General

BEaTriX is a facility where two X-ray beams (4.51 keV and 1.49 keV) propogate in vacuum. The beams leave the X-ray sources and propagates to the Optical Chamber, where the components in charge of the beam moderation are installed. The X-rays reach the optics under test in the Experimental Chamber, and are focused on a detector placed at a 12 m distance for the NewAthena modules testing. The focal-plane detector is a CCD iKon-L SO, with a back illuminated sensor of size 27.6 mm x 27.6 mm and pixel 13.5 µm x 13.5 µm, directly flanged in vacuum.
BEaTriX work with a vacuum from 10^-4 to 10^-6 mbar, reached by a combination of scroll pumps and turbo-molecular pumps. The system is divided into several compartments, separated by gate valves. Each compartment can be evacuated and vented separately in order to minimize the time required for the mounting and removal of the optic to be tested. All the system is built on an L-shaped massive block of concrete on top of damping polymer pads in order to isolate the system from ground vibrations.

The optical design encompasses two X-ray microfocus sources (with a Titanium anode for 4.51 keV and Aluminum anode for 1.49 keV) placed in the focus of paraboloidal mirrors, two monochromation stages, and two expansion stages.