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arXiv · 2208.14562

The Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit: a consolidated design for the system requirement review of the preliminary definition phase

Didier Barret·Vincent Albouys·Jan-Willem den Herder·Luigi Piro·Massimo Cappi·Juhani Huovelin·Richard Kelley·J. Miguel Mas-Hesse·Stéphane Paltani·Gregor Rauw·Agata Rozanska·Jiri Svoboda·Joern Wilms·Noriko Yamasaki·Marc Audard·Simon Bandler·Marco Barbera·Xavier Barcons·Enrico Bozzo·Maria Teresa Ceballos·Ivan Charles·Elisa Costantini·Thomas Dauser·Anne Decourchelle·Lionel Duband·Jean-Marc Duval·Fabrizio Fiore·Flavio Gatti·Andrea Goldwurm·Roland den Hartog·Brian Jackson·Peter Jonker·Caroline Kilbourne·Seppo Korpela·Claudio Macculi·Mariano Mendez·Kazuhisa Mitsuda·Silvano Molendi·François Pajot·Etienne Pointecouteau·Frederick Porter·Gabriel W. Pratt·Damien Prêle·Laurent Ravera·Kosuke Sato·Joop Schaye·Keisuke Shinozaki·Konrad Skup·Jan Soucek·Tanguy Thibert·Jacco Vink·Natalie Webb·Laurence Chaoul·Desi Raulin·Aurora Simionescu·Jose Miguel Torrejon·Fabio Acero·Graziella Branduardi-Raymont·Stefano Ettori·Alexis Finoguenov·Nicolas Grosso·Jelle Kaastra·Pasquale Mazzotta·Jon Miller·Giovanni Miniutti·Fabrizio Nicastro·Salvatore Sciortino·Hiroya Yamaguchi·Sophie Beaumont·Edoardo Cucchetti·Matteo D'Andrea·Megan Eckart·Philippe Ferrando·Elias Kammoun·Simone Lotti·Jean-Michel Mesnager·Lorenzo Natalucci·Philippe Peille·Jelle de Plaa·Florence Ardellier·Andrea Argan·Elise Bellouard·Jérôme Carron·Elisabetta Cavazzuti·Mauro Fiorini·Pourya Khosropanah·Sylvain Martin·James Perry·Frederic Pinsard·Alice Pradines·Manuela Rigano·Peter Roelfsema·Denis Schwander·Guido Torrioli·Joel Ullom·Isabel Vera·Eduardo Medinaceli Villegas·Monika Zuchniak·Frank Brachet·Ugo Lo Cicero
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Abstract

The Athena X-ray Integral Unit (X-IFU) is the high resolution X-ray spectrometer, studied since 2015 for flying in the mid-30s on the Athena space X-ray Observatory, a versatile observatory designed to address the Hot and Energetic Universe science theme, selected in November 2013 by the Survey Science Committee. Based on a large format array of Transition Edge Sensors (TES), it aims to provide spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy, with a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV (up to 7 keV) over an hexagonal field of view of 5 arc minutes (equivalent diameter). The X-IFU entered its System Requirement Review (SRR) in June 2022, at about the same time when ESA called for an overall X-IFU redesign (including the X-IFU cryostat and the cooling chain), due to an unanticipated cost overrun of Athena. In this paper, after illustrating the breakthrough capabilities of the X-IFU, we describe the instrument as presented at its SRR, browsing through all the subsystems and associated requirements. We then show the instrument budgets, with a particular emphasis on the anticipated budgets of some of its key performance parameters. Finally we briefly discuss on the ongoing key technology demonstration activities, the calibration and the activities foreseen in the X-IFU Instrument Science Center, and touch on communication and outreach activities, the consortium organisation, and finally on the life cycle assessment of X-IFU aiming at minimising the environmental footprint, associated with the development of the instrument. Thanks to the studies conducted so far on X-IFU, it is expected that along the design-to-cost exercise requested by ESA, the X-IFU will maintain flagship capabilities in spatially resolved high resolution X-ray spectroscopy, enabling most of the original X-IFU related scientific objectives of the Athena mission to be retained. (abridged).

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Didier Barret, Vincent Albouys, Jan-Willem den Herder, Luigi Piro, Massimo Cappi, Juhani Huovelin, Richard Kelley, J. Miguel Mas-Hesse, Stéphane Paltani, Gregor Rauw, Agata Rozanska, Jiri Svoboda, Joern Wilms, Noriko Yamasaki, Marc Audard, Simon Bandler, Marco Barbera, Xavier Barcons, Enrico Bozzo, Maria Teresa Ceballos, Ivan Charles, Elisa Costantini, Thomas Dauser, Anne Decourchelle, Lionel Duband, Jean-Marc Duval, Fabrizio Fiore, Flavio Gatti, Andrea Goldwurm, Roland den Hartog, Brian Jackson, Peter Jonker, Caroline Kilbourne, Seppo Korpela, Claudio Macculi, Mariano Mendez, Kazuhisa Mitsuda, Silvano Molendi, François Pajot, Etienne Pointecouteau, Frederick Porter, Gabriel W. Pratt, Damien Prêle, Laurent Ravera, Kosuke Sato, Joop Schaye, Keisuke Shinozaki, Konrad Skup, Jan Soucek, Tanguy Thibert, Jacco Vink, Natalie Webb, Laurence Chaoul, Desi Raulin, Aurora Simionescu, Jose Miguel Torrejon, Fabio Acero, Graziella Branduardi-Raymont, Stefano Ettori, Alexis Finoguenov, Nicolas Grosso, Jelle Kaastra, Pasquale Mazzotta, Jon Miller, Giovanni Miniutti, Fabrizio Nicastro, Salvatore Sciortino, Hiroya Yamaguchi, Sophie Beaumont, Edoardo Cucchetti, Matteo D'Andrea, Megan Eckart, Philippe Ferrando, Elias Kammoun, Simone Lotti, Jean-Michel Mesnager, Lorenzo Natalucci, Philippe Peille, Jelle de Plaa, Florence Ardellier, Andrea Argan, Elise Bellouard, Jérôme Carron, Elisabetta Cavazzuti, Mauro Fiorini, Pourya Khosropanah, Sylvain Martin, James Perry, Frederic Pinsard, Alice Pradines, Manuela Rigano, Peter Roelfsema, Denis Schwander, Guido Torrioli, Joel Ullom, Isabel Vera, Eduardo Medinaceli Villegas, Monika Zuchniak, Frank Brachet, Ugo Lo Cicero. 2022-08-30. The Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit: a consolidated design for the system requirement review of the preliminary definition phase. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-022-09880-7

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