| BEaTriX: the Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility | |
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BEaTriX+ |
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The original BEaTriX layout was tailored to the NewAthena MMs, which have a fixed focal length of 12 m. The BEaTriX+ project, funded by INAF, extends the operational versatility of the facility by enabling a tunable focal length in the range from ∼1.4 m to ∼14 m. The variable focal length is enabled by a modular vacuum tube, connecting the experimental chamber with the detector tower, and by stand-alone module, hosting the focal plane detector and the high-precision motor for focusing, that can be placed at different position.
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| Left: The modular long arm connecting the experimental chamber to the detector tower - Right: The stand-alone module hosting the focal plane detector and the stage for focusing. | |
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| The stand-alone module mounted at the shortest, intermediate, extreme and NewAthena configuration. | |
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The wider range opens the calibration capability of the facility to a much broader class of X-ray optics: from short-focal-length nested optics for cubesats and small missions, to long-focal-length optics for future astrophysical observatories. |
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| 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 |