Proposed multilayer-grating designs for the Astrophysical Plasmadynamic Explorer (APEX): an EUV high-resolution spectroscopic SMEX

APEX is a proposed mission for a Small Explorer (SMEX) satellite. The instrument is a suite of 8 near-normal incidence EUV spectrometers and is the outgrowth of 17 years of research at NRL on multilayer coatings and holographic ion-etched diffraction gratings. A prototype spectrometer has been flown successfully on a sounding rocket. We have examined different multilayer and gratings designs and produced a configuration optimized for the proposed science. APEX will achieve a peak effective area of at least 30-50 cm2 in the range 90-275 Å with resolution ~10,000, significant improvements on Chandra and EUVE.

[1]  R. G. Cruddace,et al.  Record High EUV Efficiency from Multilayer-Coated Liquid-Overcoated Blazed Ion-Etched Gratings , 2002 .

[2]  W R Hunter,et al.  Investigation of the properties of an ion-etched plane laminar holographic grating. , 2001, Applied optics.

[3]  W. Hunter,et al.  Comparison of the calculated and the measured efficiencies of a normal-incidence grating in the 125-225- A wavelength range. , 1997, Applied optics.

[4]  J F Seely,et al.  Efficiency of a multilayer-coated, ion-etched laminar holographic grating in the 14.5 16.0-nm wavelength region. , 1997, Optics letters.

[5]  T W Barbee,et al.  Polarization and efficiency of a concave multilayer grating in the 135-250-Å region and in normal-incidence and SeyaNamioka mounts. , 1995, Applied optics.

[6]  William Ralph Hunter,et al.  Grating-crystal monochromator for the spectral range 5 eV to 5 keV (A) , 1982 .

[7]  Claude Montcalm,et al.  Performance of normal-incidence molybdenum-yttrium multilayer-coated diffraction grating at a wavelength of 9 nm. , 2002, Applied optics.

[8]  S. Bowyer,et al.  On the opacity of the interstellar medium to ultrasoft X-rays and extreme-ultraviolet radiation. , 1974 .

[9]  T W Barbee,et al.  Dual-waveband operation of a multilayer-coated diffraction grating in the soft x-ray range at near-normal incidence. , 1993, Applied optics.

[10]  B. L. Henke,et al.  X-Ray Interactions: Photoabsorption, Scattering, Transmission, and Reflection at E = 50-30,000 eV, Z = 1-92 , 1993 .

[11]  S. Bajt,et al.  High-efficiency MoRu-Be multilayer-coated gratings operating near normal incidence in the 11.1-12.0-nm wavelength range. , 2001, Applied optics.

[12]  H. Gursky,et al.  The potential for plasma diagnostics from stellar extreme-ultraviolet observations , 1992 .

[13]  K F Heidemann,et al.  Groove profile modification of blazed gratings by dip coating with hardenable liquids. , 1998, Applied optics.

[14]  N. P. Bannister,et al.  High-resolution spectroscopy of G191-B2B in the extreme-ultraviolet , 2002 .

[15]  Troy W. Barbee,et al.  High-resolution EUV spectroscopy: performance of spherical multilayer-coated gratings operated at near normal incidence , 1993, Defense, Security, and Sensing.

[16]  Troy W. Barbee,et al.  Measurements of the normal-incidence X-ray reflectance of a molybdenum-silicon multilayer deposited on a 2000 l/mm grating , 1990 .

[17]  W. Hunter,et al.  Efficiency and long-term stability of a multilayer-coated, ion-etched blazed holographic grating in the 125-133-Å wavelength region. , 1995, Applied optics.

[18]  Nigel P. Bannister,et al.  The Astrophysical Plasmadynamic Explorer (APEX): a high-resolution spectroscopic observatory , 2003, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[19]  Troy W. Barbee,et al.  Efficiency calibration of the four multilayer-coated holographic ion-etched flight gratings for a sounding rocket high-resolution spectrometer , 2001, Optics + Photonics.

[20]  T W Barbee,et al.  Efficiency calibration of the first multilayer-coated holographic ion-etched flight grating for a sounding rocket high-resolution spectrometer. , 1999, Applied optics.

[21]  J F Seely,et al.  Multilayer-coated laminar grating with 16% normal-incidence efficiency in the 150-A wavelength region. , 1997, Applied optics.

[22]  George R. Carruthers,et al.  Proposed mission concept for the Astrophysical Plasmadynamic Explorer (APEX): an EUV high-resolution spectroscopic SMEX , 2003, SPIE Optics + Photonics.

[23]  M. Stedman,et al.  Manufacture And Measurement Of Ion-Etched X-Ray Diffraction Gratings , 1982, Other Conferences.

[24]  W. R. Hunter,et al.  An ultrahigh vacuum reflectometer/goniometer for use with synchrotron radiation , 1986 .