Performance Testing of a Large-Format X-ray Reflection Grating Prototype for a Suborbital Rocket Payload

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 >250 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 Rg(λ/Δλ)>4500 at the 94% confidence level. The resulting Rg posterior probability distribution suggests that this confidence level is likely a conservative estimate though, since only a finite Rg parameter space was sampled and the model could not constrain the upper bound of Rg to less than infinity. Raytrace simulations of the tested system found that the observed data can be reproduced with a grating performing at Rg=∞. It is therefore postulated that the behavior of the obtained Rg posterior probability distribution can be explained by a finite measurement limit of the system and not a finite limit on Rg. Implications of these results and improvements to the test setup are discussed.

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Work Title Performance Testing of a Large-Format X-ray Reflection Grating Prototype for a Suborbital Rocket Payload
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Open Access
Creators
  1. Benjamin D. Donovan
  2. Randall L. McEntaffer
  3. Casey T. Deroo
  4. James H. Tutt
  5. Fabien Grisé
  6. Chad M. Eichfeld
  7. Oren Z. Gall
  8. Vadim Burwitz
  9. Gisela Hartner
  10. Carlo Pelliciari
  11. Marlis-Madeleine La Caria
Keyword
  1. Performance testing
  2. Reflection grating
  3. Off-plane mount
  4. X-ray spectroscopy
  5. Suborbital rocket
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation
Publication Date November 27, 2020
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1142/S2251171720500178
Deposited July 15, 2021

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Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Added 2011.01100.pdf
  • Added Creator Benjamin D. Donovan
  • Added Creator Randall Lee McEntaffer
  • Added Creator Casey T. Deroo
  • Added Creator James Henry Tutt
  • Added Creator Fabien Grise
  • Added Creator Chad M. Eichfeld
  • Added Creator Oren Zaak Gall
  • Added Creator Vadim Burwitz
  • Added Creator Gisela Hartner
  • Added Creator Carlo Pelliciari
  • Added Creator Marlis Madeleine La Caria
  • Published
  • Updated
  • Updated
  • Updated
  • Updated Keyword, Description, Publication Date Show Changes
    Keyword
    • Performance testing, Reflection grating, Off-plane mount, X-ray spectroscopy, Suborbital rocket
    Description
    • <p>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 &gt;250 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 Rg(λ/λ)&gt;4500 at the 94% confidence level. The resulting Rg posterior probability distribution suggests that this confidence level is likely a conservative estimate though, since only a finite Rg parameter space was sampled and the model could not constrain the upper bound of Rg to less than infinity. Raytrace simulations of the tested system found that the observed data can be reproduced with a grating performing at Rg=∞. It is therefore postulated that the behavior of the obtained Rg posterior probability distribution can be explained by a finite measurement limit of the system and not a finite limit on Rg. Implications of these results and improvements to the test setup are discussed. </p>
    • <p>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 &gt;250 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 Rg(λ/Δλ)&gt;4500 at the 94% confidence level. The resulting Rg posterior probability distribution suggests that this confidence level is likely a conservative estimate though, since only a finite Rg parameter space was sampled and the model could not constrain the upper bound of Rg to less than infinity. Raytrace simulations of the tested system found that the observed data can be reproduced with a grating performing at Rg=∞. It is therefore postulated that the behavior of the obtained Rg posterior probability distribution can be explained by a finite measurement limit of the system and not a finite limit on Rg. Implications of these results and improvements to the test setup are discussed. </p>
    Publication Date
    • 2020-12-01
    • 2020-11-27
  • Renamed Creator Randall L. McEntaffer Show Changes
    • Randall Lee McEntaffer
    • Randall L. McEntaffer
  • Renamed Creator James H. Tutt Show Changes
    • James Henry Tutt
    • James H. Tutt
  • Renamed Creator Fabien Grisé Show Changes
    • Fabien Grise
    • Fabien Grisé
  • Renamed Creator Oren Z. Gall Show Changes
    • Oren Zaak Gall
    • Oren Z. Gall
  • Renamed Creator Marlis-Madeleine La Caria Show Changes
    • Marlis Madeleine La Caria
    • Marlis-Madeleine La Caria