揭示隐藏宇宙的全壳X射线光学技术

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is at the forefront of developing and utilizing full-shell X-ray optics to study the universe. X-ray observations provide crucial insights into both the largest and smallest scales of the cosmos, from gas between galaxies to extreme conditions around compact objects like black holes and neutron stars.

Unlike traditional optical telescopes, X-ray optics must be designed to reflect light at very small angles, known as grazing incidence. The classic design for these optics is the Wolter-I prescription, which utilizes multiple mirror shells to create a full-shell mirror assembly. MSFC has been building and flying lightweight, full-shell, focusing X-ray optics for over three decades, consistently meeting or exceeding angular resolution and effective area requirements.

The center has achieved significant milestones in X-ray optics development, including producing the first focused hard X-ray images of an astrophysical source and launching instruments to map the sky in the hard X-ray energy range. MSFC is currently fabricating an optic for a novel soft X-ray polarimeter, aiming to push the boundaries of X-ray optics toward higher angular resolution.

To improve the performance of X-ray optics, MSFC is engaged in fundamental research and development efforts, focusing on reducing errors in the shape, position, and roughness of the optical surface. Additionally, the center operates world-class test facilities, such as the Marshall 100-meter X-ray beamline and the X-Ray and Cryogenic Facility, for testing flight and laboratory X-ray optics.

The work at MSFC aligns with the requirements outlined in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, "Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s," advocating for high-angular-resolution and high-throughput X-ray optics. By advancing the state of the art in full-shell optics, MSFC aims to reveal the extraordinary mysteries of the X-ray universe.