Soft x-ray imager using multilayer mirror optics for martian exospheric studies

Abstract

Planetary X ray measurements in the past have yielded valuable science in several areas such as the surface chemistry, polar auroras, magnetospheres and solar wind interaction with the exosphere. X-ray spectrometers have been flown in several missions primarily to map the surface elemental abundances. We are developing a soft X-ray imager where multilayer mirrors are used to selectively image the energies of interest onto the focal plane detector. This would be thus capable of doing imaging spectroscopy of the Martian exosphere.