Sarah H.R. Bank ![]()
REU program-Summer 2004 |
Research projects of other REU students Useful links My conclusions |
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Line Emission
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Soft x-rays
Technology
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Three Main regimes of soft x-rays
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The X-ray Sky above 1 keV
The Local Bubble: The ¼ keV Sky
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Where X-ray Astronomy is Headed: The ¾ keV Sky
Why is X-ray astronomy so fascinating?
How are astrophysical x-rays measured?
What I am doing right now
I am building a substrate heater to anneal lead absorbers. Why does this need
to be done? When lead is deposited onto a silicon substrate through an
evaporative deposition it beads up into little "islands" making a rough
surface. This makes for an absorber which may not efficiently convert x-rays into thermal energy
(heat) which is how the x-ray is measured. Annealing the surface remelts the deposited lead, allowing the islands
to connect and form a smooth surface. This means that incoming x-rays will be
absorbed completely and quickly turned into a measureable temperature change.
The dramatic conclusions of my research project:
The x-ray universe is still somewhat vague and mysterious, offering a wealth of exciting
research. With the advent of new and better detector technology, expect the science to reveal strange and wonderful
insights daily. There is still much in the x-ray universe to understand and discover.
Useful links
I've found these websites helpful or informative, I hope that they can be of use to you as well.
The Main Features of the X-ray Sky
Large Area Microcalorimeters of the Diffuse X-ray Background