Chandra x-ray optics

Weisskopf, Martin C.

doi:doi:10.1117/1.OE.51.1.011013

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Optical Engineering / Volume 51 / Issue 1 / Special Section on Space Telescopes

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Chandra x-ray optics

Opt. Eng. 51, 011013 (Feb 06, 2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.51.1.011013

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Abstract

References (9)

Citing Articles (7)

Martin C. Weisskopf

NASA, Marshall Space Flight CenterHuntsville, Alabama 35812

Significant advances in science always occur when the state of the art in instrumentation improves dramatically. NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory represents such an advance. Launched in July of 1999, Chandra is an observatory designed to study the x-ray emission from all categories of astronomical objects—from comets, planets, and normal stars to quasars, galaxies, and clusters of galaxies. At the heart of this observatory is the precision x-ray optic that has been vital for Chandra’s outstanding success and that features an angular resolution improved by an order of magnitude compared to its forerunners. The Chandra mission is now entering its thirteenth year of operation, which, given that the observatory was designed for a minimum of three years of operation, testifies to its robust and carefully thought-out design. We review the design and construction of the remarkable telescope, present examples of its usage for astronomy and astrophysics, and speculate on its future.

History

Received Aug 15, 2012
Accepted Oct 25, 2012
Revised Oct 24, 2012
Published online Feb 06, 2012

Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.51.1.011013

Citation

Martin C. Weisskopf, "Chandra x-ray optics", Opt. Eng. 51, 011013 (Feb 06, 2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.51.1.011013