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Champey, Patrick

Publications and source records attributed to Champey, Patrick.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2019

Design, Testing, and Implementation of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer Slit-Jaw Context Imaging System

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a NASA sounding rocket payload providing a 0.6 – 2.5 nm spectrum with unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution. The instrument is comprised of a novel optical design, featuring a Wolter 1 grazing mirror in the telescope module focusing the solar image on a slit plate; two corrective optics, a diffraction grating and a low-noise detector make up the spectrometer module. When MaGIXS flies on a suborbital launch in 2020, a slit-jaw camera system will image the sun in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to soft x-ray wavelengths, providing a reference for pointing the telescope and aligning the data to supporting observations from satellites.

Phillip Wilkerson↗
NASA NTRS2019

Deterministic Polishing of Replicating Grazing-Incidence Mandrels

In an effort to manufacture high-angular-resolution, grazing-incidence, x-ray optics, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is taking measures to improve its electroformed replicated optics. A key development is the use of computer-numerical control (CNC) polishing to deterministically improve the surface of electroless nickel mandrels used to replicate grazing- incidence optics. Metrology, control software and polishing parameters must function together seamlessly to reach the specifications required to replicate sub-arcsecond optics. Each change in polishing parameters effects the wear pattern of the polishing head. Using Richardson-Lucy deconvolution, the controller software fits the wear pattern to metrology data to calculate the changing feedrates across the mandrel. Here we present an overview of our process, and early results showing the effectiveness of deterministic polishing for replicated optics.

Davis, Jacqueline↗
NASA NTRS2019

X-ray Evaluation of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-Ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) Nickel-Replicated Mirrors

X-ray observations of astronomical objects provides diagnostics not available in any other wavelength regime, however the capability of making these observation at a high spatial resolution has proven challenging. Recently, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has made good progress in employing computer numerical control (CNC) polishing techniques on electroless nickel mandrels as part of our replicated grazing incidence optics program. CNC polishing has afforded the ability to deterministically refine mandrel figure, thereby improving mirror performance. The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a MSFC-led sounding rocket instrument that is designed to make the first ever soft x-ray spectral observations of the Sun spatially resolved along a narrow slit. MaGIXS incorporates some of the first mirrors produced at MSFC using this polishing technique. Here we present the predicted mirror performance obtained from metrology, after completion of CNC polishing, as well as the results of X-ray tests performed on the MaGIXS telescope mirror before and after mounting.

MaGIXS X-ray Tests↗
NASA NTRS2019

Marshall Grazing Incidence X-Ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)

Outline: Scientific motivation for MaGIXS (Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer) - Demonstrate sensitivity of MaGIXS to determine high temperature plasma; Instrument design - Challenges involved; Instrument status - alignment and calibration.

Athiray, P. S.↗
NASA NTRS2018

On the Development of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrograph (MaGIXS) Mirrors

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrograph (MaGIXS) is a sounding rocket experiment that will obtain spatially resolved soft X-ray spectra of the solar corona from 0.5 - 2 keV. The optical system comprises a Wolter-I telescope mirror, a slit spectrograph, and a CCD camera. The spectrograph has a finite conjugate paraboloid pair, which re-images the slit, and a varied line-space planar reflection grating. Both the Wolter-I mirror and paraboloid pair are being fabricated at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), using nickel replication. The MaGIXS mirror mandrels have been diamond turned, polished, and have yielded a set of engineering mirrors. Unlike other grazing incidence instruments, such as FOXSI, ART-XC, and IXPE, the MaGIXS prescriptions have large departure from a cone. This property exacerbates challenges with conventional lap polishing techniques and interferometric metrology. Here we discuss the progression of the optical surfaces of the mandrels through lap polishing, X-ray data from the replicated shells obtained in the MSFC Stray Light Facility (SLF), and our transition to using the ZEEKO computer numerical controlled (CNC) polisher for figure correction.

Champey, Patrick↗
NASA NTRS2018

Linearity Analysis and Efficiency Testing of The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) Science Cameras for Flight

To unveil the complexity of the solar atmosphere, measurement of the magnetic field in the upper chromosphere and transition region is fundamentally important, as this is where the forces transition from plasma to magnetic field dominated. Measurements of the field are also needed to elucidate the energy transport from the lower atmospheric regions to the corona beyond. Such an advance in heliospheric knowledge became possible with the first flight of the international solar sounding rocket mission, CLASP. For the first time, linear polarization was measured in Hydrogen Lyman-Alpha at 121.60 nm in September 2015. For linear polarization measurements in this emission line, high sensitivity is required due to the relatively weak polarization signal compared to the intensity. To achieve this high sensitivity, a low-noise sensor is required with good knowledge of its characterization, including linearity. This work presents further refinement of the linearity characterization of the cameras flown in 2015. We compared the current from a photodiode in the light path to the digital response of the detectors. Pre-flight CCD linearity measurements were taken for all three flight cameras and calculations of the linear fits and residuals were performed. However, the previous calculations included a smearing pattern and a digital saturation region on the detectors which were not properly taken into account. The calculations have been adjusted and were repeated for manually chosen sub-regions on the detectors that were found not to be affected. We present a brief overview of the instrument, the calibration data and procedures, and a comparison of the old and new linearity results. The CLASP cameras will be reused for the successor mission, CLASP2, which will measure the Magnesium II h & k emission lines between 279.45 nm and 280.35 nm. The new approach will help to better prepare for and to improve the camera characterization for CLASP2.

detector↗
NASA NTRS2017

Linearity Analysis and Efficiency Testing of The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) Science Cameras for Flight

To unveil the complexity of the solar atmosphere, measurement of the magnetic field in the upper chromosphere and transition region is fundamentally important, as this is where the forces transition from plasma to magnetic field dominated. Measurements of the field are also needed to elucidate the energy transport from the lower atmospheric regions to the corona beyond. Such an advance in heliospheric knowledge became possible with the first flight of the international solar sounding rocket mission, CLASP. For the first time, linear polarization was measured in Hydrogen Lyman-Alpha at 121.60 nm in September 2015. For linear polarization measurements in this emission line, high sensitivity is required due to the relatively weak polarization signal compared to the intensity. To achieve this high sensitivity, a low-noise sensor is required with good knowledge of its characterization, including linearity. This work presents further refinement of the linearity characterization of the cameras flown in 2015. We compared the current from a photodiode in the light path to the digital response of the detectors. Pre-flight CCD linearity measurements were taken for all three flight cameras and calculations of the linear fits and residuals were performed. However, the previous calculations included a smearing pattern and a digital saturation region on the detectors which were not properly taken into account. The calculations have been adjusted and were repeated for manually chosen sub-regions on the detectors that were found not to be affected. We present a brief overview of the instrument, the calibration data and procedures, and a comparison of the old and new linearity results. The CLASP cameras will be reused for the successor mission, CLASP2, which will measure the Magnesium II h & k emission lines between 279.45 nm and 280.35 nm. The new approach will help to better prepare for and to improve the camera characterization for CLASP2.

linearit↗
NASA NTRS2016

On the Alignment and Focusing of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a NASA sounding rocket instrument that is designed to observe soft X-ray emissions from 24 - 6.0 A (0.5 - 2.0 keV energies) in the solar atmosphere. For the rst time, high-temperature, low-emission plasma will be observed directly with 5 arcsecond spatial resolution and 22 mA spectral resolution. The unique optical design consists of a Wolter - I telescope and a 3-optic grazing- incidence spectrometer. The spectrometer utilizes a nite conjugate mirror pair and a blazed planar, varied line spaced grating, which is directly printed on a silicon substrate using e-beam lithography. The grating design is being nalized and the grating will be fabricated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Izentis LLC. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is producing the nickel replicated telescope and spectrometer mirrors using the same facilities and techniques as those developed for the ART-XC and FOXSI mirrors. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) will mount and align the optical sub-assemblies based on previous experience with similar instruments, such as the Hinode X-Ray Telescope (XRT). The telescope and spectrometer assembly will be aligned in visible light through the implementation of a theodolite and reference mirrors, in addition to the centroid detector assembly (CDA) { a device designed to align the AXAF-I nested mirrors. Focusing of the telescope and spectrometer will be achieved using the X-ray source in the Stray Light Facility (SLF) at MSFC. We present results from an alignment sensitivity analysis performed on the on the system and we also discuss the method for aligning and focusing MaGIXS.

solar↗
NASA NTRS2015

VUV Testing of Science Cameras at MSFC: QE Measurement of the CLASP Flight Cameras

The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed a science camera suitable for sub-orbital missions for observations in the UV, EUV and soft X-ray. Six cameras were built and tested for the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP), a joint National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and MSFC sounding rocket mission. The CLASP camera design includes a frame-transfer e2v CCD57-10 512x512 detector, dual channel analog readout electronics and an internally mounted cold block. At the flight operating temperature of -20 C, the CLASP cameras achieved the low-noise performance requirements (less than or equal to 25 e- read noise and greater than or equal to 10 e-/sec/pix dark current), in addition to maintaining a stable gain of approximately equal to 2.0 e-/DN. The e2v CCD57-10 detectors were coated with Lumogen-E to improve quantum efficiency (QE) at the Lyman- wavelength. A vacuum ultra-violet (VUV) monochromator and a NIST calibrated photodiode were employed to measure the QE of each camera. Four flight-like cameras were tested in a high-vacuum chamber, which was configured to operate several tests intended to verify the QE, gain, read noise, dark current and residual non-linearity of the CCD. We present and discuss the QE measurements performed on the CLASP cameras. We also discuss the high-vacuum system outfitted for testing of UV and EUV science cameras at MSFC.

Champey, Patrick↗
NASA NTRS2014

Performance Characterization of the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) CCD Cameras

The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is a sounding rocket instrument currently being developed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), and other partners. The goal of this instrument is to observe and detect the Hanle effect in the scattered Lyman-Alpha UV (121.6nm) light emitted by the Sun's chromosphere. The polarized spectrum imaged by the CCD cameras will capture information about the local magnetic field, allowing for measurements of magnetic strength and structure. In order to make accurate measurements of this effect, the performance characteristics of the three on- board charge-coupled devices (CCDs) must meet certain requirements. These characteristics include: quantum efficiency, gain, dark current, read noise, and linearity. Each of these must meet predetermined requirements in order to achieve satisfactory performance for the mission. The cameras must be able to operate with a gain of 2.0+/- 0.5 e--/DN, a read noise level less than 25e-, a dark current level which is less than 10e-/pixel/s, and a residual non- linearity of less than 1%. Determining these characteristics involves performing a series of tests with each of the cameras in a high vacuum environment. Here we present the methods and results of each of these performance tests for the CLASP flight cameras.

solar↗