Simulated performance of a single pixel PIN spectrometer SCXM equipped with concentrator optics in Solar coronal X-ray observations

TL;DR

This paper presents simulations of a novel single-pixel PIN spectrometer with concentrator optics designed for solar coronal X-ray observations, demonstrating its potential sensitivity and utility for mapping solar X-ray emission and detecting axions.

Contribution

It introduces a new simple, low-cost X-ray spectrometer design for solar observations, with simulated performance analysis based on real solar data.

Findings

Simulated the instrument's sensitivity to solar coronal X-ray emission.

Demonstrated potential to distinguish axion-related X-ray signals.

Showed the instrument's capability for off-limb and full disc solar observations.

Abstract

In this paper we present simulated solar coronal X-ray observations to verify the sensitivity of a new hypothetical instrument design. These simulations are folded through this X-ray spectrometer having a moderate size circular field of view of 1.6 degrees. This SCXM (Solar Coronal X-ray Mapper) is designed to compose of a single pixel silicon PIN detector equipped with a single reflection double frustum X-ray optics. A moderate FoV would enable a morphological study of the expanded X-ray emission from the solar corona during a high activity of the Sun. The main scientific task of SCXM would be the mapping of the coronal X-ray emission, i.e. to resolve the radial distribution of the X-ray surface brightness around the Sun. These kind of off-limb observations would help to interpret the coronal plasma diagnostics as a function of the elongation angle. Direct solar full disc observations could be also performed with SCXM. In this work we have applied real solar coronal X-ray data obtained by the SMART-1 XSM (X-ray Solar Monitor) to simulate on-solar observations at different flux levels to derive full disc sensitivity and performance of SCXM. A challenging attempt for SCXM would also be to distinguish the X-ray spectrum of the decaying axions around the Sun. These axions are assumed to be created as side products of fusion reactions in the core of the Sun. These axions are predicted to be gravitationally trapped to orbit the Sun forming a halo-like X-ray emitting object. No signature of an axion X-ray emission around the Sun has been observed to this day. This simple X-ray spectrometer with an optical concentrator would be an inexpensive instrument with low mass and telemetry budgets compared with more accurate X-ray instruments of imaging capability. Hence SCXM would be an advanced choice as an auxiliary instrument for solar coronal X-ray observations.