Fast, low noise, megapixel detector and readout systems for future X-ray astronomy missions

arXiv:2608.02905 · astro-ph.IM, astro-ph.HE · Submitted 2026-08-03 · Read on arXiv

Sven Herrmann, Peter Orel, Tanmoy Chattopadhyay, Haley R. Stueber, Jill Juneau, Abigail Y. Pan, Kevan Donlon, Declan O'Neill, Gregory Prigozhin, Eric D. Miller, R. Glenn Morris, Tonya L. Peshel, Artem Poliszczuk, Beverly LaMarr, Catherine E. Grant, Christopher Leitz, Steven W. Allen, Sebastian Albrecht, Marshall W. Bautz, Michael Cooper, Ajay Dakshinamurthy, Matthew Heine, Anna Schweingruber, Keith Warner, Daniel Wilkins

astro-ph.IM, astro-ph.HE

Submitted: 2026-08-03

Comments: To appear in SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2026

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The gist: Next-generation strategic X-ray astronomy missions will require the simultaneous achievement of high angular resolution, large effective collecting area, and wide-field imaging with large-format

Terminology

Fidelity — 4× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers — 3× in this paper
Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology — 2× in this paper
Massachusetts Institute of Technology — 2× in this paper
APEX — 1× in this paper · explained in 1 episode
Artificial Intelligence (AI) — 1× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Benchmark — 1× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
CCID-100 for the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite — 1× in this paper
Core — 1× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Edge AI — 1× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Multi-Channel Readout Chip — 1× in this paper
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) — 1× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes

Abstract

Next-generation strategic X-ray astronomy missions will require the simultaneous achievement of high angular resolution, large effective collecting area, and wide-field imaging with large-format focal plane detectors. Realizing the associated science objectives--ranging from precision measurements of bright point sources to the detection and characterization of faint diffuse emission-places stringent and, in some cases, competing requirements on detector performance. In particular, high frame rates are necessary to mitigate photon pile-up in observations of bright sources and to reduce contamination from particle-induced background in measurements of low surface brightness structures. At the same time, these instruments must preserve excellent soft X-ray response, which places tight constraints on read noise and on the fidelity of event characterization. State-of-the-art X-ray charge-coupled devices (CCDs) approach many of the key performance metrics required for these missions, but readout speed remains a primary limitation. Addressing this gap requires readout architectures that scale to high channel count, sustain high pixel throughput, and preserve the low-noise characteristics needed for soft X-ray sensitivity.

Sources

Sixteen Multiple-Amplifier Sensing Charge-Coupled Devices and Characterization Techniques Targeting the Next Generation of Astronomical Instruments

Terminology

Abstract

Sources

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