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Soft proton scattering efficiency measurements on x-ray mirror shells

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Abstract

In-orbit experience has shown that soft protons are funneled more efficiently through focusing Wolter-type optics of X-ray observatories than simulations predicted. These protons can degrade the performance of solid-state X-ray detectors and contribute to the instrumental background. Since laboratory measurements of the scattering process are rare, an experiment for grazing angles has been set up at the accelerator facility of the University of Tübingen. Systematic measurements at incidence angles ranging from 0.3° to 1.2° with proton energies around 250 keV, 500 keV, and 1 MeV have been carried out. Parts of spare mirror shells of the eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) instrument have been used as scattering targets. This publication comprises a detailed description of the setup, the calibration and normalization methods, and the scattering efficiency and energy loss results. A comparison of the results with a theoretical scattering description and with simulations is included as well.

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Notes

  1. http://geant4.cern.ch

  2. Part of the SRIM package; http://www.srim.org

  3. The scattering angle has been transformed to match the convention used in this study.

  4. Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica

  5. Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics

  6. Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics

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Acknowledgments

This work is partially supported by the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie through the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (Grant FKZ 50 OO 1110).

Conflict of interests

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Kepler Center for Astro and Particle Physics, University of Tübingen, Sand 1, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Sebastian Diebold, Chris Tenzer, Emanuele Perinati & Andrea Santangelo

  2. Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Giessenbachstrasse 1, 85748, Garching, Germany

    Michael Freyberg & Peter Friedrich

  3. Physics Institute Tübingen, Kepler Center for Astro and Particle Physics, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Josef Jochum

Authors
  1. Sebastian Diebold
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  2. Chris Tenzer
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  3. Emanuele Perinati
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  4. Andrea Santangelo
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  5. Michael Freyberg
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  6. Peter Friedrich
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  7. Josef Jochum
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Correspondence to Sebastian Diebold.

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Diebold, S., Tenzer, C., Perinati, E. et al. Soft proton scattering efficiency measurements on x-ray mirror shells. Exp Astron 39, 343–365 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-015-9451-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-015-9451-4

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