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Future NASA X-ray spectroscopy missions will require high throughput, high resolution grating spectrometers. Off-plane reflection gratings are capable of meeting the performance requirements needed to realize the scientific goals of these missions. We have identified a novel grating fabrication method that utilizes common lithographic and microfabrication techniques to produce the high fidelity groove profile necessary to achieve this performance. Application of this process has produced an initial pre-master that exhibits a radial (variable line spacing along the groove dimension), high density (>6000 grooves/mm), laminar profile. This pre-master has been tested for diffraction efficiency at the BESSY II synchrotron light facility and diffracts up to 55% of incident light into usable spectral orders. Furthermore, tests of spectral resolving power show that these gratings are capable of obtaining resolutions well above 1300 ($lambda/Deltalambda$) with limitations due to the test apparatus, not the gratings. Obtaining these results has provided confidence that this fabrication process is capable of producing off-plane reflection gratings for the next generation of X-ray observatories.
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Future NASA X-ray Observatories will shed light on a variety of high-energy astrophysical phenomena. Off-plane reflection gratings can be used to provide high throughput and spectral resolution in the 0.3--1.5 keV band, allowing for unprecedented diagnostics of energetic astrophysical processes. A grating spectrometer consists of multiple aligned gratings intersecting the converging beam of a Wolter-I telescope. Each grating will be aligned such that the diffracted spectra overlap at the focal plane. Misalignments will degrade both spectral resolution and effective area. In this paper we present an analytical formulation of alignment tolerances that define grating orientations in all six degrees of freedom. We verify our analytical results with raytrace simulations to fully explore the alignment parameter space. We also investigate the effect of misalignments on diffraction efficiency.
Gamma-ray Bursts (GRB) were discovered by satellite-based detectors as powerful sources of transient $gamma$-ray emission. The Fermi satellite detected an increasing number of these events with its dedicated Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM), some of which were associated with high energy photons $(E > 10, mathrm{GeV})$, by the Large Area Telescope (LAT). More recently, follow-up observations by Cherenkov telescopes detected very high energy emission $(E > 100, mathrm{GeV})$ from GRBs, opening up a new observational window with implications on the interpretation of their central engines and on the propagation of very energetic photons across the Universe. Here, we use the data published in the 2nd Fermi-LAT Gamma Ray Burst Catalogue to characterise the duration, luminosity, redshift and light curve of the high energy GRB emission. We extrapolate these properties to the very high energy domain, comparing the results with available observations and with the potential of future instruments. We use observed and simulated GRB populations to estimate the chances of detection with wide-field ground-based $gamma$-ray instruments. Our analysis aims to evaluate the opportunities of the Southern Wide-field-of-view Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO), to be installed in the Southern Hemisphere, to complement CTA. We show that a low-energy observing threshold $(E_{low} < 200, mathrm{GeV})$, with good point source sensitivity $(F_{lim} approx 10^{-11}, mathrm{erg, cm^{-2}, s^{-1}}$ in $1, mathrm{yr})$, are optimal requirements to work as a GRB trigger facility and to probe the burst spectral properties down to time scales as short as $10, mathrm{s}$, accessing a time domain that will not be available to IACT instruments.
Effective collecting area, angular resolution, field of view and energy response are fundamental attributes of X-ray telescopes. The performance of state-of-the-art telescopes is currently restricted by Wolter optics, especially for hard X-rays. In this paper, we report the development of a new approach - the Stacked Prism Lens, which is lightweight, modular and has the potential for a significant improvement in effective area, while retaining high angular resolution. The proposed optics is built by stacking discs embedded with prismatic rings, created with photoresist by focused UV lithography. We demonstrate the SPL approach using a prototype lens which was manufactured and characterized at a synchrotron radiation facility. The design of a potential satellite-borne X-ray telescope is outlined and the performance is compared to contemporary missions.
We are currently developing Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors for a next-generation space-borne hard X-ray telescope which can follow up on the highly successful NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) mission. Since the launch of NuSTAR in 2012, there have been major advances in the area of X-ray mirrors, and state-of-the-art X-ray mirrors can improve on NuSTARs angular resolution of ~1 arcmin Half Power Diameter (HPD) to 15 or even 5 HPD. Consequently, the size of the detector pixels must be reduced to match this resolution. This paper presents detailed simulations of relatively thin (1 mm thick) CZT detectors with hexagonal pixels at a next-neighbor distance of 150 $mu$m. The simulations account for the non-negligible spatial extent of the deposition of the energy of the incident photon, and include detailed modeling of the spreading of the free charge carriers as they move toward the detector electrodes. We discuss methods to reconstruct the energies of the incident photons, and the locations where the photons hit the detector. We show that the charge recorded in the brightest pixel and six adjacent pixels suffices to obtain excellent energy and spatial resolutions. The simulation results are being used to guide the design of a hybrid application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)-CZT detector package.
We describe plans for the development of the Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO), a next-generation instrument with sensitivity to the very-high-energy (VHE) band to be constructed in the Southern Hemisphere. SWGO will provide wide-field coverage of a large portion of the southern sky, effectively complementing current and future instruments in the global multi-messenger effort to understand extreme astrophysical phenomena throughout the universe. A detailed description of science topics addressed by SWGO is available in the science case white paper [1]. The development of SWGO will draw on extensive experience within the community in designing, constructing, and successfully operating wide-field instruments using observations of extensive air showers. The detector will consist of a compact inner array of particle detection units surrounded by a sparser outer array. A key advantage of the design of SWGO is that it can be constructed using current, already proven technology. We estimate a construction cost of 54M USD and a cost of 7.5M USD for 5 years of operation, with an anticipated US contribution of 20M USD ensuring that the US will be a driving force for the SWGO effort. The recently formed SWGO collaboration will conduct site selection and detector optimization studies prior to construction, with full operations foreseen to begin in 2026. Throughout this document, references to science white papers submitted to the Astro2020 Decadal Survey with particular relevance to the key science goals of SWGO, which include unveiling Galactic particle accelerators [2-10], exploring the dynamic universe [11-21], and probing physics beyond the Standard Model [22-25], are highlighted in red boldface.
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