Development of Adjustable X-ray Optics with 0.5 Arcsecond Resolution for the Lynx Mission Concept

The overarching goal of the proposed work is to X-ray test a Wolter-I pair of adjustable 0.4 mm thick X-ray optics, fully mounted, aligned and figure corrected, to better than 1 arcsec half power diameter (HPD) at 1 keV. This level of performance will demonstrate the wedding of all three key technologies - mirror mounting, alignment, and figure post-mounting - necessary to achieve the challenging requirements of the Lynx mission concept (the envisioned follow-on to the Chandra X-ray Observatory), and will demonstrate TRL4 for the mirror technology. The major efforts of the program will include: 1. the incorporation of row-column addressing of the [piezoelectric] mirror adjuster cells, reducing mirror electrical connections from ~ 324 to 37, 2. modification and fabrication of the single mirror X-ray test mount to support an aligned primary/secondary mirror pair, 3. final development and demonstration of segment pair alignment via a single pass optical Hartmann test to 0.35 arcsec HPD (residual focus and coma errors), 4. correction of residual fabrication errors (including thin film stress related distortions) and correction of mounting induced distortions, and, 5. an X-ray testing "campaign" using the Stray Light Facility at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. At present, no demonstration by any technology has achieved the Lynx imaging performance requirements for the combination of coated, mounted, aligned mirror pair with the ~ 0.5 mm thin mirrors necessary to achieve mission collecting area at suitable spacecraft mass. After much development, we believe adjustable optics technology is at the cusp of breaking out and demonstrating this level of performance, and this program will provide the necessary funding to demonstrate the technical feasibility of Lynx mission critical performance requirements for the most critical of all Lynx mission elements, the X-ray telescope.

The Strategic Astrophysics Technology program (SAT) supports focused development efforts for key technologies to the point at which they are ready to feed into major missions in the three science themes of the Astrophysics Division: Exoplanet Exploration, Cosmic Origins, and the Physics of the Cosmos. This program is specifically designed to address middle technology readiness level (TRL) "gaps" between levels 3 and 6: the maturation of technologies that have been established as feasible, but which are not yet sufficiently mature to incorporate into flight missions without introducing an unacceptable level of risk. NASA does not require a data management plan for proposals to SAT.

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