In-orbit operation of Resolve Filter Wheel and modulated X-ray source

The Resolve soft X-ray spectrometer is a high spectral resolution microcalorimeter spectrometer for the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission. In the beam of Resolve, there is a filter wheel containing X-ray filters. In the beam, there is also an active calibration source, the modulated X-ray source (MXS), which can provide pulsed X-rays to facilitate gain calibration. The filter wheel consists of six filter positions. Two open positions, one Fe55 source to aid in spectrometer characterization during the commissioning phase, and three transmission filters: a neutral density filter, an optical blocking filter, and a beryllium filter. The X-ray intensity, pulse period, and pulse separation of an MXS are highly configurable. Furthermore, the switch-on time is synchronized with the spacecraft’s internal clock to give accurate start and end times of the pulses. One of the issues raised during ground testing was the susceptibility of an MXS at high voltage to ambient light. Although measures were taken to mitigate the light leak, the efficacy of those measures must be verified in orbit. Along with an overview of issues raised during ground testing, we will discuss the calibration source and the filter performance in-flight and compare with the transmission curves present in the Resolve calibration database.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and Systems
Published
2025-08-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1117/1.jatis.11.4.042021
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.36

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

In-orbit operation of Resolve Filter Wheel and modulated X-ray source

Ludovic Genolet, R. F. Shipman, Megan E. Eckart, S. Paltani et al.
1 citations
Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and Systems
Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
1.36
article

In-orbit operation of Resolve Filter Wheel and modulated X-ray source

Ludovic Genolet, R. F. Shipman, Megan E. Eckart, S. Paltani, Rob Wolfs, Masahiro Tsujimoto, Maurice A. Leutenegger, Martin Grim, F. S. Porter, C. P. de Vries, Makoto Sawada, Misaki Mizumoto, Shunji Kitamoto, E. Costantini, Caroline A. Kilbourne, Erik van der Meer, Simon Strotmann, Carlo Ferrigno, Nathalie Gorter, J. W. den Herder
article en
1 citations

Abstract

The Resolve soft X-ray spectrometer is a high spectral resolution microcalorimeter spectrometer for the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission. In the beam of Resolve, there is a filter wheel containing X-ray filters. In the beam, there is also an active calibration source, the modulated X-ray source (MXS), which can provide pulsed X-rays to facilitate gain calibration. The filter wheel consists of six filter positions. Two open positions, one Fe55 source to aid in spectrometer characterization during the commissioning phase, and three transmission filters: a neutral density filter, an optical blocking filter, and a beryllium filter. The X-ray intensity, pulse period, and pulse separation of an MXS are highly configurable. Furthermore, the switch-on time is synchronized with the spacecraft’s internal clock to give accurate start and end times of the pulses. One of the issues raised during ground testing was the susceptibility of an MXS at high voltage to ambient light. Although measures were taken to mitigate the light leak, the efficacy of those measures must be verified in orbit. Along with an overview of issues raised during ground testing, we will discuss the calibration source and the filter performance in-flight and compare with the transmission curves present in the Resolve calibration database.

Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and SystemsVol. 11(04)
University of Geneva (CH), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), Rikkyo University (JP), University of Teacher Education Fukuoka (JP), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JP), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (JP), Swiss Institute of Comparative Law (CH), European Space Research and Technology Centre (NL), Space Research Organisation Netherlands (NL)
Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Astrophysics Science Division, Astrophysics Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
1.36
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.