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The ATHENA X-ray observatory is a large-class ESA approved mission, with launch scheduled in 2028. The technology of silicon pore optics (SPO) was selected as baseline to assemble ATHENA's optic with hundreds of mirror modules, obtained by stacking wedged and ribbed silicon wafer plates onto silicon mandrels to form the Wolter-I configuration. In the current configuration, the optical assembly has a 3 m diameter and a 2 m 2 effective area at 1 keV, with a required angular resolution of 5 arcsec. The angular resolution that can be achieved is chiefly the combination of i) the focal spot size determined by the pore diffraction, ii) the focus degradation caused by surface and profile errors, iii) the aberrations introduced by the misalignments between primary and secondary segments, iv) imperfections in the co-focality of the mirror modules in the optical assembly. A detailed simulation of these aspects is required in order to assess the fabrication and alignment tolerances; moreover, the achievable effective area and the angular resolution depend on the mirror module design. Therefore, guaranteeing these optical performances requires: a fast design tool to find the most performing solution in terms of mirror module geometry and population, and an accurate point spread function simulation from local metrology and positioning information. In this paper, we present the results of simulations in the framework of ESA-financed projects (SIMPOSiuM, ASPHEA, SPIRIT) to prepare the ATHENA X-ray telescope: we deal with a detailed description of diffractive effects in an SPO mirror module, show ray-tracing results including mirror module misalignments, study in detail diffractive effects in different configurations, and assess the focal spot correspondence in X-rays and in the UV light, an important aspect to perform the mirror module alignment and integration. We also include a proton tracing simulation through a magnetic diverter in Halbach array configuration.

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The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a forthcoming international ground-based observatory for very highenergy gamma rays. Its goal is to reach sensitivity five to ten times better than existing Cherenkov telescopes such as VERITAS, H.E.S.S. or MAGIC and extend the range of observation to energies down to few tens of GeV and beyond 100 TeV. To achieve this goal, an array of about 100 telescopes is required, meaning a total reflective surface of several thousands of square meters. Thence, the optimal technology used for CTA mirrors' manufacture should be both low-cost (∼1000 euros/m 2 ) and allow high optical performances over the 300-550 nm wavelength range. More exactly, a reflectivity higher than 85% and a PSF (Point Spread Function) diameter smaller than 1 mrad. Surface roughness can significantly contribute to PSF broadening and limit telescope performances. Fortunately, manufacturing techniques for mirrors are now available to keep the optical scattering well below the geometrically-predictable effect of figure errors. This paper determines first order surface finish tolerances based on a surface microroughness characterization campaign, using Phase Shift Interferometry. That allows us to compute the roughness contribution to Cherenkov telescope PSF. This study is performed for diverse mirror candidates (MAGIC-I and II, ASTRI, MST) varying in manufacture technologies, selected coating materials and taking into account the degradation over time due to environmental hazards.

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The Lightweight Asymmetry and Magnetism Probe (LAMP) is a micro-satellite mission concept dedicated for astronomical X-ray polarimetry and is currently under early phase study. It consists of segmented paraboloidal multilayer mirrors with a collecting area of about 1300 cm 2 to reflect and focus 250 eV X-rays, which will be detected by position sensitive detectors at the focal plane. The primary targets of LAMP include the thermal emission from the surface of pulsars and synchrotron emission produced by relativistic jets in blazars. With the expected sensitivity, it will allow us to detect polarization or place a tight upper limit for about 10 pulsars and 20 blazars. In addition to measuring magnetic structures in these objects, LAMP will also enable us to discover bare quark stars if they exist, whose thermal emission is expected to be zero polarized, while the thermal emission from neutron stars is believed to be highly polarized due to plasma polarization and the quantum electrodynamics (QED) effect. Here we present an overview of the mission concept, its science objectives and simulated observational results.

With the rapid evolution of synchrotron x-ray sources, the demand for high-quality precision x-ray mirrors has greatly increased. Single nanometer shape accuracy is required to keep imaging capabilities at the diffraction limit. Ion beam figuring (IBF) has been used frequently for ultra-precision finishing of mirrors, but achieving the ultimate accuracy depends on three important points: careful alignment, accurate dwell time calculation and implementation, and accurate optical metrology. The Optical Metrology Group at National Synchrotron Light Source II has designed and built a position–velocity–time-modulated two-dimensional IBF system (PVT-IBF) with three novel characteristics: (1) a beam footprint on the mirror was used as a reference to align the coordinate systems between the metrology and the IBF hardware; (2) the robust iterative Fourier transform-based dwell time algorithm proposed by our group was applied to obtain an accurate dwell time map; and (3) the dwell time was then transformed to velocities and implemented with the PVT motion scheme. In this study, the technical aspects of the PVT-IBF systems are described in detail, followed by an experimental demonstration of the figuring results. In our first experiment, the 2D RMS in a 50 m m × 5 m m clear aperture was reduced from 3.4 to 1.1 nm after one IBF run. In our second experiment, due to a 5 mm pinhole installed in front of the source, the 2D RMS in a 50 m m × 5 m m clear aperture was reduced from 39.1 to 1.9 nm after three IBF runs, demonstrating that our PVT-IBF solution is an effective and deterministic figuring process.