The Solar Aspect System of the Hard X-ray Imager Onboard ASO-S

The ASO-S/HXI is a bi-grids modulating instrument for solar hard X-ray imaging, whose collimator contains 91 pairs of tungsten grids. Since the solar disk is invisible in hard X-rays, a Solar Aspect System (SAS) is required to provide the pointing of hard X-ray imager (HXI) for locating X-ray sources on the solar disk. In addition, the knowledge of the alignment and relative twist of the corresponding front–rear grid pairs is important for image reconstruction as well as locating flares. Therefore, the SAS system was designed to monitor the alignment status of HXI grids and to provide the pointing direction of the HXI collimator with two subsystems DM and SA during the whole life cycle of HXI. DM measures the centroids of the front frosted glasses and the solar disk. SA images the Sun and provides precise relative locations of the solar disk center. Both work in the visible light of 565–585 nm. With all the data together, we can solve with an inversion algorithm the alignment status of the front and rear grids, the relative twist, and the pointing direction. We tested and validated the SAS design with both the simulation model and ground coordinate measuring machine. Here we present the detailed system design, the testing results, the inversion algorithm, and the in-orbit status of the SAS. Currently, the SAS has realized the rotational measurement accuracy of about 4 arcsec, and a translational measurement accuracy of about 15 μm, and the SAS pointing data has been used in both imaging calibration for flare locations and imaging corrections for the platform drifting effect. The high-cadence precise measurement (better than 0.3 arcsec) of the pointing will allow the study of source locations at different energies and therefore help us to understand electron acceleration and transportation in flares.