TORRIOLI , G.

The ATHENA X-ray observatory is the second large-class mission in the ESA Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 science programme. One of the two on-board instruments is the X-IFU, an imaging spectrometer based on a large array of TES microcalorimeters. To reduce the particle-induced background, the spectrometer works in combination with a cryogenic...

The ATHENA X-IFU development program foresees to build and characterize an instrument Demonstration Model (DM), in order to probe the system critical technologies before the mission adoption. In this respect, we are now developing the DM of the X-IFU Cryogenic AntiCoincidence Detector (CryoAC), which will be delivered to the Focal Plane...

The ATHENA observatory is the second large-class ESA mission, in the context of the Cosmic Vision 2015–2025, scheduled to be launched on 2028 at L2 orbit. One of the two planned focal plane instruments is the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU), which will be able to perform simultaneous high-grade energy spectroscopy and imaging over the 5...

ATHENA+ is a space mission proposal for the next ESA L2-L3 slot. One of the focal plane instruments is the X-ray integral field unit (X-IFU) working in the energy range 0.3-10 keV. It is a multi-array based on TES detectors aimed at characterizing faint or diffuse sources (e.g. WHIM or galaxy outskirt). The X-IFU will be able to achieve the...

ATHENA+ is a space mission proposal for the next ESA L2-L3 slot. One of the focal plane instruments is the X-ray integral field unit (X-IFU) working in the energy range 0.3-10 keV. It is a multi-array based on TES detectors aimed at characterizing faint or diffuse sources (e.g. WHIM or galaxy outskirt). The X-IFU will be able to achieve the...

We are developing the Cryogenic AntiCoincidence detector (CryoAC) of the ATHENA X-IFU spectrometer. It is a TES-based particle detector aimed to reduce the background of the instrument. Here, we present the result obtained with the last CryoAC single-pixel prototype. It is based on a 1 cm2 silicon absorber sensed by a single 2 mm x 1 mm Ir/Au...

The ATHENA observatory is the second large-class mission in ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025, with a launch foreseen in 2028 towards the L2 orbit. The mission addresses the science theme "The Hot and Energetic Universe", by coupling a high-performance X-ray Telescope with two complementary focal-plane instruments. One of these is the X-ray Integral...

The employment of large arrays of microcalorimeters in space missions (IXO, EDGE/XENIA)[1][2][3], requires the presence of an anticoincidence detector to remove the background due to the particles, with a rejection efficiency at least equal to Suzaku (98%) [1], A new concept of anticoincidence is under development to match the very tight...

The ATHENA observatory is the second large-class ESA mission, in the context of the Cosmic Vision 2015 - 2025, scheduled to be launched on 2028 at L2 orbit. One of the two on-board instruments is the X-IFU (X-ray Integral Field Unit): it is a TES-based kilo-pixels order array able to perform simultaneous high-grade energy spectroscopy (2.5 eV...

The high resolution spectroscopy provides a unique technique to extract fundamental information in X-ray Astrophysics and Cosmology. In order to exploit at the best the capability of carrying out spectroscopy of faint sources, great care must be taken to reduce the background in the main detector. In this paper, we will present the working...