The STIX Aspect System (SAS): The Optical Aspect System of the Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-Rays (STIX) on Solar Orbiter
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2020-07-03
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Journal Article
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Abstract
The Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX) is a remote sensing instrument on Solar Orbiter that observes the hard X-ray bremsstrahlung emission of solar flares. This paper describes the STIX Aspect System (SAS), a subunit that measures the pointing of STIX relative to the Sun with a precision of ± 4 ″, which is required to accurately localize the reconstructed X-ray images on the Sun. The operating principle of the SAS is based on an optical lens that images the Sun onto a plate that is perforated by small apertures arranged in a cross-shaped configuration of four radial arms. The light passing through the apertures of each arm is detected by a photodiode. Variations of spacecraft pointing and of distance from the Sun cause the solar image to move over different apertures, leading to a modulation of the measured lightcurves. These signals are used by ground analysis to calculate the locations of the solar limb, and hence the pointing of the telescope.
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published
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295 (7)
Pages / Article No.
90
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Springer
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Subject
Instrumentation and data management; Flares, spectrum; X-ray bursts, spectrum; Corona