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The Rockets for Extended-source X-ray Spectroscopy

Presentation #204.01 in the session “Missions and Instruments (Oral)”.

Published onApr 01, 2022
The Rockets for Extended-source X-ray Spectroscopy

The Rockets for Extended-source X-ray Spectroscopy (tREXS) are a funded series of sounding rocket instruments to detect diffuse soft X-ray emission from astrophysical sources. The first launch of tREXS, scheduled for Q3 2022, will target the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant. The tREXS payload houses a four-channel grating spectrograph that uses passive, mechanical focusers, modules of reflection gratings, and an extended focal plane based around Teledyne CIS 113 CMOS sensors. Each mechanical focuser consists of a series of 45 plates, each populated with 241 slits that converge in size and position over the length of the modules. The sculpted beam exiting the mechanical focusers is intercepted by 152 reflection gratings contained in four modules that are co-aligned to produce an overlapping focal plane. The relatively large (~10 sq. deg.) field of view is captured on an array of 11 sensors butted to form a ~75 mm × 350 mm focal plane, with a 12th detector serving as a 0-order detector. We present here an update on the instrument design, build, alignment, and calibrations in advance of the launch later this year, including expected performance.

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