Providing Enabling & Enhancing Technologies for a Demonstration Model of the Athena X-IFU

On June 27, 2014, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced its selection of the Athena mission concept to study the science theme the “Hot and Energetic Universe.” The theme aims to address two important astrophysical questions [1]: 1. How does ordinary matter assemble into large-scale structures? 2. How do black holes grow and shape the universe? One of the two instruments for this mission, the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU), is a high-resolution imaging X-ray spectrometer. The use of Transition Edge Sensor (TES) microcalorimeters, originally pioneered by our collaboration and under development in our Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) program, is currently assumed for this instrument [2]. Both NASA and the X-IFU Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Didier Barret, had previously communicated interest in designating the X-IFU microcalorimeter array as one of NASA’s principal contributions to Athena, with ESA’s concurrence. As a consequence, this collaboration submitted a new SAT proposal to cover our contribution to X-IFU technology development in fiscal years (FYs) 2016 and 2017. Our US collaboration is recognized as part of the Athena proto-consortium and is responsible for providing the baseline TES array technology, and our time-division-multiplexed (TDM) [3] read-out technology is currently viewed as a back up to the European developed frequency domain multiplexing (FDM) [4]. The current program has been supported by the SAT program since 2013, and is the work of a collaboration between our research groups at NASA/GSFC (PI C. Kilbourne); National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder (lead J. Ullom); and Stanford University (lead K. Irwin). These groups have been collaborating on microcalorimeter spectrometer technology development since 1998, with the primary goal of advancing the integrated detector-TDM system to a strong demonstration of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5. Since the reference design for the X-IFU is based on FDM of the signals from the nearly 4000 TES pixels of the focal-plane array, primary demonstration models will incorporate this scheme. In addition to fully supporting these primary demonstrations, we are also developing a parallel demonstration model using TDM. TDM is more advanced than FDM, so developing it as a backup option provides important risk reduction for the X-IFU development schedule. We are also developing code-division multiplexing (CDM), which promises better performance while making use of most of the same readout architecture as TDM. Additional objectives of this program are focused on demonstrating enhanced array technologies for Athena/X-IFU such as ‘hybrid’ arrays, where different pixel designs are integrated on a single detector die. For example, a high count-rate sub-array for point source observations could be integrated on the same chip as a main array optimized for extended source observations. The project also includes development of critical technologies needed for the thermal, electrical, and mechanical integration of the detector and readout components into the focal-plane assembly. We are also developing large-scale testing platforms and assemblies that are essential for screening full-scale arrays and for large-scale multiplexed demonstrations.

Provides key technology for the X-IFU Instrument on ATHENA to allow high-resolution spectroscopy, with high spatial resolution and wide field of view. Can be applied to other potential missions needing high-resolution imaging X-ray spectroscopy

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