SVOM Mission Launches Successfully with MPO Technology
Photonis, part of Exosens, the world leader in amplification, detection and imaging technologies, has supplied cutting-edge Micro Pore Optics (MPO) detection technology to the Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) mission, to aid in the study of the most distant explosions of stars, the gamma-ray bursts.
Launched on 22 June 2024 by the Chinese Long March 2C rocket from the Xichang launch base, the SVOM mission is the result of the collaboration of two national space agencies: the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) of France and the China National Space Administration (CNSA), accompanied by contributions from leading research institutions and universities.
The SVOM mission’s sub-payload features the Microchannel X-Ray Telescope (MXT), used to observe gamma bursts in the soft x-ray range. The MXT is equipped with 40-µm sized MPO plates, a state-of-the-art detection technology developed by Photonis alongside the University of Leicester and the CNES. The optic built with those MPOs is coupled to a focal plane camera equipped with X-ray sensitive pnCCD. The MXT instrument will utilize the technology to capture high-resolution images and spectra of gamma-ray bursts, which will provide valuable insights into this phenomenon.
The MPO manufacturing requires high-precision glasswork carried out by Photonis. According to François Gonzalez, SVOM project manager at CNES, “Making regular micro-channels of this size in glass has been a big challenge. The industrial process requires more than 50 manufacturing steps, each as complex and delicate as the next. Photonis’s expertise in glasswork was essential in overcoming this challenge.”
“Exosens is delighted to have contributed to the SVOM mission’s success, harnessing our expertise in high-performance optics. Our Photonis brand has designed and manufactured the Micro Pore Optics that enable the MXT telescope to capture high-quality images and spectra of gamma-ray bursts, advancing our understanding of these cosmic events.” said Jérôme Cerisier, CEO of Exosens.
The power that emerges from gamma-ray bursts is considerable, which makes them visible at very large distances. The SVOM mission aims to study these events in unprecedented detail, capturing high-resolution images and spectra that will shed light on their origins, composition, and behavior.
The mission’s findings will have significant implications for our understanding of the universe.
About Photonis
Photonis, a brand of Exosens, produces electro-optic components used in the detection and amplification of ions, electrons and photons. The company designs and manufactures in facilities across the globe and works with customers to continually improve and innovate their products. Photonis develops and engineers quality components for integration into a variety of applications, such as night vision optics, digital cameras, mass spectrometry, physics research, and space exploration. These products enable photo-detection and imaging solutions in low light conditions for extremely demanding environments such as Defense & Security, Nuclear Safety, Life Science and Industrial & Non-Destructive testing. The company produces the most widely deployed night vision tubes globally, leads the mass spectrometer detector market, and has products installed in most space telescopes and high energy physics experiments in laboratories around the world.
To request more information or a quotation for Photonis products, contact IL Photonics.