubing, an objective echelle grating, a holographically-ruled cross-disperser, a new 40 mm MCP with a cross strip anode or a delta-doped 3.5k x 3.5k CCD detector. The optics are suspended using carbon fiber rods epoxied to titanium inserts to create a space frame structure. A preliminary design is presented.

The Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) uses a large-format cross delay line (XDL) detector in its Far Ultraviolet (FUV) channel. While obtaining spectra, light falls non-uniformly on the detector due to the optical design and the spectral properties of the object being observed; in particular, bright emission lines from geocoronal Lyman-alpha can fall on the detector in more than 20 locations. As a result, some areas of the detector have received a much greater exposure than others. This non-uniform illumination has led to a time- and position-dependent change in the gain of the microchannel plates, which causes variations in the overall detector performance. We will discuss the effects of this gain sag on the science data, and discuss mitigation strategies which are being implemented in order to maximize the detector lifetime.