Hard X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of the Sun with the FOXSI rocket experiment

• Project/Area Number: 24244021
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Astronomy
• Research Institution: Japan Aerospace EXploration Agency
• Principal Investigator: Takahashi Tadayuki 国立研究開発法人宇宙航空研究開発機構, 宇宙科学研究所, 教授 (50183851)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): WATANABE Shin 宇宙航空研究開発機構, 宇宙科学研究所, 助教 (60446599) ; ISHIKAWA Shin-nosuke 宇宙航空研究開発機構, 宇宙科学研究所, 研究員 (10724685)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥41,470,000 (Direct Cost: ¥31,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥9,570,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥7,930,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,830,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥9,750,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,250,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥10,920,000 (Direct Cost: ¥8,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,520,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥12,870,000 (Direct Cost: ¥9,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,970,000)
• Keywords: X線天文学 / 宇宙線 / 太陽物理学 / CdTe半導体センサー / Si検出器 / 太陽 / 硬X線望遠鏡

Outline of Final Research Achievements

FOXSI is a rocket experiment to perform high sensitivity HXR observations from 4-15 keV using the new technique of HXR focusing optics. The first FOXSI flight performed in 2012 produced the first focused image of the Sun above 5 keV: a partly occulted microflare. FOXSI ’s high dynamic range was successfully demonstrated compared to the observation of the same flare by RHESSI. In order to achieve higher sensitivity,we developed a CdTe double-sided detector with finer pitch than the FOXSI DSSD for the second flight (FOXSI-2). The strip pitch is as fine as 60 μm with a 10 μm gap between strips. 128 strips are placed on each of the top and bottom surfaces and the sensitive area is 7.67 mm × 7.67 mm.The FOXSI -2 payload was successfully launched on December 11, 2014. FOXSI -2 successfully imaged HXR emissions from multiple regions and the capability of the CdTe double-sided strip detector for solar HXR observations is successfully demonstrated.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] FOXSI-2: Upgrades of the Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager for its Second Flight (2016)
  • Author(s): S. Christe, L. Gleaner, C. Buitrago-Casas, B. Ramsey, M. Gubarev, K. Kalaru, J. J. Kolodziejczak, S. Watanabe, T. Takahashi, S. Ishikawa, H. Tajima, P. Turin, V. Shourt, N. Foster and S. Krucker
  • Journal Title: Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation Volume: 05 Issue: 01 Pages: 1640005-1640014
  • DOI: 10.1142/s2251171716400055
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] First Images from the Focusing Optics X-Ray Solar Imager (2014)
  • Author(s): Krucker, S. Christe, S.; Glesener, L.; Ishikawa, S.; Ramsey, B.; Takahashi, T.; Watanabe, S.; Saito, S.; Gubarev, M.; Kilaru, K.; Tajima, H.; Tanaka, T.; Turin, P.; McBride, S.; G., David; F., J.; White, S.; Lin, R.
  • Journal Title: The Astrophysical Journal Letters Volume: 793 Issue: 2 Pages: L32-L32
  • DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/793/2/l32
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Presentation] Active region temperature diagnostics with Hinode/XRT and FOXSI-2 hard X-ray observations (2015)
  • Author(s): S. Ishikawa, S. Krucker, L. Glesener, S. Christe, J. C. Buitrago-Casas and N. Narukage
  • Organizer: Hinode 9 International Science Meeting
  • Place of Presentation: Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
  • Year and Date: 2015-09-15
• [Presentation] 高感度硬X線観測ロケット FOXSI-2 とひのでX線望遠鏡による太陽活動領域の温度解析 (2015)
  • Author(s): 石川真之介, L. Glesener, S. Krucker, S. Christe, 成影典之, ほか FOXSI チーム
  • Organizer: 日本天文学会2015年秋季年会
  • Place of Presentation: 甲南大学(兵庫県神戸市)
  • Year and Date: 2015-09-09
• [Presentation] Fine-pitch CdTe detector for the hard X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of the Sun with the FOXSI rocket experiment (2015)
  • Author(s): S. Ishikawa, M. Katsuragawa, S. Watanabe, Y. Uchida, S. Takeda, T. Takahashi, S. Saito, L. Glesener, J. Buitrago-Cases, S. Krucker and S. Christe
  • Organizer: Measurement Techniques for Solar and Space Physics
  • Place of Presentation: NCAR Center Green Campus, Boulder, CO, USA
  • Year and Date: 2015-04-22
• [Presentation] 太陽硬X線観測ロケット FOXSI-2 による高感度撮像分光 (2015)
  • Author(s): 石川真之介、渡辺伸、内田悠介、武田伸一郎、高橋忠幸、斉藤新也、 S. Krucker、L. Glesener 、S. Christe、B. Ramsey
  • Organizer: 宇宙科学シンポジウム
  • Place of Presentation: 宇宙科学研究所
  • Year and Date: 2015-01-06 – 2015-01-07
• [Presentation] The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI): Instrument and First Flight (2013)
  • Author(s): Glesener, Lindsay; Christe, S.; Ishikawa, S.; Ramsey, B.; Takahashi, T.; Watanabe, S.; Saito, S.; Lin, R. P.; Krucker, S.; FOXSI Team
  • Organizer: American Astronomical Society, HEAD meeting
  • Place of Presentation: Monterey, Ca
• [Presentation] Results from the first flight of the Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) sounding rocket (2013)
  • Author(s): Glesener, Lindsay; Christe, S.; Ishikawa, S.; Ramsey, B.; Takahashi, T.; Saito, S.; Lin, R. P.; Krucker, S.; FOXSI Tea
  • Organizer: American Astronomical Society, SPD meeting
  • Place of Presentation: montana, USA
• [Presentation] Development of Very Compact Soft-Gamma-Ray Cameras Using Fine Coded Apertures (2013)
  • Author(s): A. Togo, S. Watanabe, S. Takeda, G. Sato, H. Odaka, T. Fukuyama, K. Hagino, Y. Uchida, T. Takahashi
  • Organizer: 2013 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Medical Imaging Conference & Workshop on Room-Temperature Semiconductor X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Detectors
  • Place of Presentation: Seoul, Korea
  • Invited
• [Presentation] ロケット実験 FOXSI による太陽硬 X 線の高感度撮像分光観測（１） (2013)
  • Author(s): 斎藤新也
  • Organizer: 天文学会春季年会
  • Place of Presentation: 埼玉大学
• [Presentation] First results from the Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) sounding rocket (2013)
  • Author(s): Lindsay Glesener
  • Organizer: 米国天文学会（AAS) 高エネルギー天文学分科会(HEAD)
  • Place of Presentation: Monterey, US
• [Presentation] The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) (2012)
  • Author(s): Steven Christe
  • Organizer: 米国天文学会（AAS)
  • Place of Presentation: Anchorage, US
• [Presentation] The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) (2012)
  • Author(s): S. Krucker
  • Organizer: SPIE, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray
  • Place of Presentation: Amsterdum, Netherland