BEaTriX: a facility for testing the modular elements of ATHENA
 
 

The X-ray source

 
 

The X-ray source in use is a compact microfocus source with titanium anode, manufactured by Incoatec GmbH (Geesthacht, Germany). The source is air-cooled and injects X-rays directly in vacuum. The X-ray spot and has a gaussian profile with a 35 µm FWHM. The beam flux in the titanium Kα doublet (4.511 keV) is copious (on the order of 1011 photons/s/sterad for a dissipated power of 1 W). All the source is enclosed in a shielding box (manufactured by Gilardoni S.p.A., Mandello del Lario, Italy) that avoid X-ray leaks in the operation environment.

The X-ray tube manufactured by Incoatec (Germany). The X-ray shield realized by Gilardoni (Italy).
 
 
 
 
Banner image (by Stefano Basso): BEaTriX facility - INAF Brera Astronomical Observatory site of Merate (LC) - Web site credit: B. Salmaso, D. Spiga, and the BEaTriX team - M.R. Panzera