The Micro Solar Flare Apparatus (MiSolFA) instrument concept. Issue 1 (1st July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lastufka, Erica; Casadei, Diego; Hurford, Gordon; Kuhar, Matej; Torre, Gabriele; Krucker, Säm
• Is Part Of: Advances in space research. Volume 66:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 10
• Page End: 20
• Publication Date: 2020-07-01
• Subjects: Solar flares -- Flare dynamics -- Hard X-rays -- X-ray imaging -- Instrumentation -- Imaging systems; Space sciences -- Periodicals; Astronautics -- Periodicals; Geophysics -- Periodicals; 500.505
• DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2019.08.040
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0273-1177

Abstract

Abstract: The Micro Solar-Flare Apparatus (MiSolFA) is a compact X-ray imaging spectrometer designed for a small 6U micro-satellite. As a relatively inexpensive yet capable Earth-orbiting instrument, MiSolFA is designed to image the high-energy regions of solar flares from a different perspective than that of Solar Orbiter's STIX, operating from a highly elliptical heliocentric orbit. Two instruments working together in this way would provide a 3-dimensional view of X-ray emitting regions and can bypass the dynamic range limitation preventing simultaneous coronal and chromospheric imaging. Stereoscopic X-ray observations would also contain valuable information about the anisotropy of the flare-accelerated electron distribution. To perform these types of observations, MiSolFA must be capable of imaging sources with energies between 10 and 100 keV, with 10 arcsec angular resolution. MiSolFA's Imager will be the most compact X-ray imaging spectrometer in space. Scaling down the volume by a factor of ten from previous instrument designs requires special considerations. Here we present the design principles of the MiSolFA X-ray optics, discuss the necessary compromises, and evaluate the performance of the Engineering Model.