Engineering topics

Hughes, John P.

Publications and source records attributed to Hughes, John P..

64 records · Page 4

NASA NTRS1993

AXAF VETA-I mirror encircled energy measurements and data reduction

The AXAF VETA-I mirror encircled energy was measured with a series of apertures and two flow gas proportional counters at five X-ray energies ranging from 0.28 to 2.3 keV. The proportional counter has a thin plastic window with an opaque wire mesh supporting grid. Depending on the counter position, this mesh can cause the X-ray transmission to vary as much as +/- 9 percent, which directly translates into an error in the encircled energy. In order to correct this wire mesh effect, window scan measurements were made, in which the counter was scanned in both horizontal (Y) and vertical (Z) directions with the aperture fixed. Post VETA measurement of the VXDS setup were made to determine the exact geometry and position of the mesh grid. Computer models of the window mesh were developed to simulate the X-ray transmission based on this measurement. The window scan data were fitted to such mesh models and corrections were made. After this study, the mesh effect was well understood and the final results of the encircled energy were obtained with an uncertainty of less than 0.8 percent.

Zhao, Ping↗

NASA NTRS1993

Surface finish quality of the outer AXAF mirror pair based on X-ray measurements of the VETA-I

We employ the X-ray measurements of the VETA-I taken at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to extract information about the surface finish quality of the outermost pair of AXAF mirrors. The particular measurements we consider are 1D scans of the core of the point response function (PRF) (FWHM scans), the encircled energy as a function of radius, and 1D scans of the wings of the PRF. We discuss briefly our raytrace model which incorporates the numerous effects present in the VETA-I test, such as the finite source distance, the size and shape of the X-ray source, the residual gravitational distortions of the optic, the despace of the VETA-I, and particulate contamination. We show how the data constrain the amplitude of mirror surface deviations for spatial frequencies greater than about 0.1/mm. Constraints on the average amplitude of circumferential slope errors are derived as well.

Hughes, John P.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Correcting x ray spectra obtained from the AXAF VETA-I mirror calibration for pileup, continuum, background and deadtime

The VETA-I mirror was calibrated with the use of a collimated soft X-ray source produced by electron bombardment of various anode materials. The FWHM, effective area and encircled energy were measured with the use of proportional counters that were scanned with a set of circular apertures. The pulsers from the proportional counters were sent through a multichannel analyzer that produced a pulse height spectrum. In order to characterize the properties of the mirror at different discrete photon energies one desires to extract from the pulse height distribution only those photons that originated from the characteristic line emission of the X-ray target source. We have developed a code that fits a modeled spectrum to the observed X-ray data, extracts the counts that originated from the line emission, and estimates the error in these counts. The function that is fitted to the X-ray spectra includes a Prescott function for the resolution of the detector a second Prescott function for a pileup peak and a X-ray continuum function. The continuum component is determined by calculating the absorption of the target Bremsstrahlung through various filters correcting for the reflectivity of the mirror and convolving with the detector response.

Chartas, G.↗

NASA NTRS1992

AXAF VETA-I mirror encircled energy measurements and data reduction

The AXAF VETA-I mirror encircled energy was measured with a series of apertures and two flow gas proportional counters at five X-ray energies ranging from 0.28 to 2.3 keV. The proportional counter has a thin plastic window with an opaque wire mesh supporting grid. Depending on the counter position, this mesh can cause the X-ray transmission to vary as much as +/-9 percent, which directly translates into an error in the encircled energy. In order to correct this wire mesh effect, window scan measurements were made, in which the counter was scanned in both horizontal (Y) and vertical (Z) directions with the aperture fixed. Post VETA measurement of the VXDS setup were made to determine the exact geometry and position of the mesh grid. Computer models of the window mesh were developed to simulate the X-ray transmission based on this measurement. The window scan data were fitted to such mesh models and corrections were made. After this study, the mesh effect was well understood and the final results of the encircled energy were obtained with an uncertainty of less than 0.8 percent.

Zhao, Ping↗

NASA NTRS1992

Precision of the calibration of the AXAF engineering test article (VETA) mirrors

Measurements of the VETA encircled energies have been performed at 5 energies within 16 radii ranging from 0.05 to 200 arcseconds. We report here on the analysis of the accuracy of those measurements. A common 'error tree' structure applies, and we present representative numbers for the larger terms. At 0.277, 1.5, and 2.07 keV, and for radii of 3 arcsec and larger, our measurements have estimated 1 sigma errors of 0.6 to 1.5 percent. Effects of measurement statistics and of the VETA test mount limit the accuracy at smaller angles, and modulation by the counter window support structure together with the imperfect position repeatability limit the accuracy for the 0.93 and 2.3 keV energies. We expect to mitigate these limitations when calibrating the complete AXAF flight mirror assembly.

Schwartz, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Surface finish quality of the outer AXAF mirror pair based on x ray measurements of the VETA-I

We employ the X-ray measurements of the VETA-I taken at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to extract information about the surface finish quality of the outermost pair of AXAF mirrors. The particular measurements we consider are one dimensional scans of the core of the point response function (PRF) (full width half maximum (FWHM) scans), the encircled energy as a function of radius, and one dimensional scans of the wings of the PRF. We discuss briefly our ray trace model which incorporates the numerous effects present in the VETA-I test, such as the finite source distance, the size and shape of the X-ray source, the residual gravitational distortions of the optic, the despace of the VETA-I, and particulate contamination. We show how the data constrain the amplitude of mirror surface deviations for spatial frequencies greater than about 0.1 mm(exp -1). Constraints on the average amplitude of circumferential slope errors are derived as well.

Hughes, John P.↗

NASA NTRS1992

The x ray reflectivity of the AXAF VETA-I optics

The x-ray reflectivity of the VETA-I optic, the outermost shell of the AXAF x-ray telescope, with a bare Zerodur surface, is measured and compared with theoretical predictions. Measurements made at energies of 0.28, 0.9, 1.5, 2.1, and 2.3 keV are compared with predictions based on ray trace calculations. The data were obtained at the x-ray calibrations facility at Marshall Space Flight Center with an electron impact x-ray source located 528 m from the grazing incidence mirror. The source used photoelectric absorption filters to eliminate bremsstrahlung continuum. The mirror has a diameter of 1.2 m and a focal length of 10 m. The incident and reflected x-ray flux are detected using two proportional counters, one located in the incident beam of x-rays at the entrance aperture of the VETA-I, and the other in the focal plane behind an aperture of variable size. Results on the variation of the reflectivity with energy as well as the absolute value of the reflectivity are presented. We also present a synchrotron reflectivity measurement with high energy resolution over the range 0.26 to 1.8 keV on a flat Zerodur sample, done at NSLS. We present evidence for contamination of the flat by a thin layer of carbon on the surface, and the possibility of alteration of the surface composition of the VETA-I mirror perhaps by the polishing technique. The overall agreement between the measured and calculated effective area of VETA-I is between 2.6 percent and 10 percent, depending on which model for the surface composition is adopted. Measurements at individual energies deviate from the best-fitting calculation to 0.3 to 0.8 percent, averaging 0.6 percent at energies below the high energy cutoff of the mirror reflectivity, and are as high as 20.7 percent at the cutoff. We also discuss the approach to the final preflight calibration of the full AXAF flight mirror.

Kellogg, Edwin M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

The X-ray spectrum of Abell 665

The X-ray spectrum of the Abell 665 cluster of galaxies has been determined by the Ginga satellite. The spectrum can be well fitted by an isothermal model with kT = 8.26(+0.95; -0.81) keV and metal abundance 0.49 +/- 0.16. Joint analysis with lower energy spectral data from the Einstein Observatory is used to constrain the temperature distribution in the cluster. For a particular form of the polytropic temperature model we find the best fit to be the isothermal case, and we set an upper limit on the polytropic index of 1.35 (99-percent confidence). The virial mass of the cluster has been determined from both the X-ray data and the galaxy velocity dispersion. The mass estimates from the optical and X-ray analyses are fully consistent with each other. Abell 665 is found to be 0.82(+0.41; -0.26) times as massive as Coma if the two clusters are assumed to have the same spatial distribution of virial mass.

Hughes, John P.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Semiempirical limits on the thermal conductivity of intracluster gas

A semiempirical method for establishing lower limits on the thermal conductivity of hot gas in clusters of galaxies is described. The method is based on the observation that the X-ray imaging data (e.g., Einstein IPC) for clusters are well described by the hydrostatic-isothermal beta model, even for cooling flow clusters beyond about one core radius. In addition, there are strong indications that noncooling flow clusters (like the Coma Cluster) have a large central region (up to several core radii) of nearly constant gas temperature. This suggests that thermal conduction is an effective means of transporting and redistributing the thermal energy of the gas. This in turn has implications for the extent to which magnetic fields in the cluster are effective in reducing the thermal conductivity of the gas. Time-dependent hydrodynamic simulations for the gas in the Coma Cluster under two separate evolutionary scenarios are presented. One scenario assumes that the cluster potential is static and that the gas has an initial adiabatic distribution. The second scenario uses an evolving cluster potential. These models along with analytic results show that the thermal conductivity of the gas in the Coma Cluster cannot be less than 0.1 of full Spitzer conductivity. These models also show that high gas conductivity assists rather than hinders the development of radiative cooling in the central regions of clusters.

David, Laurence P.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Measurements of the gas temperature and iron abundance distribution in the Coma Cluster

The medium energy X-ray detectors onboard the EXOSAT Observatory have been used to determine the gas temperature at several positions in the Coma Cluster of galaxies. Evidence is found at greater than 95 percent confidence for a higher temperature in the center of the cluster than in a position approximately 45 arcmin off-center. No difference in iron abundance is observed between the center and off-center regions and the equilibrium model for the distribution of elements in the Coma Cluster of Abramopoulos, Chanan, and Ku can be rejected with greater than 99.5 percent confidence, in favor of a model with more uniform composition. A phenomenological model is presented of the Coma Cluster, which is consistent with the data presented here, as well as the imaging data from the Einstein Observatory and the Tenma X-ray spectrum. The model has a central isothermal region of temperature about 9 keV extending to about 25 arcmin (about 1 Mpc). Beyond this radius the temperature falls as a polytrope with index about 1.6.

Hughes, John P.↗