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The BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray) facility is now operative at the INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico Brera (Merate, Italy). This facility has been specifically designed and built for the X-ray acceptance tests (PSF and Effective Area) of the ATHENA Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) Mirror Modules (MM). The unique setup creates a parallel, monochromatic, large X-ray beam, that fully illuminates the aperture of the MMs, generating an image at the ATHENA focal length of 12 m. This is made possible by a microfocus X-ray source followed by a chain of optical components (a paraboloidal mirror, 2 channel cut monochromators, and an asymmetric silicon crystal) able to expand the X-ray beam to a 6 cm × 17 cm size with a residual divergence of 1.5 arcsec (vertical) × 2.5 arcsec (horizontal). This paper reports the commissioning of the 4.5 keV beam line, and the first light obtained with a Mirror Module.

The Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) is a Chinese – French satellite mission due to be launched in the summer of 2022. It is composed of four instruments: ECLAIRs, for detecting X-ray and gamma-ray transients (4-250 keV); GRM, a gamma-ray spectrometer (15 keV-5 MeV); VT, a visible telescope and the Microchannel X-ray Telescope (MXT). The MXT’s main goal is to precisely localize, and spectrally characterize X-ray afterglows of Gamma-Ray Bursts. The MXT is a narrow-field-optimised lobster eye X-ray focusing telescope comprising an array of 25 square Micro Pore Optics (MPOs), with a detectorlimited field of view of ∼1 square degree, working in the energy band 0.2-10 keV. The SVOM qualification model (QM) MXT optic (MOP) was designed and built at the University of Leicester, and is the first complete, lobster eye optic to be X-ray tested. We present results from the PANTER facility (MPE), where a full calibration of the QM MOP was carried out. The response of the optic was studied at seven energies from C-K to Cu-K, and the effective area at multiple off-axis angles at each energy was measured. The focal length of the MOP was confirmed and the PSF was studied on and off-axis. In addition, we present details of the modelling and analysis, which was used to calculate the results from the test campaign. The effective area and PSF are in good agreement with the modelling, indicating that the optic is performing as expected.

The soft X-ray grating spectrometer on board the Off-plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE) hopes to achieve the highest resolution soft X-ray spectrum of an astrophysical object when it is launched via suborbital rocket. Paramount to the success of the spectrometer are the performance of the [Formula: see text] reflection gratings populating its reflection grating assembly. To test current grating fabrication capabilities, a grating prototype for the payload was fabricated via electron-beam lithography at The Pennsylvania State University’s Materials Research Institute and was subsequently tested for performance at Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics’ PANTER X-ray Test Facility. Bayesian modeling of the resulting data via Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling indicated that the grating achieved the OGRE single-grating resolution requirement of [Formula: see text] at the 94% confidence level. The resulting [Formula: see text] posterior probability distribution suggests that this confidence level is likely a conservative estimate though, since only a finite [Formula: see text] parameter space was sampled and the model could not constrain the upper bound of [Formula: see text] to less than infinity. Raytrace simulations of the tested system found that the observed data can be reproduced with a grating performing at [Formula: see text]. It is therefore postulated that the behavior of the obtained [Formula: see text] posterior probability distribution can be explained by a finite measurement limit of the system and not a finite limit on [Formula: see text]. Implications of these results and improvements to the test setup are discussed.

The construction of BEaTriX, the Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility, is underway at INAF-OAB (Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera). This laboratory-based X-ray source was designed to generate a broad (170 mm x 60 mm), uniform, and collimated X-ray beam, with a residual divergence of 1.5 arcsec HEW at either 1.49 keV and 4.51 keV. The main scientific driver for BEaTriX is represented by the opportunity to routinely calibrate the modular elements of the ATHENA (ESA) X-ray telescope, based on the silicon pore optics (SPO) technology. Nevertheless, the application domain of BEaTriX is potentially much wider (e.g., X-ray tomography). BEaTriX comprises a microfocus source of X-rays, followed by an optical chain including a collimating mirror, crystal monochromators, and an asymmetric beam expander. The final beam collimation and homogeneity relies on the optical quality of the optical components (X-ray source dimension, mirror polishing, crystal lattice regularity) and on their mutual alignment. In order to determine the most critical parameters, focus the development efforts, and establish specifications, a set of optical simulations has been built. Our paper describes the simulation tool we developed to this specific aim, and discusses the results achieved in terms of manufacturing and alignment tolerances.

Studying astronomical objects in the X-ray regime, iridium-based layer systems are highly effective reflective materials for telescopes mirrors. Aschaffenburg University and the Czech Technical University in Prague jointly developed stress compensated chromium-iridium coatings. To overcome the disturbing reflectivity reduction of the iridium absorption edge around 2 keV photon energy and improve general reflectivity at lower incident energies, thin overcoat layers of chromium have been applied in addition. Corresponding measurements at several X-ray lines have been performed on these samples at the PANTER test facility of the Max-Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics. A part of the experimental results and their comparison with theoretical simulations are presented in this contribution.

The PANTER X-ray test facility of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) has over 40 years of heritage in testing and calibrating x-ray optics. Having contributed to missions such as XMM-Newton, Chandra, and eROSITA, the facility measures the performance of x-ray optic technologies that will enable future x-ray telescopes to be realised. Over the last year, PANTER has been testing the latest developments in silicon pore optics for ESA’s ATHENA mission, as well as full-shell eROSITA-like optics for the CAS/ESA/MPE Einstein Probe mission. For ATHENA, complete mirror modules for the outer radius of the telescope have been tested. The latest developments in the optics for the mid-radius of the telescope, including the first confocal mirror module, have been measured for performance. The paper will provide an overview of the most recent testing carried out at PANTER, and the alignment and measurement techniques used.

ATHENA Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) Mirror Modules (MM) have to be tested and accepted prior to integration in the full ATHENA Mirror Assembly (MA). X-ray tests of the MMs are currently performed at the PTB laboratory of the BESSY synchrotron facility in pencil beam configuration, but they require a PSF reconstruction. Full illumination X-ray tests could be performed using a broad, low-divergent X-ray beam like the one in use at PANTER (MPE, Neuried, Germany), but the large volume to be evacuated makes it impossible to perform the functional tests at the MMs production rate (3 MM/day). To overcome these limitations, we started in 2012 to design a facility aimed at generating a broad (170 x 60 mm2), uniform and low-divergent (1.5 arcsec HEW) X-ray beam within a small lab (∼ 9 x 18 m2), to characterize the ATHENA MM. BEaTriX (the Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility) makes use of an X-ray microfocus source, a paraboloidal mirror, a crystal monochromation system, and an asymmetrically-cut diffracting crystal for the beam expansion. These optical components, in addition to a modular low-vacuum level (10-3 mbar), enable to match the ATHENA SPO acceptance requirements. The realization of this facility at INAF-OAB in Merate (Italy) is now on going. Once completed, BEaTriX can be used to test the Silicon Pore Optics modules of the ATHENA X-ray observatory, as well as other optics, like the ones of the Arcus mission. In this paper we report the advancement status of the facility.

Currently for the European Space Agency (ESA) ATHENA [1,2] mission Silicon Pore Optic (SPO) [3-8] Mirror Modules (MM) with a focal length of f = 12 m, are being developed and tested. The SPO MMs are also the baseline optic for the NASA medium explorer high-resolution spectroscopy mission Arcus [9-10] with f = 12 m that is currently undergoing a phase A study. SPOs are currently being tested at both the PTB laboratory of the BESSY synchrotron facility in Berlin using an X-ray pencil beam and the PANTER X-ray test facility in Neuried of the Max-Planck-Institut fur extraterrestrische Physik, Garching using a long vacuum beamline (distance source to optic ~120 m). The different types of measurements performed at PANTER to characterise the ATHENA and Arcus optics will be discussed. This will be done on the level of an X-ray optical unit (XOU) composed of both a primary and secondary High Performance Optic (HPO) stack, a mirror module (MM) composed of two XOUs, small (

A new type of X-ray facility, the Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility (BEaTriX), has been designed and is now under construction at INAF–Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Merate, Italy) to perform the acceptance tests of the silicon pore optics modules of the ATHENA X-ray telescope. Crystals of high perfection and large dimensions are needed in order to obtain a wide beam (20 × 6 cm) with an X-ray divergence of E/E < 10−5. To generate X-ray diffracted beams at an X-ray energy of 1.49 keV, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) crystals have been considered among other possible choices, because of their reported crystal quality and because they can be grown at sufficiently large size at a reasonable price. In the present paper, the results of the characterization of crystalline quality and lattice planarity of a 20 × 20 × 2 mm ADP sample are reported.

We report a ground X-ray calibration of two X-ray telescope prototypes at the PANTER X-ray Test Facility, of the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, in Neuried, Germany. The X-ray telescope prototypes were developed by the Institute of Precision Optical Engineering (IPOE) of Tongji University, in a conical Wolter-I configuration, using thermal glass slumping technology. Prototype #1 with 3 layers and Prototype #2 with 21 layers were tested to assess the prototypes' on-axis imaging performance. The measurement of Prototype #1 indicates a Half Power Diameter (HPD) of 82" at 1.49 keV. As for Prototype #2, we performed more comprehensive measurements of on-axis angular resolution and effective area at several energies ranging from 0.5-10 keV. The HPD and effective area are 111" and 39 cm^2 at 1.49 keV, respectively, at which energy the on-axis performance of the prototypes is our greatest concern., 11 pages, 9 figures

The progress of X-ray Optics joint research activity of the European Union Horizon 2020 AHEAD project is presented here covering the X-ray optic technologies that are currently being worked on in Europe. These are the Kirkpatrick Baez, lobster eye micropore (SVOM, SMILE), slumped glass, and silicon pore (ATHENA, ARCUS) optics technologies. In this activity detailed comparisons of the measurements, of the different optics produced by the participating optics groups, obtained mainly at the MPEs PANTER X-ray test facility, are compared with simulations. In preparation for the ATHENA mission a study has been made to design the BEaTRiX X-ray test facility for testing individual silicon pore optics mirror modules, and the realization of the facility is now on going. A zone plate collimating optics developed for PANTER is being studied, optimized, and tested at PANTER. This zone plate will be used for characterising a high quality optics module in a parallel beam to verify the BEaTriX performance. Several of the measurements and selected results are presented here.

Next Generation X-Ray Optics (NGXO) team at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been developing a new silicon-based grazing incidence mirror technology for future high resolution x-ray astronomical missions. Recently, the GSFC team completed the construction of first few mirror modules that contain one pair of mirrors. One of the mirror pairs was tested in GSFC 600-m long beamline facility and Panter (Neuried, Germay) 120-m long x-ray beamline facility. Both full aperture x-ray tests, Hartmann tests, and focal plane sweeps were completed. In this paper we present the data analysis process and compare the results from our models to measured x-ray centroid data, x-ray performance data, and out of focus images of the mirror pair.

The Slumping Glass Optics technology for the fabrication of astronomical X-ray mirrors has been developed in recent years in USA and Europe. The process has been used for making the mirrors of the Nustar, mission. The process starts with very thin glass foils hot formed to copy the profile of replication moulds. At INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera a process based on cold shaping is being developed, based on an integration method involving the use of interconnecting ribs for making stacks. Each glass foil in the stack is shaped onto a very precise integration mould and the correct shape is frozen by means of glued ribs that act as spacers between one layer and the next one (the first layers being attached to a thick substrate). Therefore, the increasing availability of flexible glass foils with a thickness of a few tens of microns (driven by electronic market for ultra-thin displays) opens new possibilities for the fabrication of X-ray mirrors. This solution appears interesting especially for the fabrication of mirrors for hard X-rays (with energy > 10 keV) based on multilayer coatings, taking advantage from the intrinsic low roughness of the glass foils that should grant a low scattering level. The stress frozen on the glass due to the cold shaping is not negligible, but it is kept into account in the errors of the X-ray optics design. As an exercise, we have considered the requirements and specs of the FORCE hard Xray mission concept (being studied by JAXA) and we have designed the mirror modules assuming the cold slumping as a fabrication method. In the meantime, a prototype (representative of the FORCE mirror modules) is being design and integrated in order to demonstrate the feasibility and the capacity to reach good angular resolution.

A technique to obtain lightweight and high-resolution focusing mirror segments for large aperture X-ray telescopes is the hot slumping of thin glass foils. In this approach, already successfully experimented to manufacture the optics of the NuSTAR X-ray telescope, thin glasses are formed at high temperature onto a precisely figured mould. The formed glass foils are subsequently stacked onto a stiff backplane with a common axis and focus to form an XOU (X-ray Optical Unit), to be later integrated in the telescope optic structure. In this process, the low thickness of the glass foils guarantees a low specific mass and a very low obstruction of the effective area. However, thin glasses are subject to deformations that may arise at any stage of the production process, thereby degrading the angular resolution. To solve this problem, several groups are working on the possibility to correct the mirror profile post-manufacturing, using piezoelectric elements exerting a tangential strain on the non-optical side of the glass mirrors. In this paper we show the results of the approach we have adopted, based on the application of piezoceramic patches on the backside of thin glass foils, previously formed by hot slumping. The voltage signals are supplied to the piezoelectric elements by a system of electrodes deposited on the same side of the mirror via a photolithographic process. Finally, the matrix of voltages to be used to correct the mirror shape can be determined in X-rays illumination by detection of the intra-focal image and consequent reconstruction of the longitudinal profile. We describe the production of some active mirrors with different arrangements of piezoelectric elements and the X-ray tests performed at the XACT X-ray facility to determine the optimal actuator geometry.

We present in this paper an update on the design of BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility), an X-ray apparatus to be realized at INAF/OAB and that will generate an expanded, uniform and parallel beam of soft X-rays. BEaTriX will be used to perform the functional tests of X-ray focusing modules of large X-ray optics such as those for the ATHENA X-ray observatory, using the Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) as a baseline technology, and Slumped Glass Optics (SGO) as a possible alternative. Performing the tests in X-rays provides the advantage of an in-situ, at-wavelength quality control of the optical modules produced in series by the industry, performing a selection of the modules with the best angular resolution, and, in the case of SPOs, there is also the interesting possibility to align the parabolic and the hyperbolic stacks directly under X-rays, to minimize the aberrations. However, a parallel beam with divergence below 2 arcsec is necessary in order to measure mirror elements that are expected to reach an angular resolution of about 4 arcsec, since the ATHENA requirement for the entire telescope is 5 arcsec. Such a low divergence over the typical aperture of modular optics would require an X-ray source to be located in a several kilometers long vacuum tube. In contrast, BEaTriX will be compact enough (5 m x 14 m) to be housed in a small laboratory, will produce an expanded X-ray beam 60 mm x 200 mm broad, characterized by a very low divergence (1.5 arcsec HEW), strong polarization, high uniformity, and X-ray energy selectable between 1.5 keV and 4.5 keV. In this work we describe the BEaTriX layout and show a performance simulation for the X-ray energy of 4.5 keV., Preprint version: the fully published paper can be downloaded at http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2188607

Thin glass modular mirrors are a viable solution to build future X-ray telescopes with high angular resolution and large collecting area. In our laboratories, we shape thin glass foils by hot slumping and we apply pressure to assist the replication of a cylindrical mould figure; this technology is coupled with an integration process able to damp low frequency errors and produces optics in the Wolter I configuration, typical for the X-ray telescopes. From the point of view of the hot slumping process, the efforts were focused in reducing low-, mid- and high- frequency errors of the formed Eagle glass foils. Some of our slumped glass foils were used for the development of active X-ray optics, where piezoelectric actuators are used to correct the slumped glass foil deviations from the ideal shape. In particular, they were used for the Adjustable X-raY optics for astrOnoMy project (AXYOM) developed in Italy, and the X-ray Surveyor mission, as developed at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory / Center for Astrophysics (SAO/CfA) in USA. In this paper we describe the optimisation of the hot slumping process, comparing the results with the requirements of the considered active optics projects. Finally, since the present configuration of the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) coating equipment is limited to 100 x 100 mm2, the slumped glass foils used for the SAO project were cut from 200 x 200 mm2 to 100 x 100 mm2, and a low-frequency change was observed. A characterisation of the profile change upon cutting is presented.

An important challenge for the X-ray astronomy of the new millennium is represented by the implementation of an X-ray telescope able to maintain the exquisite angular resolution of Chandra (with a sub-arcsec HEW, on-axis) but, at the same time, being characterized by a much larger throughput and grasp. A mission with similar characteristics is represented by the X-ray Surveyor Mission. The project has been recently proposed in USA and is being currently studied by NASA. It will host an X-ray telescope with an effective area of more than 2 square meters at 1 keV (i.e. 30 times greater than Chandra) and a 15-arcminutes field-of-view, with 1-arcsecond or better half-power diameter (versus the 4 arcmin diameter of Chandra). While the scientific reasons for implementing a similar mission are clear, being related to compelling problems like e.g. the formation and subsequent growth of black hole seeds at very high redshift or the identification of the first galaxy groups and proto-clusters, the realization of a grazing-angle optics system able to fulfil these specs remain highly challenging. Different technologies are being envisaged, like e.g. the use of adjustable segmented mirrors (with use of piezoelectric or magneto-restrictive film actuators on the back surface) or the direct polishing of a variety of thin substrates or the use of innovative correction methods like e.g. differential deposition, ionfiguring or the correction of the profile via controlled stress films. In this paper we present a possible approach based on the direct polishing (with final ion figuring correction of the profile) of thin SiO2 segmented substrates (typically 2 mm thick), discussing different aspects of the technology under implementation and presenting some preliminary results.

The BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility) project is an X-ray apparatus under construction at INAF/OAB to generate a broad (200 x 60 mm2), uniform and low-divergent X-ray beam within a small lab (6 x 15 m2). BEaTriX will consist of an X-ray source in the focus a grazing incidence paraboloidal mirror to obtain a parallel beam, followed by a crystal monochromation system and by an asymmetrically-cut diffracting crystal to perform the beam expansion to the desired size. Once completed, BEaTriX will be used to directly perform the quality control of focusing modules of large X-ray optics such as those for the ATHENA X-ray observatory, based on either Silicon Pore Optics (baseline) or Slumped Glass Optics (alternative), and will thereby enable a direct quality control of angular resolution and effective area on a number of mirror modules in a short time, in full X-ray illumination and without being affected by the finite distance of the X-ray source. However, since the individual mirror modules for ATHENA will have an optical quality of 3-4 arcsec HEW or better, BEaTriX is required to produce a broad beam with divergence below 1-2 arcsec, and sufficient flux to quickly characterize the PSF of the module without being significantly affected by statistical uncertainties. Therefore, the optical components of BEaTriX have to be selected and/or manufactured with excellent optical properties in order to guarantee the final performance of the system. In this paper we report the final design of the facility and a detailed performance simulation., Comment: Accepted paper, pre-print version. The finally published manuscript can be downloaded from http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2238952

Use of thin glass modular optics is a technology currently under study to build light, low cost, large area X-ray telescopes for high energy astrophysics space missions. The angular resolution of such telescopes is limited by local deviations from the ideal shape of the mirrors. One possible strategy to improve it consists in actively correcting the mirror profile by gluing thin ceramic piezo-electric actuators on the back of the glasses. A large number of actuators, however, requires several electrical connections to drive them with the different needed voltages. We have developed a process for depositing conductive paths directly on the back of non-planar thin foil mirrors by means of a photolithographic process, combined with metal thin film evaporation and selective removal. We have also designed and built a modular multichannel electronic driver with each module capable of driving simultaneously up to 16 actuators with a very low power consumption. Here we present our electrical interconnections technology and the solutions adopted in the implementation of the electronics.

Optics for future X-ray telescopes will be characterized by very large aperture and focal length, and will be made of lightweight materials like glass or silicon in order to keep the total mass within acceptable limits. Optical modules based on thin slumped glass foils are being developed at various institutes, aiming at improving the angular resolution to a few arcsec HEW. Thin mirrors are prone to deform, so they require a careful integration to avoid deformations and even correct forming errors. On the other hand, this offers the opportunity to actively correct the residual deformation: a viable possibility to improve the mirror figure is the application of piezoelectric actuators onto the non-optical side of the mirrors, and several groups are already at work on this approach. The concept we are developing consists of actively integrating thin glass foils with piezoelectric patches, fed by voltages driven by the feedback provided by X-rays. The actuators are commercial components, while the tension signals are carried by a printed circuit obtained by photolithography, and the driving electronic is a multi-channel low power consumption voltage supply developed in-house. Finally, the shape detection and the consequent voltage signal to be provided to the piezoelectric array are determined in X-rays, in intra-focal setup at the XACT facility at INAF/OAPA. In this work, we describe the manufacturing steps to obtain a first active mirror prototype and the very first test performed in X-rays., Comment: Preprint version. The fully published paper is found at https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2189990

Future large X-ray observatories like ATHENA will be equipped with very large optics, obtained by assembling modular optical elements, named X-ray Optical Units (XOU) based on the technology of either Silicon Pore Optics or Slumped Glass Optics. In both cases, the final quality of the modular optic (a 5 arcsec HEW requirement for ATHENA) is determined by the accuracy alignment of the XOUs within the assembly, but also by the angular resolution of the individual XOU. This is affected by the mirror shape accuracy, its surface roughness, and the mutual alignment of the mirrors within the XOU itself. Because of the large number of XOUs to be produced, quality tests need to be routinely done to select the most performing stacked blocks, to be integrated into the final optic. In addition to the usual metrology based on profile and roughness measurements, a direct measurement with a broad, parallel, collimated and uniform X- ray beam would be the most reliable test, without the need of a focal spot reconstruction as usually done in synchrotron light. To this end, we designed the BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility) to be realized at INAF-OAB, devoted to the functional tests of the XOUs. A grazing incidence parabolic mirror and an asymmetrically cut crystal will produce a parallel X-ray beam broad enough to illuminate the entire aperture of the focusing elements. An X-ray camera at the focal distance from the mirrors will directly record the image. The selection of different crystals will enable to test the XOUs in the 1 - 5 keV range, included in the X-ray energy band of ATHENA (0.2-12 keV). In this paper we discuss a possible BEaTriX facility implementation. We also show a preliminary performance simulation of the optical system.

Optics for future X-ray telescopes will be characterized by very large aperture and focal length, and will be made of lightweight materials like glass or plastic in order to keep the total mass within acceptable limits. Optics based on thin slumped glass foils are currently in use in the NuSTAR telescope and are being developed at various institutes like INAF/OAB, aiming at improving the angular resolution to a few arcsec HEW. Another possibility would be the use of thin plastic foils, being developed at SAO and the Palermo University. Even if relevant progresses in the achieved angular resolution were recently made, a viable possibility to further improve the mirror figure would be the application of piezoelectric actuators onto the non-optical side of the mirrors. In fact, thin mirrors are prone to deform, so they require a careful integration to avoid deformations and even correct forming errors. This however offers the possibility to actively correct the residual deformation. Even if other groups are already at work on this idea, we are pursuing the concept of active integration of thin glass or plastic foils with piezoelectric patches, fed by voltages driven by the feedback provided by X-rays, in intra-focal setup at the XACT facility at INAF/OAPA. In this work, we show the preliminary simulations and the first steps taken in this project.

Deflectometry is a well-known method for astronomical mirror metrology. This paper describes the method we developed for the characterization of free-form concave mirrors. Our technique is based on the synergy between deflectometry and ray-tracing. The deflectometrical test is performed by illuminating the reflecting surface with a known light pattern in a Ronchi – like configuration and retrieving the slope errors by the observed rays deflection. The ray-tracing code allows us to measure the slopes and to evaluate the mirror optical performance. This technique has two main advantages: it is fast and it is applicable on-site, as an intermediate step in the manufacturing process, preventing that out-of-specification mirrors may proceed towards further production steps. Thus, we obtain a considerable time and cost reduction. As an example, we describe the results obtained measuring the primary mirror segments of the Cherenkov prototypal telescope manufactured by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics in the context of the ASTRI Project. This specific case is challenging because the segmentation of the polynomial primary mirror lead to individual mirrors with deviations from the spherical optical design up to a few millimeters.

The next generation of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes will require the production of thousands of mirror segments; an unprecedented amount of optical surface. To accomplish this, the Italian Istituto Nazionale di AstroFisica (INAF) has recently developed a successful technique. This method, called glass cold-shaping, is mainly intended for the manufacturing of mirrors for optical systems with an angular resolution of a few arcminutes, intended to operate in extreme environments. Its principal mechanical features are very low weight and high rigidity of the resulting segments, and its cost and production time turn out to be very competitive as well. The process is based on the shaping of thin glass foils by means of forced bending at room temperature; a sandwich structure is then assembled for retaining the imposed shape. These mirrors are composted of commercial, off-the-shelf materials. In this contribution we give an overview of the latest results achieved in the manufacturing of the pre-production series of mirrors for the Medium Size and Small Size Telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array observatory.

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory will represent the next generation of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes. Using a combination of large-, medium-, and small-scale telescopes (LST, MST, SST, respectively), it will explore the Very High Energy domain from a few tens of GeV up to few hundreds of TeV with unprecedented sensitivity, angular resolution and imaging quality. In this framework, the Italian ASTRI program, led by the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF), is currently developing a scientific and technological SST prototype named ASTRI SST-2M; a 4-meter class telescope, it will adopt an aplanatic, wide-field, double-reflection optical layout in a Schwarzschild-Couder configuration. In this contribution we give an overview of the technological solutions adopted for the ASTRI SST-2M prototype. In particular we focus on the manufacturing of the telescope structure and mirrors. We will also describe early results from tests.

Mars-XRD is an X-ray diffractometer developed for in situ mineralogical analysis of the Martian soil. Mars-XRD main components are 55 Fe radioactive source, collimator and CCD-based detector. For spectroscopic requirements the beam section should be smaller than 1x10 mm 2 at sample distance. To improve X - ray flux and tuning capability a collimator with converging blades (Soller slits) has been implemented. A dedicated C++ program (XRC-PhOBOS, 1 Photon Output and Blade Optimization Software) investigates for the best Soller slits configuration comparing billion of combinations. The out-coming optimized collimator transmits a flux twice higher than a system with blades with the constant angular aperture and five times higher than a two apertures collimator. Software algorithm, updates and examples are illustrated in present paper.

Future large X-ray observatories will be equipped with very large optics obtained by assembling modular optical elements. The final quality of the modular optic is determined by the accuracy in the assembly alignment, but also by the compliance of the focusing elements to the nominal shape and the roughness tolerance in order to avoid excessive levels of X-ray scattering. Because of the large number of modules, quality tests need to be routinely performed to assess the technology readiness, and, in a later phase, to select the most performing stacked blocks to be integrated into the final optic. Besides the usual metrology based on profile and roughness measurements, a direct, at-wavelength, focusing measurement in X-rays would be the most reliable test. Synchrotron light beams are in general not sufficiently broad to cover the aperture of a block without scanning it, which requires a focal spot reconstruction. To this end, we designed a 12 m long X-ray facility to be realized at INAF/ OAB, devoted to the functional tests of the focusing elements. A grazing incidence parabolic mirror and an asymmetric Silicon crystal will produce a wide, parallel, and uniform beam of X-rays to illuminate the entire aperture of the focusing elements. A X-ray camera at the focal distance from the mirrors directly records the image. The tests will be performed at 4.5 keV, with the components operating in gaseous Helium to minimize the absorption.

Mars-XRD is an X-ray diffractometer developed for the in situ mineralogical analysis of the Martian soil. The main components of the Mars-XRD experiment are: a Fe55 radioactive source, a collimator and a CCD-based detector system. For spectroscopic requirements and quality of the machined micrograin of the sample, the beam section should not be larger then 1 × 10 mm 2 at sample distance. The current collimator baseline is based on a two-windows system that uses about 20% of the total source emitting surface. To improve the X-ray flux, we are studying a collimator with converging blades which permits to use the entire source emission and tune the beam section. In order to better estimate the efficiency of this collimator and because of the high number of variables, a C++ program has been written that look for the best blades configuration among billion of combinations. In addition to the collimator configuration, this software simulator gives the sample photons distribution for different angles of the tilt of the source and for each couple of blades. The optimized collimator transmits a flux 30% higher than a system with blades with the same angular aperture and 5 times higher than a two windows collimator. Moreover the target photon distribution is a triangle function well focused on the sample surface instead of an irregular function obtained with the previous system. Higher performances arise with the source perpendicular to the source-sample direction. Thanks to this optimization we expect to strongly improve the resolution of the diffraction pattern which is the main goal of the current activities of the instrument development. This software simulator could be used also for the optimization of collimator system for the other wavelength and applications (e.g. radiotherapy).

We report a useful visible light testing procedure for a first analysis of soft X-ray grazing incidence optics (0.1-2 keV). Although diffraction is a limit in the application of this method, great advantages are obtained by running the tests in air with direct access to modify the geometrical mounting of the individual mirror shells. We present the experimental apparatus and show the first results of the investigation of light weight optics based on plastic foil material and comparison with results obtained with an X-ray beam.

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.

We describe a “built in house” X-ray monochromator which produces a fixed exit X-ray beam tunable in the full energy range 0.1 - 20 keV. The system is based on a double diffraction on two large size parallel crystals positioned using a remotely controlled micropositioning system in order to keep the position of the monochromatic beam for any chosen energy. Up to six different diffracting elements can be selected without breaking the vacuum. This allows to cover the full energy range of interest. The system is part of an upgrading project of the XACT facility at the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica - Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo G.S. Vaiana, and will be employed for the testing and calibration of filters, detectors and optics at X-ray wavelengths.

The INTEGRAL X-ray monitor, JEM-X, (together with the two gamma ray instruments, SPI and IBIS) provides simultaneous imaging with arcminute angular resolution in the 3-35 keV band. The good angular resolution and low energy response of JEM-X plays an important role in the detection and identification of gamma ray sources as well as in the analysis and scientific interpretation of the combined X-ray and gamma ray data. JEM-X is a coded aperture X-ray telescope consisting of two identical detectors. Each detector has a sensitive area of 500 cm2, and views the sky through its own coded aperture mask. The coded masks are located 3.4 m above the detector windows. The detector field of view is constrained by X-ray collimators (6.6° FOV, FWHM).

We report preliminary results on the performance of the x- ray apparatus built to calibrate the x-ray monitor JEM-X aboard the INTEGRAL satellite for gamma-ray astronomy. JEM-X is based on a position sensitive xenon detector operative from 3 to 60 keV. It will make use of coded mask to get imaging capabilities. The x-ray apparatus allows to scan the x-ray detector with a monochromatic beam obtained with the use of a double crystal diffractometer. The current energy range of the beam can be chosen from about 10 keV to 120 keV while its direction is fixed independently of the photon energy.

The x-ray monitor JEM-X will be flown aboard the ESA mission INTEGRAL for gamma-ray astronomy. It has been conceived to furnish images of celestial sources in fields of the sky 9.1 deg wide in the 3 - 100 keV extended energy band. Careful on- ground calibrations are needed to verify the spectral capabilities of the JEM-X detector. These operations in the 20 - 100 keV energy band are planned to be performed using a hard x-ray (15 - 140 keV) facility operated at University of Ferrara (Italy). We present the apparatus that will be used to carry out these calibrations. In particular we describe a double-reflection fixed-exit system of monochromatization based on silicon crystals that are implemented in the facility.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

A dye pair characterized by favorable spectral properties allows a simplified analytical procedure, based on the measurements of both donor and acceptor emission in double-stained cytological samples, to be applied to evaluate both the relative efficiency of the energy transfer (FRET) process and its topological distribution. Propidium Iodide, a DNA intercalating agent, has been used in combination with Hoechst 33258, a non-intercalating dye specific for A-T sequences of DNA, to assess the chromatin arrangement in human fibroblasts in both quiescent (G0) and cycling (G1) phases. The results indicate that the cells in the two phases, that cannot be distinguished on the basis of the DNA content, exhibit differences of the FRET efficiency relative value that can be ascribed to chromatin structure modification related to gene activation processes.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Arcus is a high-resolution soft x-ray spectroscopy mid-size Explorer mission selected for a NASA Phase A concept study. It is designed to explore structure formation through measurements of hot baryon distributions, feedback from black holes, and the formation and evolution of stars, disks, and exoplanet atmospheres. The design provides unprecedented sensitivity in the 1.2-5 nm wavelength band with effective area up to 350 cm2 and spectral resolving power R > 2500. The Arcus technology is based on a highly modular design that features 12 m-focal length silicon pore optics (SPO) developed for the European Athena mission, and critical-angle transmission (CAT) x-ray diffraction gratings and x-ray CCDs developed at MIT. CAT gratings are blazed transmission gratings that have been under technology development for over ten years. We describe technology demonstrations of increasing complexity, including mounting of gratings to frames, alignment, environmental testing, integration into arrays, and performance under x-ray illumination with SPOs, using methods proposed for the manufacture of the Arcus spectrometers. CAT gratings have demonstrated efficiency > 30%. Measurements of the 14th order Mg-Kα1,2 doublet from a co-aligned array of four CAT gratings illuminated by two co-aligned SPOs matches ray trace predictions and exceeds Arcus resolving power requirements. More than 700 CAT gratings will be produced using high-volume semiconductor industry tools and special techniques developed at MIT

The construction of the BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray) facility is ongoing at INAF/Osservatorio astronomico di Brera. The facility will generate a broad (170 x 60 mm(2)), uniform and low-divergent (1.5 arcsec HEW) X-ray beam within a small lab (similar to 9 x 18 m(2)), using an X-ray microfocus source, a paraboloidal mirror, a monochromation system based on a combination of symmetrically cut and asymmetrically-cut crystals in Bragg diffraction configuration. Once completed, BEaTriX can be used to test the Silicon Pore Optics modules of the ATHENA X-ray observatory, as well as other optics, like the ones of the Arcus mission. The facility is designed to operate at 1.49 keV and 4.51 keV, by using two fixed beam lines, equipped with the necessary optical elements. The first beam line to be completed will be at 4.51 keV and will prove the BEaTriX concept. Silicon crystals are used at this energy and four symmetric diffractions, with appropriate tilt of some crystals, will provide the spectral filtering at the required level to return the desired divergence. Owing to the quite short range necessary to obtain a parallel beam with this setup, a low vacuum level (10(-3) mbar) can be used without a significant beam extinction. In addition to a modular vacuum approach, the low vacuum will allow us to reduce the time required to evacuate the tank, thus enabling to demonstrate a test rate that will match the ATHENA SPO production of 3 MM/day. In this paper, we report the design of the facility and the construction progress.