A test platform for the detection and readout chain for the Athena X-IFU

Gabriele L. Betancourt-Martinez; François Pajot; Gilles Roudil; Joseph Adams; Simon Bandler; Sophie Beaumont; Bernard Bertrand; Florent Castellani; Edoardo Cucchetti; Michel Dupieux; Hervé Geoffray; Philippe Peille; Laurent Ravera; Doreen Wernicke; Aurélien Ledot

doi:10.1117/12.2561281

24 June 2021 A test platform for the detection and readout chain for the Athena X-IFU

Gabriele L. Betancourt-Martinez, François Pajot, Gilles Roudil, Joseph Adams, Simon Bandler, Sophie Beaumont, Bernard Bertrand, Florent Castellani, Edoardo Cucchetti, Michel Dupieux, Hervé Geoffray, Philippe Peille, Laurent Ravera, Doreen Wernicke, Aurélien Ledot

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11444, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2020: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 1144444 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2561281
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2020, Online Only

Conference Poster

Abstract

We present a test platform for the Athena X-IFU detection chain, shared between IRAP and CNES. This test bench, housed in a commercial two-stage ADR cryostat provided by Entropy GmbH, will serve as the first demonstration of the representative end-to-end readout chain for the X-IFU, using prototypes of the future flight electronics and currently available subsystems. The focal plane array (FPA), placed at the 50 mK cold stage of the ADR, includes a 1024-pixel array of transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter spectrometers provided by NASA/GSFC, superconducting amplifiers (SQUIDs) from VTT, as well as superconducting readout electronics for frequency domain multiplexing (FDM), provided by SRON. The detection chain then continues with the prototype room temperature electronics for the X-IFU: the Warm Front-End Electronics (WFEE, provided by APC) and the Digital Readout Electronics (DRE, provided by IRAP). The test bench yields critical feedback on current subsystem designs and electronic interfaces, and in the future will also be used for refining the X-IFU calibration plan as well as laboratory astrophysics experiments relevant to future X-IFU science. In this presentation, we describe the characterization of the cryostat, various design trades for the FPA and readout chain, and recent results from our current setup.

Citation Download Citation

Gabriele L. Betancourt-Martinez, François Pajot, Gilles Roudil, Joseph Adams, Simon Bandler, Sophie Beaumont, Bernard Bertrand, Florent Castellani, Edoardo Cucchetti, Michel Dupieux, Hervé Geoffray, Philippe Peille, Laurent Ravera, Doreen Wernicke, and Aurélien Ledot "A test platform for the detection and readout chain for the Athena X-IFU", Proc. SPIE 11444, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2020: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 1144444 (24 June 2021); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2561281

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available