Paper
27 August 2010 Finite element analyses of thin film active grazing incidence x-ray optics
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
The Chandra X-ray Observatory, with its sub-arc second resolution, has revolutionized X-ray astronomy by revealing an extremely complex X-ray sky and demonstrating the power of the X-ray window in exploring fundamental astrophysical problems. Larger area telescopes of still higher angular resolution promise further advances. We are engaged in the development of a mission concept, Generation-X, a 0.1 arc second resolution x-ray telescope with tens of square meters of collecting area, 500 times that of Chandra. To achieve these two requirements of imaging and area, we are developing a grazing incidence telescope comprised of many mirror segments. Each segment is an adjustable mirror that is a section of a paraboloid or hyperboloid, aligned and figure corrected in situ on-orbit. To that end, finite element analyses of thin glass mirrors are performed to determine influence functions for each actuator on the mirrors, in order to develop algorithms for correction of mirror deformations. The effects of several mirror mounting schemes are also studied. The finite element analysis results, combined with measurements made on prototype mirrors, will be used to further refine the correction algorithms.
© (2010) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
William N. Davis, Paul B. Reid, and Daniel A. Schwartz "Finite element analyses of thin film active grazing incidence x-ray optics", Proc. SPIE 7803, Adaptive X-Ray Optics, 78030P (27 August 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.862522
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Cited by 10 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Actuators

Mirrors

Finite element methods

X-rays

Error analysis

Grazing incidence

X-ray astronomy

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