Astrophysics Projects Division

Technology Gallery

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2021

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PhysCOS and COR Strategic Technology Portfolio

For more information about these technologies visit our Technology Database.

Thin grazing-angle X-ray mirrors ready for X-ray testing

Significance: World-class thin grazing-angle X-ray mirror technology that may enable the next X-ray Great Observatory

Project Title: Next Generation X-ray Optics: High Resolution, Light Weight, and Low Cost

PI: Zhang, William (GSFC)

Critical-Angle Transmission (CAT) gratings at PANTER X-ray beam

Significance: Highest-resolution X-ray transmission grating technology that could fly on the next X-ray Great Observatory

Project Title: High Resolution and High Efficiency X-ray Transmission Grating Spectrometer

PI: Mark Schattenburg (MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research)

200-mm wafer patterned with 16 ARCUS-style Critical-Angle Transmission (CAT) gratings

Significance: Enhances manufacturability of highest-resolution X-ray transmission grating technology that could fly on the next X-ray Great Observatory

Project Title: Readying X-ray Gratings and Optics for Space Applications: Manufacturability and Alignment

PI: Randall Smith (SAO)

RFSoC enclosure for balloon missions, with thermal management

Significance: Fast readouts are crucial for large focal plane arrays in future missions

Project Title: Development of Low-Power FPGA-based Readout Electronics for Superconducting Detector Arrays

PI: Philip Mauskopf (ASU)

Dewar with assembled electronics

Significance: Low-noise detectors are crucial for future missio

Project Title: A Single-Photon-Sensing and Photon-Number-Resolving Detector for NASA Missions

PI: Don Figer (RIT)

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of part of a Thermal Kinetic Inductance Detector (TKID)

Significance: CMB polarimetry is crucial for identifying echoes of the Big Bang

Project Title: Superconducting Detectors for Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Polarimetry in PICO

PI: Roger O’Brient (JPL/Caltech)

Lynx-style Transition-Edge-Sensor (TES) X-ray detector array on wafer

Significance: High-resolution TES microcalorimeters may enable the next X-ray Great Observatory

Project Title: Advanced X-ray Microcalorimeters: TES Microcalorimeters

PI: Caroline Kilbourne (GSFC)

GSFC package for Lynx-style LXM large-format arrays

Significance: MMCs offer energy resolution that may enable the next X-ray Great Observatory

Project Title: MMC Arrays for X-ray Astrophysics

PI: Simon Bandler (GSFC)

High-precision mandrel polishing

Significance: High-quality X-ray optics may enable or enhance future Astrophysics missions

Project Title: Advanced X-ray Optics: Computer-Controlled Polishing of High-Quality Mandrels

PI: Jacqueline Davis (MSFC)

Mandrel with optimized gasket

Significance: High-quality X-ray optics may enable or enhance future Astrophysics missions

Project Title: Advanced X-ray Optics: Mirror Fabrication – Replication Studies and Direct Polishing

PI: Stephen Bongiorno (MSFC)

Custom stress sensor

Significance: High-quality EUV and X-ray optics may enable or enhance future Astrophysics missions

Project Title: Advanced X-ray Optics: Mirror Coatings

PI: David Broadway (MSFC)

Adjustable thin X-ray mirror

Significance: Adjustable X-ray optics were a backup technology for the Lynx X-ray large mission concept

Project Title: Adjustable X-ray Optics

PI: Paul Reid (SAO)

X-ray CCD packaging with shielding

Significance: Advanced X-ray detectors may enable the next X-ray Great Observatory

Project Title: Toward Fast, Low-Noise, Radiation Tolerant X-ray Imaging Arrays for Lynx: Raising Technology Readiness Further

PI: Mark Bautz (MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research)

Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) with daughterboard

Significance: Replacing windows of commercial DMD may enable far-UV multi-object spectrometry in future missions

Project Title: Development of DMD for Far-UV Applications

PI: Zoran Ninkov (RIT)

Radio Frequency System-on-Chip (RFSoC) brassboard readout

Significance: High-density readout may enable large focal planes needed for future missions

Project Title: Advancing High-Density Readout Technology for Superconducting Sensor Arrays for Spaceflight

PI: Josef Frisch (SLAC)

Microscopic image of indium bump field for use with Transition-Edge Sensors (TESs)

Significance: High-multiplexing-factor readouts may enable missions such as the next X-ray Great Observatory

Project Title: Technology Development for Microwave Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) Multiplexing for the Lynx X-Ray Observatory

PI: Douglas Bennett (NIST)

Assembly fit-check of a 6-stage Continuous Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator (CADR)

Significance: This advanced sub-Kelvin cooling technology may enable multiple future strategic missions

Project Title: High-Efficiency Continuous Cooling for Cryogenic Instruments and sub-Kelvin Detectors

PI: James Tuttle (GSFC)

ULE^{^®} mirror substrate with thermal sensors

ULE^® mirror substrate with thermal sensors

Significance: Ultra-stability and -precision (~10 pm) may enable the next IR/optical/UV Great Observatory

Project Title: Ultra-Stable Structures

PI: Babak Saif (GSFC)

Hybridized far-IR detector

Significance: Advanced far-IR detectors may enable the next far-IR Great Observatory

Project Title: Development of a Robust, Efficient Process to Produce Scalable, Superconducting Kilopixel Far-IR Detector Arrays

PI: Johannes Staguhn (JHU & GSFC)

Measuring Lyman-UV reflectance of Al+LiF capped by AlF₃ and MgF₂

Significance: Advanced coatings may enable future far-UV missions

Project Title: High-Performance, Stable, and Scalable UV Aluminum Mirror Coatings Using ALD

PI: John Hennessy (JPL)

600-mm dummy primary mirror with coated mirror coupons

Significance: High far-UV reflectance is prevented by oxidation of aluminum mirrors; removing it may enable future far-UV missions

Project Title: E-Beam-Generated Plasma Etching for Developing High-Reflectance Mirrors for Far-Ultraviolet Astronomical Instrument Applications

PI: Manuel Quijada (GSFC)

Ti-Au thermistor

Significance: Extremely sensitive far-IR detectors may enable future missions

Project Title: Ultra-Sensitive Bolometers for Far-IR Space Spectroscopy at the Background Limit

PI: C. Matt Bradford (JPL)

RF amplifier detail

Significance: Further development of this high-resolution far-IR detector technology to higher pixel numbers may enable or enhance future missions

Project Title: Development of High-Resolution Far-IR Arrays

PI: Imran Mehdi (JPL)

Readout integrated circuit chip mounted in ultra-low-background camera ULBCam

Significance: Ultra-low-noise detectors may enable spectroscopy of extrasolar planets

Project Title: Photon-Counting NIR LmAPD Arrays for Ultra-Low Background Space Observations

PI: Michael Bottom (U. of Hawaii)

1.2-m Al mirror prepared for cryo testing

Significance: This technology may enable required ultra-stability (~10 pm) for the next IR/Optical/UV Great Observatory

Project Title: Predictive Thermal Control (PTC) Technology to Enable Thermally Stable Telescopes

PI: H. Philip Stahl (MSFC)

CHESS echelle grating

Significance: May enable future UV/optical spectroscopic missions; enables current UV suborbital missions

Project Title: Electron-Beam-Lithography Ruled Gratings for Future UV/Optical Missions: High Efficiency and Low Scatter in the Vacuum UV

PI: Brian Fleming (U. of Colorado)

First LiteBIRD-style MF detectors

Significance: May enable future Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) missions, e.g. LiteBIRD

Project Title: Technology Development for LiteBIRD and Other CMB Missions

PI: Adrian T. Lee (UC Berkeley)

Keystone array of microshutters after DRIE (Dry Reactive Ion Etching)

Significance: May enable sparse-field multi-object spectroscopy for future strategic and other missions

Project Title: Scalable Microshutter Systems for UV, Visible, and IR Spectroscopy

PI: Matt Greenhouse (GSFC)

127-mm Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Multi-Channel Plate (MCP) detector

Significance: Baselined by HabEx, LUVOIR, and CETUS for UV/Visible light detection

Project Title: High-Performance Sealed-Tube Cross-Strip (XS) Photon-Counting Sensors for UV-Vis Astrophysics Instruments

PI: Oswald Siegmund (UC Berkeley)

Timepix4v2 wafers

Significance: Four-side-buttable low-power readout chips may enable future far-UV missions with large focal planes

Project Title: Large-Format, High-Dynamic-Range UV Detector Using MCPs and Timepix4 Readouts

PI: John Vallerga (UC Berkeley)

Detector used in lab astrophysics

Significance: Supports NASA X-ray observatories by developing similar instruments in groundbased labs, replicating conditions in astrophysical sources observed by spaceflight instruments, and observing them parametrically to help interpret space-based data

Project Title: Advanced X-ray Microcalorimeters: Lab Spectroscopy for Space Atomic Physics

PI: F. Scott Porter (GSFC)

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