Construction and Validation of a Geometry-based Mathematical Model for the Hard X-Ray Imager

Quantitative and analytical analysis of the modulation process of the collimator is a great challenge,and is also of great value to the design and development of Fourier transform imaging telescopes.The Hard X-ray Imager(HXI),as one of the three payloads onboard the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S) mission,adopts modulating Fourier-Transformation imaging technique and will be used to explore the mechanism of energy release and transmission in solar flare activities.As an important step to reconstruct the images of solar flares,accurate modulation functions of HXI are needed.In this paper,a mathematical model is developed to analyze the modulation function under a simplified condition first.Then its behavior under six degrees of freedom is calculated after adding the rotation matrix and translation change to the model.In addition,unparalleled light and extended sources are also considered so that our model can be used to analyze the X-ray beam experiment.Next,applied to the practical HXI conditions,the model has been confirmed not only by Geant4 simulations but also by some verification experiments.Furthermore,how this model helps to improve the image reconstruction process after the launch of ASO-S is also presented.

Design of a high-dynamic-range prototype readout system for VLAST calorimeter

In the future, the Very Large Area gamma-ray Space Telescope is expected to observe high-energy electrons and gamma rays in the MeV to TeV range with unprecedented acceptance. As part of the detector suite, a high-energy imaging calorimeter(HEIC) is currently being developed as a homogeneous calorimeter that utilizes long bismuth germanate(BGO) scintillation crystals as both absorbers and detectors. To accurately measure the energy deposition in the BGO bar of HEIC, a highdynamic-range readout method using a silicon photomultiplier(SiPM) and multiphotodiode(PD) with different active areas has been proposed. A prototype readout system that adopts multichannel charge measurement ASICs was also developed to read out the combined system of SiPMs and PDs. Preliminary tests confirmed the feasibility of the readout scheme, which is expected to have a dynamic range close to 10~6.

Hard X-ray Imager (HXI) onboard the ASO-S mission

Hard X-ray Imager(HXI)is one of the three scientific instruments onboard the Advanced Spacebased Solar Observatory(ASO-S)mission,which is proposed for the 25th solar maximum by the Chinese solar community.HXI is designed to investigate the non-thermal high-energy electrons accelerated in solar flares by providing images of solar flaring regions in the energy range from 30 keV to 200 keV.The imaging principle of HXI is based on spatially modulated Fourier synthesis and utilizes about 91 sets of bi-grid sub-collimators and corresponding LaBr3 detectors to obtain Fourier components with a spatial resolution of about 3 arcsec and a time resolution better than 0.5 s.An engineering prototype has been developed and tested to verify the feasibility of design.In this paper,we present background,instrument design and the development and test status of the prototype.

Spectrometer of hard X-ray imager payload onboard the ASO-S mission

A spaceborne hard X-ray spectrometer, composed of an array of 99 scintillation detectors and associated readout electronics, has been developed for the hard X-ray imager(HXI). The HXI is one of the three payloads onboard the advanced space-based solar observatory(ASO-S), which is scheduled to be launched in early 2022 as the first Chinese solar satellite. LaBr3 scintillators and photomultiplier tubes with a super bialkali cathode are used to achieve an energy resolution better than 20% at 30 keV.Further, a new multi-channel charge-sensitive readout application-specific integrated circuit guarantees high-frequency data acquisition with low power consumption. This paper presents a detailed design of the spectrometer for the engineering model of the HXI and discusses its noise and linearity performance.

Research on the On-orbit Background of the Hard X-Ray Imager Onboard ASO-S

The space environment background of various particle fluxes of the Hard X-ray Imager(HXI), one of the payloads of the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S) spacecraft, is investigated and presented. Different approaches are used to obtain the input information on various space environment particles(protons, alpha particles, electrons, positrons, neutrons, and photons). Some special regions(SAA and radiation belt) are also taken into account. The findings indicate that electrons are the primary background source in the radiation belt. Due to the large background flux generated by electrons, HXI cannot effectively observe solar flares in the radiation belt.Outside the radiation belt, primary protons and albedo photons are the main sources of background at low and high magnetic latitudes respectively. The statistical analysis of the flare and background spectra shows that the errors of the flare energy spectrum observation are mainly concentrated in the high energy band, and the detector still has a certain spectrum observation capability for flares of C-class and below in the low energy band of the non-radiation belt. The imaging observation of flares of C-class and below is significantly affected by the accuracy of background subtraction. The energy band with the best signal-to-noise ratio is from 10 to 50 ke V, which can be used to monitor the formation and class of flares.

Design and verification of the HXI collimator on the ASO-S mission

A space-borne hard X-ray collimator,comprising 91 pairs of grids,has been developed for the Hard X-ray Imager(HXI).The HXI is one of the three scientific instruments onboard the first Chinese solar mission:the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S).The HXI collimator(HXI-C)is a spatial modulation X-ray telescope designed to observe hard X-rays emitted by energetic electrons in solar flares.This paper presents the detailed design of the HXI-C for the qualification model that will be inherited by the flight model.Series tests on the HXI-C qualification model are reported to verify the ability of the HXI-C to survive the launch and to operate normally in on-orbit environments.Furthermore,results of the X-ray beam test for the HXI-C are presented to indirectly identify the working performance of the HXI-C.