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E. E. DeLuca, L. Golub, J. Bookbinder, P. Cheimets (SAO), K. Shibasaki (Nobeyama Radio Observatory), T. Sakao (ISAS), R. Kano (NAOJ)
The X-ray observations from the Yohkoh SXT provided the greatest step forward in our understanding of the solar corona in nearly two decades. We believe that the scientific objectives of the Solar-B mission can best be achieved with an X-ray telescope (XRT) similar to the SXT, but with significant improvements in spatial resolution and in temperature response that take into account the knowledge gained from Yohkoh. We present the scientific justification for this view, discuss the instrumental requirements that flow from the scientific objectives, and describe the instrumentation to meet these requirements.
XRT is a grazing-incidence (GI) modified Wolter I X-ray telescope, of 35cm inner diameter and 2.7m focal length. The 2048x2048 back-illuminated CCD has 13.5\mu pixels, corresponding to 1.0 arcsec and giving full Sun field of view. This will be the highest resolution GI X-ray telescope ever flown for Solar coronal studies, and it has been designed specifically to observe both the high and low temperature coronal plasma. A small optical telescope provide visibles light images for coalignment with the Solar-B optical and EUV instruments.
The US XRT team is support by a NASA Contract from MSFC.