The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) is an instrument of European Space Agency's future NewAthena space observatory, with the goal to provide high-energy resolution (<4 eV at X-ray energies up to 7 keV) and high-spatial resolution (9 in.) spectroscopic imaging over the X-ray energy range from 200 eV to 12 keV, by means of an array of ∼1500 transition-edge sensors (TESs) read out via superconducting quantum interference device time-division multiplexing (TDM). A TDM-based laboratory test bed has been assembled at Netherlands Institute for Space Research, hosting an array of 75×75 μm2 TESs that are read out via 2-column × 32-row TDM. A system component that is critical to high-performance operation is the wiring harness that connects the room-temperature electronics to the cryogenic readout componentry. We report here on our characterization of such a test bed, whose harness has a length close to what was envisioned for X-IFU, which allowed us to achieve a co-added energy resolution at a level of 2.7-eV full width half maximum at 6 keV via 32-row readout. In addition, we provide an outlook on the integration of TDM readout into the X-IFU focal plane assembly development model.

We have measured and characterized the thermal crosstalk in two different arrays of transition-edge sensor (TES) X-ray microcalorimeters with frequency-domain multiplexing (FDM) readout. The TES arrays are fabricated at SRON and are a 8 × 8 and a 32 × 32 'kilo-pixel' uniform array. The amount of crosstalk is evaluated as the ratio between the averaged crosstalk signal and the X-ray pulse amplitudes. The crosstalk ratios (CRs) for our detectors are compliant with the requirements for future X-ray space missions, such as Athena X-IFU (CR < 10^{-3 for first-neighbor pixels): We measured a nearest neighbor thermal CR at a level of 10^{-4, with a highest CR of 4× 10^{-4 for the kilo-pixel array (worst case, center of array) and 1× 10^{-4 for the 8 × 8 array, with a margin of improvement achievable by optimizing the Cu metallization and the width of the Si supporting structures (muntins) in the backside of the TES array chip. Based on the measured CRs, we have estimated the impact on the spectral resolution by means of noise equivalent power considerations and a Monte Carlo simulation, finding an average degradation in quadrature of less than 40 meV, compliant with the <0.2 eV requirement for Athena X-IFU.

The SPICA-SAFARI instrument requires extremely sensitive transition edge sensor (TES) arrays with a noise equivalent power of 2×10-19W/Hz and a readout system with an output noise that is dominated by the detector noise. It is essential to ensure the frequency domain multiplexing (FDM) readout system in SAFARI meets the noise requirement. The FDM system in SAFARI consists essentially of LC filters, a superconducting quantum interference device, a room-temperature low-noise amplifier (LNA), and a demultiplexer. Here we present a noise study of the LNA from a laboratory amplifier chain. We found the equivalent current and voltage noise of the LNA to be 5.4pA/Hz and 315pV/Hz, respectively, which are low enough to read out SAFARI’s TES arrays.