Concept of a Double Tilted Rowland Spectrograph for X-Rays

Abstract

High-resolution spectroscopy in soft X-rays (<2 keV) requires diffractive elements to resolve any astrophysically relevant diagnostics, such as closely spaced lines, weak absorption lines, or line profiles. The Rowland torus geometry describes how gratings and detectors need to be positioned to optimize the spectral resolving power. We describe how an on-axis Rowland geometry can be tilted to accommodate blazed gratings. In this geometry, two channels with separate optical axes can share the same detectors (double tilted Rowland spectrograph). Small offsets between the channels can mitigate the effect of chip gaps and reduce the alignment requirements during the construction of the instrument. The double tilted Rowland spectrograph concept is especially useful for subapertured mirrors, because it allows an effective use of space in the entrance aperture of a spacecraft. One mission that applies this concept is the Arcus Probe.

Keywords

• Astronomical instrumentation
• Spectrometers
• Space observatories
• X-ray telescopes