Étudiant : CASTELLANI Florent
Directeur de thèse : PAJOT François (IRAP) et POINTECOUTEAU Etienne (IRAP)
Début de thèse : Octobre 2020
Groupe thématique : GAHEC
Context:
In the frame of the Cosmic Vision program, the European Space Agency (ESA) has selected the Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (Athena), a large X-ray observatory, as its second large mission, scheduled for launch in 2028. It will carry two instruments, the Wide Field Imager (WFI) and the X-Ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU). With its new technology of Silicon pore optics, a 2m2 effective area at 1keV, its focal length of 12m, Athena will answer major interrogations ofThe Hot and Energetic Universe such as:
- How does ordinary matter assemble hierarchically to create the large scale structures observed today?
- How do black holes grow and shape their surrounding Universe?
Framework:
Of the two instruments, X-IFU is the most innovative. It is an X-ray cryogenic spectrometer with both spectral and spatial imaging capacities. X-IFU uses Transition Edge Sensors (TES) microcalorimeters detectors, cooled below 100mK. They offer a spatial resolution of 5 arcseconds on a field-of-view of ~19 arcminutes and most of all a transformational spectral resolution of 2.5eV at 7keV.
France is the main contributor of the instrument, with CNES being responsible of the instrument and IRAP in charge of the scientific aspects (PI, Instrument scientist, Science Team). My Ph.D. is developed within this framework and my research work is constructed around several axes:
- The evaluation of the feasibility of the scientific objectives with respect to the anticipated performances of the instrument at each key phase of the study.
- Development of new processing tools for the X-IFU high spectral resolution data.
- Test of the behavior of the detection chain of the X-IFU using the cryogenics test bench at IRAP.