SmallSat Solar Axion and Activity X-ray Imager (SSAXI)
Jaesub Hong, Suzanne Romaine, Almus Kenter, Christopher Moore,, Katherine Reeves, Brian Ramsey, Kiranmayee Kilaru, Julia K. Vogel, Jamie Ruz, Armendariz, Hugh Hudson, Kerstin Perez

TL;DR
SSAXI is a proposed SmallSat mission designed to detect solar axions and monitor solar X-ray activity, utilizing advanced X-ray optics and sensors to distinguish axion signals from solar background over a broad energy range.
Contribution
The paper introduces a novel SmallSat mission concept employing lightweight X-ray optics and CMOS sensors for solar axion detection and solar activity monitoring.
Findings
Design of SSAXI with wide energy range (0.5-6 keV) for axion detection.
High angular resolution (30 arcsec HPD) enables core imaging.
Large field of view (40 arcmin) covers entire solar disc.
Abstract
Axions are a promising dark matter candidate as well as a solution to the strong charge-parity (CP) problem in quantum chromodynamics (QCD). We describe a new mission concept for SmallSat Solar Axion and Activity X-ray Imager (SSAXI) to search for solar axions or axion-like particles (ALPs) and to monitor solar activity of the entire solar disc over a wide dynamic range. SSAXI aims to unambiguously identify X-rays converted from axions in the solar magnetic field along the line of sight to the solar core, effectively imaging the solar core. SSAXI also plans to establish a statistical database of X-ray activities from Active Regions, microflares, and Quiet Sun regions to understand the origin of the solar corona heating processes. SSAXI employs Miniature lightweight Wolter-I focusing X-ray optics (MiXO) and monolithic CMOS X-ray sensors in a compact package. The wide energy range (0.5 -…
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