Radiation environment of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory

Stephen L. O'Dell; Mark W. Bautz; William C. Blackwell Jr.; Yousaf M. Butt; Robert A. Cameron; Ronald F. Elsner; M. Susan Gussenhoven; Jeffery J. Kolodziejczak; Joseph I. Minow; Robert M. Suggs; Douglas A. Swartz; Allyn F. Tennant; Shanil N. Virani; Kevin M. Warren

doi:10.1117/12.409104

13 December 2000 Radiation environment of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory

Stephen L. O'Dell, Mark W. Bautz, William C. Blackwell Jr., Yousaf M. Butt, Robert A. Cameron, Ronald F. Elsner, M. Susan Gussenhoven, Jeffery J. Kolodziejczak, Joseph I. Minow, Robert M. Suggs, Douglas A. Swartz, Allyn F. Tennant, Shanil N. Virani, Kevin M. Warren

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4140, X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy XI; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.409104
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2000, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The Chandra X-ray Observatory, the x-ray component of NASA's Great Observatories, provides unprecedented subarcsecond imaging, imaging spectrometry, and high-resolution dispersive spectroscopy of cosmic x-ray sources. During the initial phase of operation, some of the focal-plane charge-coupled devices (CCDs) -- namely, the front-illuminated devices -- experienced an unanticipated increase in charge-transfer inefficiency (CTI). Investigation of this anomaly determined the root cause to be radiation damage by weakly penetrating protons, entering the telescope's aperture and scattered off the mirrors into the focal plane. Subsequent changes in operating procedures have slowed the rate of increase of the CTI of the front- illuminated CCDs to acceptable levels. There has been no measurable degradation of the back-illuminated CCDs.

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Stephen L. O'Dell, Mark W. Bautz, William C. Blackwell Jr., Yousaf M. Butt, Robert A. Cameron, Ronald F. Elsner, M. Susan Gussenhoven, Jeffery J. Kolodziejczak, Joseph I. Minow, Robert M. Suggs, Douglas A. Swartz, Allyn F. Tennant, Shanil N. Virani, and Kevin M. Warren "Radiation environment of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory", Proc. SPIE 4140, X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy XI, (13 December 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.409104

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