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FOXSI – Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager. Science Objectives:
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FOXSI – Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager Science Objectives: 1. Flare Acceleration Region - FOXSI will be able to image where electrons are accelerated, along which field line they travel away from the acceleration site, where they are stopped, and how some electrons escape into interplanetary space. 2. CMEs - High sensitivity HXR observations by FOXSI will enable direct observations of electrons accelerated by CMEs as they travel in the low corona. 3. Radio Emission - FOXSI will allow for the detection HXR emission from electrons that produce coherent radio bursts for the first time. 5. Other targets also include microflares, the Quiet Sun, Solar Axions, and astrophysical sources. Associated RFAs: F1: Understand magnetic reconnection as revealed in solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and geospace storms. F2: Understand the plasma processes that accelerate and transport particles. H1: Understand the causes and subsequent evolution of solar activity that affects Earth’s space climate and environment. Mission Implementation Description: - Single 3-axis stabilized spacecraft in Earth orbit. - Total weight : 250 kg - Power req : 50 W. - Sensitivity 100x RHESSI. Optics - Based on HERO optics (Ramsey et al.) - Grazing incidence hard x-ray mirrors. - Field of View of 700 x 700 arcsecs. - Effective area 150 cm2 up to 50 keV (4x RHESSI) or 1 cm2 per kg of optics. - Spatial resolution of of single shell 7’ arcsec FWHM. Focal Plane Detectors - Si pixel detectors. - CZT pixel detectors. - based on NeXT mission. • Enabling and Enhancing Technology • 1. CZT and Si pixelated detectors - Developed for NeXT, currently are strip detectors with 100 um (Si), 200 um (CZT) strip size. New smaller ASIC will do single pixel readout and • 2. HXR Focusing Optics - Based on HERO, new processes in nesting shells and coating deposition will increase the maximum spatial resolution.