The optics system of the New Hard X-ray Mission: status report

The New Hard X-ray Mission (NHXM) is a space X-ray telescope project focused on the 0.2 to 80 keV energy band, coupled to good imaging, spectroscopic and polarimetry detectors. The mission is currently undergoing the Phase B study and it has been proposed to ESA as a small-size mission to be further studied in the context of the M3 call; even if the mission was not downselected for this call, its study is being continued by ASI. The required performance is reached with a focal length of 10 m and with four mirror modules, each of them composed of 70 NiCo electroformed mirror shells. The reflecting coating is a broadband graded multilayer film, and the focal plane is mounted onto an extensible bench. Three of the four modules are equipped with a camera made of two detectors positioned in series, a Silicon low energy detector covering the range 0.2 to 15 keV and a high energy detector based on CdTe sensitive from 10 keV up to 120 keV. The fourth module is dedicated to the polarimetry to be performed with enhanced imaging capabilities. In this paper the latest development in the design and manufacturing of the optics is presented. The design has been optimized in order to increase as much as possible the effective area in the high-energy band. The manufacturing of the mirror shells benefits from the latest development in the mandrel production (figuring and polishing), in the multilayer deposition and in the integration improvements.

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