[12.06] Advances in NTD Germanium-Based Microcalorimeters For Soft and Hard X-Ray Spectroscopy on Constellation X

AAS 207th Meeting, 8-12 January 2006
Session 12 Con-X Instruments and Optics
Poster, Monday, 9:20am-7:00pm, January 9, 2006, Exhibit Hall

Previous | Session 12 | Next | Author Index | Block Schedule

[12.06] Advances in NTD Germanium-Based Microcalorimeters For Soft and Hard X-Ray Spectroscopy on Constellation X

E.H. Silver, G. Austin (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), J. Beeman, D. Landis (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), E.E. Haller (University of California, Berkeley), N. Madden (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)

We report recent advances in our NTD germanium-based microcalorimeters that result in an energy resolution of 3 eV FWHM for 6 keV x-rays. We have developed a detailed model which indicates that further minor improvements will realize 2 eV FWHM at 6 keV and well under 2 eV at 1 keV. Adapting these technological improvements to microcalorimeters optimized for hard x-rays will make it possible to achieve quantum efficiencies greater than 50 maintaining an energy resolution of 50 eV or better. Incorporating these advances into microcalorimeter arrays will be discussed.

Previous | Session 12 | Next