BEaTriX x-ray calibration facility: status of the project

BEaTriX, the Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility, is operated by the INAF-Brera Astronomical Observatory at its premises in Merate (Italy) as ground support equipment for the verification phase in the context of NewAthena. The facility is very compact but, thanks to an innovative optical design based on asymmetrical cut crystals associated with a paraboloidal mirror, can produce an expanded low divergence X-ray beam at the two monochromatic energies of 4.51 keV and 1.49 keV. The first beamline at 4.51 keV is already operational, as the commissioning was completed in Q12023. The second beamline at 1.49 keV energy has more challenging aspects from both design and implementation points of view: the monochromator stage is made with two Quartz crystals with asymmetric cut; the expansion phase is made by two ADP crystals also with asymmetric cut; the X-ray source needs to be very brilliant due to the large fraction of photons rejected by the crystals. This paper describes the activities on going: the 4.51 keV X-ray beamline optimization and the tests performed on a coated MM will be presented. The progress in the implementation of the 1.49 keV components will be described.