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19 May 2022 Optics for the imaging x-ray polarimetry explorer
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Abstract

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, a NASA small explorer mission, will be the first mission dedicated to x-ray polarimetry. The payload consists of three identical telescopes, each comprising a mirror module assembly (MMA) with a polarization-sensitive detector at its focus. We describe all aspects of the MMA, from initial optical and mechanical design considerations to meet program requirements through mirror shell fabrication, mirror shell integration and module assembly, environmental testing, x-ray calibration, and on-ground and on-orbit alignment.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
Brian D. Ramsey, Stephen D. Bongiorno, Jeffery K. Kolodziejczak, Kiranmayee Kilaru, Cheryl Alexander, Wayne H. Baumgartner, Shawn Breeding, Ronald F. Elsner, Shelley Le Roy, Jeff McCracken, Ikuyuki Mitsuishi, Stephen L. O'Dell, Steven D. Pavelitz, Jaganathan Ranganathan, Javier Sanchez, Chet O. Speegle, Nicholas Thomas, Bruce Weddendorf, and Martin C. Weisskopf "Optics for the imaging x-ray polarimetry explorer," Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 8(2), 024003 (19 May 2022). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.8.2.024003
Received: 14 October 2021; Accepted: 14 April 2022; Published: 19 May 2022
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CITATIONS
Cited by 7 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Mirrors

X-rays

Sensors

X-ray imaging

Polarimetry

X-ray optics

Calibration

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