A Suborbital Payload for Soft X-ray Spectroscopy of Extended Sources

TL;DR

This paper introduces a suborbital rocket payload designed for soft X-ray spectroscopy of extended celestial sources, enabling detailed analysis of supernova remnants and the diffuse X-ray background.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel, adaptable suborbital payload capable of high-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy over large sources, with simple pointing and telemetry systems.

Findings

Achieves ~100 resolution over 3.25-degree sources

Operates in 17-107 angstrom bandpass

Suitable for longer orbital missions

Abstract

We present a suborbital rocket payload capable of performing soft X-ray spectroscopy on extended sources. The payload can reach resolutions of ~100(lambda/dlambda) over sources as large as 3.25 degrees in diameter in the 17-107 angstrom bandpass. This permits analysis of the overall energy balance of nearby supernova remnants and the detailed nature of the diffuse soft X-ray background. The main components of the instrument are: wire grid collimators, off-plane grating arrays and gaseous electron multiplier detectors. This payload is adaptable to longer duration orbital rockets given its comparatively simple pointing and telemetry requirements and an abundance of potential science targets.