Salvatore Varisco

The Palermo XACT facility: a new 35 m long soft x-ray beam-line for the development and calibration of next-generation x-ray observatories

The X-ray Astronomy Calibration and Testing (XACT) facility of the Instituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) at Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo has recently undergone a major upgrade with the design and construction of a 35 meter long vacuum beam-line operating in the soft X-rays (0.1-20 keV) and the addition of new hardware to meet the requirements for testing and calibration of next generation X-ray missions. We report on the present configuration of the facility and briefly survey the range of its applications.

Status of the EPIC thin and medium filters on-board XMM-Newton after more than 10 years of operation I: laboratory measurements on back-up filters

After more than ten years of operation of the EPIC camera on board the X-ray observatory XMM-Newton, we have reviewed the status of its Thin and Medium filters by performing both laboratory measurements on back-up filters, and analysis of data collected in-flight. We have selected a set of Thin and Medium back-up filters among those still available in the EPIC consortium, and have started a program to investigate their status by different laboratory measurements including: UV/VIS transmission, X-ray transmission, RAMAN IR spectroscopy, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Atomic Force Microscopy. We report the results of the measurements conducted up to now, and point out some lessons learned for the development and calibration programs of filters for X-ray detectors in future Astronomy missions.

Experimental evidence of an incomplete thermalization of the energy in an x-ray microcalorimeter with a Ta∕Au absorber

We have conducted an experimental test at our XACT facility using an x-ray microcalorimeter with TaAu absorber and neutron transmutation doped germanium thermal sensor. The test was aimed at measuring the percentage of energy effectively thermalized after absorption of x-ray photons in superconducting tantalum. Moreover, in general, possible formation of long living quasiparticles implies that by using a superconducting absorber, a fraction of the deposited energy could not be thermalized on the useful time scale of the thermal sensor. To investigate this scenario, we exploited an absorber made of gold, where no energy trapping is expected, with a small piece of superconducting tantalum attached on top. We obtained evidence that the thermalization of photons absorbed in tantalum is delayed by energy trapping from quasiparticles. We compare the experimental results with numerical simulations and derive a value for the intrinsic lifetime of quasiparticles.

Measurement of optical constants n and k of lexan and polyimide

We present preliminary results on a program aimed at characterizing the optical properties of materials of potential usage in filters for soft x-ray detectors. In particular, we discuss a method that we have used to derive and model the refractive index n and the extinction coefficient k of thin plastic film materials. The method is based on best fit estimates of the parameters of a quanto- mechanical model describing k. The value of n is then evaluated using the Kramers-Kronig relationship. This method has provided accurate values of previously unknown optical constants of polyimide and lexan allowing to model the transmission of multilayer filters such as the aluminized polyimide filters of the HRC on board Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Effects of Interference and Oxidation on the UV/Visible Rejection Properties of Filters for Soft X-ray Detectors

We report on UV/Visible transmission measurements of aluminum coated Lexan filters designed as UV blocking filters for soft x-ray detectors. Transmission of the filters in the 2300-8000 Å wavelength range is significantly higher than expected. It cannot be accounted for applying a simple slab model of the transmission and adopting material properties reported in the literature. We show that this is due to interference effects which are strongly dependent on the filter geometry, and to oxidation of exposed aluminum surfaces and/or chemical interaction with the plastic support. The results of this work have led to the redesign of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility High Resolution Camera UV blocking filters.

Status of the EPIC thin and medium filters on-board XMM-Newton after more than 10 years of operation II: analysis of in-flight data

After more than ten years of operation of the EPIC camera on board the X-ray observatory XMM-Newton we have reviewed the status of its thin and medium filters by performing both analysis of data collected in-flight and laboratory measurements on on-ground back-up filters. We have investigated the status of the EPIC thin and medium filters by performing an analysis of the optical loading in the PN offset maps to gauge variations in the optical and UV transmission of the filters. We both investigated repeated observations of single optically bright targets and performed a statistical analysis of the extent of loading versus visual magnitude at different epochs. We report the results of these measurements.

Manufacturing an active X-ray mirror prototype in thin glass

Adjustable mirrors equipped with piezo actuators are commonly used at synchrotron and free-electron laser (FEL) beamlines, in order to optimize their focusing properties and sometimes to shape the intensity distribution of the focal spot with the desired profile. Unlike them, X-ray mirrors for astronomy are much thinner in order to enable nesting and reduce the areal mass, and the application of piezo actuators acting normally to the surface appears much more difficult. There remains the possibility to correct the deformations using thin patches that exert a tangential strain on the rear side of the mirror: some research groups are already at work on this approach. The technique reported here relies on actively integrating thin glass foils with commercial piezoceramic patches, fed by voltages driven by the feedback provided by X-rays, while the tension signals are carried by electrodes on the back of the mirror, obtained by photolithography. Finally, the shape detection and the consequent voltage signal to be provided to the piezoelectric array will be determined by X-ray illumination in an intra-focal setup at the XACT facility. In this work, the manufacturing steps for obtaining a first active mirror prototype are described.

Calibration of the SphinX experiment at the XACT facility in Palermo

Three of the four detectors of the SphinX experiment to be flown on the Russian mission Coronas-Photon have been measured at the XACT Facility of the Palermo Observatory at several wavelengths in the soft X-ray band. We describe the instrumental set-up and report some measurements. The analysis work to obtain the final calibration is still in progress.

Monitoring the stability of thin and medium back-up filters of the Newton-XMM EPIC camera

We are conducting a measurement program on back-up filters of the XMM-Newton EPIC camera aimed at monitoring possible aging effects during the mission lifetime. One thin and one medium EPIC back-up filters have been stored since 1997 in an environment similar to that one of the flight filters (dry nitrogen box before launch, high vacuum after launch). The transmission of the two filters has been measured periodically in the 1900-10000 angstrom wavelength range where effects of aging would be clearly evident. The preliminary results, after 5 years of monitoring, show that a slight aging effect has occurred on both filters which, however, has no significant impact onto the EPIC calibration for the correct analysis of the X-ray astrophysical observations.

Planar Technology for NDT‐Ge X‐Ray Microcalorimeters: Absorber Fabrication

We have investigated the electroplating process to deposit thick uniform films of tin on a Ge wafer coated with Spin‐On Glass, in order to fabricate the absorbers for Ge microcalorimeter arrays. Here we discuss some technological details and propose two alternative metal bilayer to be used as seed for the electroplating.