{"id":32,"date":"2015-09-22T15:33:53","date_gmt":"2015-09-22T13:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.local\/ahead\/?page_id=32"},"modified":"2020-05-07T10:36:42","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T08:36:42","slug":"larix-ferrara","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/ahead.astropa.inaf.it\/index.php\/infrastructures\/larix-ferrara\/","title":{"rendered":"LARIX Ferrara – AHEAD 2015-2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

AHEAD 2015-2019<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

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Web page:\u00a0LARIX Facility<\/a><\/p>\n

Description of the infrastructure<\/strong>
\nThe LARIX<\/a> (LARge Italian X-ray facility) laboratory is located in the Scientific-Technological Pole of the\u00a0University of Ferrara in an underground building that includes a 100 m long tunnel with two large
\nexperimental rooms on each side. It hosts two hard X-ray installations, the 12 m long LARIX-A located in\u00a0the experimental room A, and the 50 m long gamma-ray facility, LARIX-T, installed in the tunnel. LARIX A\u00a0is ideal for performing linearity tests of hard X-ray detectors (e.g., Zavattini et al. 1997, NIM A 401, 206), for\u00a0reflectivity measurements of X-ray reflector samples (e.g., Frontera et al. 1991, SPIE Procs. 1549, 113,\u00a0Frontera et al. 2008, SPIE Procs. 7011, 52) and to perform ground calibration of entire hard X-ray\u00a0experiments (e.g., Loffredo et al. 2003, A&A 411, L239\u2013L242, about JEM-X calibration for INTEGRAL\u00a0satellite). LARIX-T is suitable for testing gamma-ray reflectors (e.g., crystals) and low-weight gamma-ray\u00a0detector prototypes. The normal manned operating hours of the test facilities are 08:00 to 19:00 Monday to\u00a0Friday. It will not normally be possible for visitors to access the test facility out of these hours. It is not\u00a0possible to control the facility using a remote connection, all measurement sequences have to be set up via\u00a0local access. For additional informations please visit the LARIX<\/a> web site.<\/p>\n

Installation 1: LARIX-A<\/a><\/strong>
\nInstallation 2: LARIX-T<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\nInstallation 1: LARIX-A<\/strong><\/p>\n

LARIX-A can be operated from about 10 keV to 140 keV. its main components are described below.
\nX-ray Sources<\/strong> Two X–ray tubes, with different operational voltage, are mounted onto an optical table and powered by independent high voltage supplies. One tube is equipped with a Molybdenum anode, operating from 20 to 60 kV and current from 10 to 60 mA (Maximum operational power: 3.6 kW). The spot size is 0.5 x 0.5 mm2. The other tube is equipped with a Tungsten anode, operating from 40 to 140 kV and current from 0.1 to 5 mA (Maximum operational power: 70 W). The minimum spot size is 0.5 x 0.5 mm2. The output window of the first tube is equivalent to a 0.3 mm thick Beryllium foil, while that of the second tube is equivalent to a 1.5 mm thick aluminium foil. By means of remote controlled manipulators, both tubes can be moved up and down and translated along a direction perpendicular to the X–ray beam. Both X–ray tubes plus their translation stages are contained in a box made of a 5 mm thick Pb layer.
\nCollimators and filters<\/strong> A set of two collimators limits the divergence of the X–ray beam. Filters are available for selecting the band of interest and related fluorescence lines. Filters include different thickness high purity Copper and Aluminium tails.
\nThe Monochromator system<\/strong> The polychromatic source spectrum can be monochromatized with a double crystal diffractometer (Bragg-Bragg configuration) (see Figure) providing a fixed-exit beam independently of the selected photon energy. The monochromator is installed inside a sealed plexiglass box, where helium can be pumped. The box X–ray entrance and exit windows are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) 0.075 mm thick with a very high transparency at the operation energies. The output X–ray beam travels in evacuated tubes (10-3 mbar) up to the sample to be tested.
\nSample holder and Manipulators<\/strong> The sample to be tested is positioned on a pedestal equipped with manipulators that allow to move the sample in three perpendicular directions (X,Y,Z) and rotate it around the vertical and the horizontal axes. An angular position accuracy of 3” can be achieved with a repeatability of 1”.
\nX-ray detectors<\/strong> The available detectors include: 1) a large area (30 cm diameter) CsI X-ray imager, with pixel size of 300 \u00b5m; 2) a Nitrogen cooled spectrometer of high purity HPGe with a surface area of about 78 cm2, a thickness of 13 mm and an X–ray entrance window of 0.254 mm Beryllium foil; 3) a NaI(Tl) scintillator detector of 42×42 mm2 and 3 mm thickness, with imaging (a few mm) and spectral (resolution of 25% at 60 keV) capabilities. The detector holder can be moved in three perpendicular axes (X,Y,Z) and is equipped with a rotation stage (3.6\u201d resolution) around the vertical.
\nOther features and remote console<\/strong> Both the sample and detector pedestals can be translated along the X-ray beam direction on 6 m long rails. An overhead travelling crane (1000 kg weight–bearing, 20 m long) is installed parallel to the rails. A clean room of 100.000 class of 12 meters square hosts the sample; it can host also the detector when the distance between sample and detector is less than 2 m. The sample holder, the detector holder and the holder of the position gauge of the sample holder, can be moved on 10 m long rails as shown in Fig. 2. The control room, equipped with a PC-based interface running under LabView, is separated from LARIX A by means of a wall 2.1 m high, made of Al+Pb. It is possible to locate the X–ray beam, measuring its energy resolution.<\/p>\n