Ground calibration of the Astro-H (Hitomi) soft x-ray spectrometer

M. E. Eckart; J. S. Adams; K. R. Boyce; G. V. Brown; M. P. Chiao; R. Fujimoto; D. Haas; J. W. den Herder; Y. Ishisaki; R. L. Kelley; C. A. Kilbourne; M. A. Leutenegger; D. McCammon; K. Mitsuda; F. S. Porter; K. Sato; M. Sawada; H. Seta; G. A. Sneiderman; A. E. Szymkowiak; Y. Takei; M. Tashiro; M. Tsujimoto; C. P. de Vries; T. Watanabe; S. Yamada; N. Y. Yamasaki

doi:10.1117/12.2233053

26 July 2016 Ground calibration of the Astro-H (Hitomi) soft x-ray spectrometer

M. E. Eckart, J. S. Adams, K. R. Boyce, G. V. Brown, M. P. Chiao, R. Fujimoto, D. Haas, J. W. den Herder, Y. Ishisaki, R. L. Kelley, C. A. Kilbourne, M. A. Leutenegger, D. McCammon, K. Mitsuda, F. S. Porter, K. Sato, M. Sawada, H. Seta, G. A. Sneiderman, A. E. Szymkowiak, Y. Takei, M. Tashiro, M. Tsujimoto, C. P. de Vries, T. Watanabe, S. Yamada, N. Y. Yamasaki

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9905, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 99053W (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2233053
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

The Astro-H (Hitomi) Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) was a pioneering imaging x-ray spectrometer with 5 eV energy resolution at 6 keV. The instrument used a microcalorimeter array at the focus of a high-throughput soft x-ray telescope to enable high-resolution non-dispersive spectroscopy in the soft x-ray waveband (0:3-12 keV). We present the suite of ground calibration measurements acquired from 2012-2015, including characterization of the detector system, anti-coincidence detector, optical blocking filters, and filter-wheel filters. The calibration of the 36-pixel silicon thermistor microcalorimeter array includes parameterizations of the energy gain scale and line spread function for each event grade over a range of instrument operating conditions, as well as quantum efficiency measurements. The x-ray transmission of the set of five Al/polyimide thin-film optical blocking filters mounted inside the SXS dewar has been modeled based on measurements at synchrotron beamlines, including with high spectral resolution at the C, N, O, and Al K-edges. In addition, we present the x-ray transmission of the dewar gate valve and of the filters mounted on the SXS filter wheel (external to the dewar), including beryllium, polyimide, and neutral density filters.

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M. E. Eckart, J. S. Adams, K. R. Boyce, G. V. Brown, M. P. Chiao, R. Fujimoto, D. Haas, J. W. den Herder, Y. Ishisaki, R. L. Kelley, C. A. Kilbourne, M. A. Leutenegger, D. McCammon, K. Mitsuda, F. S. Porter, K. Sato, M. Sawada, H. Seta, G. A. Sneiderman, A. E. Szymkowiak, Y. Takei, M. Tashiro, M. Tsujimoto, C. P. de Vries, T. Watanabe, S. Yamada, and N. Y. Yamasaki "Ground calibration of the Astro-H (Hitomi) soft x-ray spectrometer", Proc. SPIE 9905, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 99053W (26 July 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2233053

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