Design, development, and commissioning of a flexible test setup for the AXIS prototype detector

TL;DR

This paper describes the design and testing of a flexible, modular beamline system developed to evaluate the AXIS X-ray detector prototype, supporting future detector technology development for space missions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, adaptable beamline testing setup capable of testing various detector technologies for the AXIS mission and similar applications.

Findings

Successful testing of the first full-size MIT-LL AXIS prototype detectors

Performance results demonstrate the beamline's flexibility and robustness

Design simulations confirm the system's suitability for diverse detector technologies

Abstract

The Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS) is one of two candidate mission concepts selected for Phase-A study for the new NASA Astrophysics Probe Explorer (APEX) mission class, with a planned launch in 2032. The X-ray camera for AXIS is under joint development by the X-ray Astronomy and Observational Cosmology (XOC) Group at Stanford, the MIT Kavli Institute (MKI), and MIT Lincoln Laboratory (MIT-LL). To accelerate development efforts and meet the AXIS mission requirements, XOC has developed a twin beamline testing system, capable of providing the necessary performance, flexibility, and robustness. We present design details, simulations, and performance results for the newer of the two beamlines, constructed and optimized to test and characterize the first full-size MIT-LL AXIS prototype detectors, operating with the Stanford-developed Multi-Channel Readout Chip (MCRC) integrated readout electronics system. The XOC X-ray beamline design is forward-looking and flexible, with a modular structure adaptable to a wide range of detector technologies identified by the Great Observatories Maturation Program (GOMAP) that span the X-ray to near-infrared wavelengths.