Integration of the ATHENA mirror modules: development of indirect and x-ray direct AIT methods

Within the ATHENA optics technology plan, activities are on-going for demonstrating the feasibility of the mirror module Assembly Integration and Testing (AIT). Each mirror module has to be accurately attached to the mirror structure by means of three isostatic mounts ensuring minimal distortion under environmental loads. This work reports on the status of one of the two parallel activities initiated by ESA to address this demanding task. In this study awarded to the industrial consortium, the integration relies on opto-mechanical metrology and direct X-ray alignment. For the first or “indirect” method the X-ray alignment results are accurately referenced, by means of a laser tracking system, to optical fiducial targets mounted on the mirror modules and finally linked to the mirror structure coordinate system. With the second or “direct” method the alignment is monitored in the X-ray domain, providing figures of merit directly comparable to the final performance. The integration being designed and here presented, foresees combining the indirect method to the X-ray direct method. The characterization of the single mirror modules is planned at PTB’s X-ray Parallel Beam Facility (XPBF 2.0) at BESSY II, and the integration and testing campaign at Panter. It is foreseen to integrate and test a demonstrator with two real mirror modules manufactured by cosine.