Thread: X-ray Detectors

What kind of X-ray detectors are currently used on an X-ray satellite? I thought that telescopes comprised of two detectors: a PSD (position-sensitive proportional detector) and a CMA (24-channel multiplier array). However I have just read that the detectors used are in fact: a CCD, a microchannel plate detector and an ionization chamber.

Are any of these three detectors the same as a PSD detector or a CMA detector or are they entirely different? If they are in fact separate types of detector, have the former PSD and CMA detectors been phased out - or do they continue to be used?

Thank you

Originally Posted by emetzner

What kind of X-ray detectors are currently used on an X-ray satellite? I thought that telescopes comprised of two detectors: a PSD (position-sensitive proportional detector) and a CMA (24-channel multiplier array). However I have just read that the detectors used are in fact: a CCD, a microchannel plate detector and an ionization chamber.


Are any of these three detectors the same as a PSD detector or a CMA detector or are they entirely different? If they are in fact separate types of detector, have the former PSD and CMA detectors been phased out - or do they continue to be used?

Thank you

Try visiting the NASA website and use search. They might have some data on the type and range of your questions.

Cosmo

Here are a few links to the instruments used at the European XMM-Newton and the American Chandra telescopes.

http://astro.uni-tuebingen.de/groups...mm_pub_e.shtml

http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/xmm/uhb/node13.html

http://www.mpe.mpg.de/xray/wave/xmm/...ks.php?lang=en

http://chandra.harvard.edu/about/sci...struments.html

http://hea-www.harvard.edu/HRC/HomePage.html

http://acis.mit.edu/acis/

Thank you very much for getting back to me with these excellent links. I appreciate your help!

On studying these links - along with other relevant websites - it appears there are no standard or general types of detectors used on satellites for x-ray astronomy; am I correct?
Satellites will use varying kinds of detectors depending on the purpose of their missions. This has brought about confusion because, by reading reports describing the kinds of detectors launched on early satellites and comparing them with modern reports of contemporary satellites and their detectors (which differ from those on the early satellites), I have been unsure whether innovation has led to improvements and replacements in the kinds of 'standard' detectors used. Thus the detectors used on early satellites differ from those on the modern ones because of advancements in technology.

However, i've concluded that the variation is is not a matter of advancement and replacement but simply a case of whatever detectors are most suited to the mission? If anyone has any knowledge about this, i'd be grateful if you could get back to me and confirm if i'm correct!

Many thanks