X-ray focusing using square-pore microchannel plates First observation of cruxiform image structure

Fraser, George W.; Brunton, Adam N.; Lees, J.E.; Pearson, J.F.; Feller, W. Bruce

doi:10.1016/0168-9002(93)91003-6

Cited by 49 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…The focal length of an MCP optic is f =R MCP /2 (for a source at infinity) and the point spread function (PSF) is cruciform in nature (Fraser et al, 1993a), consisting of a central focus produced by odd numbers of reflections off orthogonal faces, accompanied by intersecting line foci which arise from single reflections. MCP optics have no "preferred axis", permitting much larger fields of view than those possible with conventional optical designs.…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Wide Field Auroral Imager (WFAI) for low Earth orbit missions

et al. 2007

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Abstract.A comprehensive understanding of the solar wind interaction with Earth's coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere system requires an ability to observe the charged particle environment and auroral activity from the same platform, generating particle and photon image data which are matched in time and location. While unambiguous identification of the particles giving rise to the aurora requires a Low Earth Orbit satellite, obtaining adequate spatial coverage of aurorae with the relatively limited field of view of current space bourne auroral imaging systems requires much higher orbits. A goal for future satellite missions, therefore, is the development of compact, wide field-of-view optics permitting high spatial and temporal resolution ultraviolet imaging of the aurora from small spacecraft in low polar orbit. Microchannel plate optics offer a method of achieving the required performance. We describe a new, compact instrument design which can observe a wide field-of-view with the required spatial resolution. We report the focusing of 121.6 nm radiation using a spherically-slumped, square-pore microchannel plate with a focal length of 32 mm and an F number of 0.7. Measurements are compared with detailed ray-trace simulations of imaging performance. The angular resolution is 2.7±0.2 • for the prototype, corresponding to a footprint ∼33 km in diameter for an aurora altitude of 110 km and a spacecraft altitude of 800 km. In preliminary analysis, a more recent optic has demonstrated a full width at half maximum of 5.0±0.3 arcminutes, corresponding to a footprint of ∼1 km from the same spacecraft altitude. We further report the imaging properties of a convex microchannel plate detector with planar resistive anode readout; this detector, whose active surface has a radius of curvature of only 100 mm, is shown to meet the spatial resolution and sensitivity requirements of the new wide field auroral imager (WFAI).

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Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fraser et al (1993a) describe the focusing of parallel beams of 0.1-2 keV X-rays, while results for hard X-ray focusing (50-65 keV) are presented by Price et al (2002). The present paper is concerned with the performance of MCP optics in the FUV waveband defined by the bandpass filters discussed above.…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Wide Field Auroral Imager (WFAI) for low Earth orbit missions

et al. 2007

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“…For reasons of cost, our programme to date has separated the key technical issue of MCP slumping from the fabrication of regular square-pore arrays. We have, however, already made substantial progress with both planar square-pore [7] and slumped round-pore [8] MCP geometries . Section 2 below reports both further X-ray measurements and preliminary metrology obtained from square-pore microchannel plates fabricated by both Galileo Electro-Optics and Philips Photonics.…”

Section: K Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…All X-ray images described below were captured using the large-area (93 x 93 sq.mm active area) chevron microchannel plate detector with resistive anode readout described in refs . (7,8). All images have been linearised in software to remove the residual resistive anode image distortion.…”

Section: K Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

<title>Development of microchannel plate (MCP) x-ray optics</title>

et al. 1994

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The keys to the realisation of efficient microchannel plate (MCP) optics for X-ray astronomy are (a) the production of MCPs with channels of square cross-section and (b) the development of a technology for "slumping" channel plates to a spherical format. We have recently described substantial progress in both these areas (Fraser et al., Nucl.Instr.Meth. A 324 (1993) 404 and Nucl.Instr.Meth. A, in press (1993)). In the present paper, we describe further X-ray images obtained using planar, square pore MCPs in "point-to-point" focusing mode. Angular resolution of 5 arcminutes fwhm has now been measured for full-field illumination of a hydrogen-reduced Galileo MCP (29 mm active diameter ; 44,000 active channels). Secondly, we report some preliminary metrology of square-pore microchannel plates using atomic force, scanning electron and optical microscopies. Finally, we extend our study of spherically-slumped, round-pore Philips MCPs operated as X-ray "beam expanders" . Output images have now been obtained with pointlike sources of 0.28 -17.5 keY X-rays at the foci of MCP "X-ray lenses" of both 1 mm and 4 mm thickness . The measured X-ray intensity distributions are in good agreement with the predictions of a Monte Carlo ray trace model. k INTRODUCTIONThe X-ray focusing action of lead oxide glass microchannel plates is based on equiangular reflection from the interior channel walls [1]. Channels of square cross-section are to be greatly preferred over conventional round pores for reasons of focusing efficiency [2] . Any planar channel plate will form an image of a point X-ray source at a distance from the MCP equal to the source-MCP separation. If the MCP surface can be "slumped" to follow a sphere of radius R, the resulting optical element is capable of focusing a parallel beam to a point or, conversely, of expanding a l)Oiflt source into a quasi-parallel output beam. For arbitrary curvature R and source distance I (see fig. 1), the focusing action of the microchannel structure is governed by the equationwhere i is the focal distance and R is taken to be positive when the plate is concave as viewed from the source [3]. It is therefore entirely appropriate to speak of microchannel plate "X-ray lenses". Microchannel plate optics are, furthermore, truly image forming, unlike capillary bundles [4], where the multiple-reflection ray paths are wholly determined by the capillary curvature. * Now with Nova Scientific Inc., Sturbridge Ma. 0-8194-1260-0/94/$6.00 SPIE Vol. 2011 / 215 Downloaded From: http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/ on 07/03/2016 Terms of Use: http://spiedigitallibrary.org/ss/TermsOfUse.aspx

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“…The idea of using the lobster eye principle to produce a soft X-ray all-sky monitor was first proposed by Priedhorsky et al (1996) and a method of manufacturing the square pore array has been described by several groups (Chapman et al 1991;Wilkins et al 1989;Fraser et al 1993). Recent proposals for soft X-ray wide field transient monitors using lobster eye optics include ISS Lobster submitted to NASA December 2014 and the Theseus SXT submitted the ESA M4 call at about the same time.…”

Section: The Lobster Eye X-ray Transient Monitormentioning

confidence: 99%

Gamma-Ray Bursts and Fast Transients

Willingale

Mészáros

2017

Space Sci Rev

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The current status of observations and theoretical models of gamma-ray bursts and some other related transients, including ultra-long bursts and tidal disruption events, is reviewed. We consider the impact of multi-wavelength data on the formulation and development of theoretical models for the prompt and afterglow emission including the standard fireball model utilizing internal shocks and external shocks, photospheric emission, the role of the magnetic field and hadronic processes. In addition, we discuss some of the prospects for non-photonic multi-messenger detection and for future instrumentation, and comment on some of the outstanding issues in the field.

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X-ray focusing using square-pore microchannel plates First observation of cruxiform image structure

Cited by 49 publications

References 10 publications

A Wide Field Auroral Imager (WFAI) for low Earth orbit missions

A Wide Field Auroral Imager (WFAI) for low Earth orbit missions

<title>Development of microchannel plate (MCP) x-ray optics</title>

Gamma-Ray Bursts and Fast Transients

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