科学家发明世界首个龙虾X射线望远镜

科学家发明世界首个龙虾X射线望远镜

Space scientists at the University of Leicester have delivered a completely new type of super-lightweight X-ray telescope mirror to study the greatest explosions in the Universe since the Big Bang.

莱斯特大学的空间科学家，近期开发出了一种全新的超轻型X射线望远镜镜面，以研究宇宙大爆炸以来最壮观的景象。

A team of academics, researchers and engineers have designed, built, tested and now delivered a bespoke mirror for the MXT instrument, to be carried on board the Chinese-French satellite observatory SVOM (Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor).This work was carried out under contract from the French space agency, CNES.

一个由学者、研究人员和工程师组成的团队已经为MXT仪器设计、建造、测试并交付了一个定制的反射镜，该反射镜将被携带在中法卫星观测台SVOM(天基多波段天文可变目标监测)上。这项工作是在法国航天局CNES的合同下进行的。

As X-ray telescopes are used to study the most energetic forms of matter in the universe, they must be launched into orbit to avoid the obscuring effects of the Earth’s atmosphere. Traditional X-ray mirrors are very heavy and so are very expensive to carry into space.

由于X射线望远镜被用来研究宇宙中能量最高的物质形式，它们必须被发射到轨道上，以避免地球大气层的遮蔽效应。传统的X射线镜很重，所以携带到太空的费用非常昂贵。

Credit: University of Leicester

This new design allows telescopes to be much lighter than those currently in use, and it also allows vastly wider pictures of the sky to be captured through use of a ‘lobster’ lens, so-called because the design is closely based on the eyes of lobsters.

这种新设计，使得望远镜比目前使用的望远镜要轻得多，而且它还可以通过“龙虾”镜头捕捉到宽得多的太空图像，之所以这么说，是因为这种设计是根据龙虾(lobster)的眼睛设计的。

They focus visible light, not using a lens as mammals do, but by using curved structures of square pores which have reflective interior surfaces. This design, in which the light rays bounce off the reflecting inner pore surfaces at very small angles, can provide a field of view thousands of times larger than a conventional X-ray telescope.

它们聚焦可见光，不像哺乳动物那样使用透镜，而是使用具有反射内部表面的方形孔的弯曲结构。在这种设计中，光线以非常小的角度从反射的内孔表面反射，可以提供比传统X射线望远镜大数千倍的视野。

“This new type of X-ray telescope is in great demand because of their unique light weight and enormous field of view capabilities; they are being studied intensely in both the USA and Europe for new satellite observatories involving the University.”

“这种新型X射线望远镜因其独特的重量轻和巨大的视场能力而需求量很大;美国和欧洲都在密切研究它们，以建立涉及该大学的新卫星天文台。”领导该项目的莱斯特大学物理与天文学院的朱利安·奥斯本(Julian Osborne)教授表示。

The new mirror has been built for the SVOM satellite, due to be launched in 2022. The satellite will study gamma-ray bursts, poorly-understood but highly energetic flashes lasting just a few seconds which signify the creation of a new black hole or a highly magnetised neutron star.

新的镜子已经为SVOM卫星建造完成，该卫星将于2022年发射。这颗卫星将研究伽马射线爆发，这是一种尚不清楚但持续仅几秒钟的高能闪光，意味着一个新的黑洞或高磁化中子星的产生。

Construction of the mirror required high-precision engineering and extensive X-ray testing of the 25 individual 4x4 cm plates that provide the reflecting surfaces. These glass plates, just a millimetre or so thick, made in France by the Photonis company, are mounted on a lightweight frame using a technique designed to withstand the vibrations of the rocket launch.

反射镜的建造，需要高精度的工程和广泛的X射线测试25个人4*4厘米板提供的反射表面。这些只有一毫米左右厚的玻璃板，由法国Photonis公司制造，安装在一个轻量级的框架上，采用了一种可以承受火箭发射振动的技术。

The glass plates are made up of a vast number of square pores, which are just four hundredths of a millimetre across. They are aligned to a common focus to give the telescope the best sensitivity to locate new gamma-ray bursts.

玻璃板由大量的方形孔组成，直径只有0.04毫米。它们排列在一个共同的焦点上，从而使望远镜有最佳的灵敏度来定位新的伽马射线爆发。

The new telescope mirror has been vibrated vigorously, simulating the rigours of its rocket launch, heated and cooled to mimic being in orbit, and then its imaging performance has been extensively verified in Germany before final delivery to the French Space Agency in Toulouse this week.

新的望远镜的反射镜经过了剧烈的震动测试，以模拟火箭发射时的严峻性，同时加热和冷却以模拟在轨道上运行，它的成像性能在最终交付给图卢兹的法国航天局之前在德国得到了充分的验证。