Although a mirror’s surface appears smooth to the naked eye, if you looked at it through a microscope you’d see many peaks and valleys. These surface imperfections can cause interference with light waves and other electromagnetic radiation. For this reason, understanding the degree and nature of this interference is crucial to successfully designing a metal based optical system.

Curved crystal optics have long played an important role in focusing x-ray emissions in analytical instruments.  Watch our new video to learn more about these x-ray crystals.

In any optical assembly, the biggest challenge is balancing the optical and mechanical specifications, which can be at odds with each other. A recent case in point is an external flight window designed for high-resolution airborne imaging.

At magnetic confinement and laser inertial confinement nuclear fusion research facilities, plasma imaging and spectroscopy are critical tools for understanding the dynamics of the confined fuel and getting closer to the goal of clean, sustainable power. These plasma diagnostics are enabled by precision bent crystal x-ray optics designed and fabricated to offer high spatial and energy resolutions for particular ranges of x-ray energies. These optics operate by using the interplanar spacing at a given crystal orientation as a diffraction grating.

Using toroidally shaped crystals is more practical now than ever, thanks to the high quality of synthetic crystals and state-of-the-art optical manufacturing and testing methods. For years, curved x-ray crystal optics have been used to analyze x-ray emissions in applications like analytical chemistry micro-probes and plasma diagnostics. When specifying your x-ray optical assembly in these and other applications, consider the following:

First characterized in 1949, trans-stilbene (C₁₄H₁₂) continues to be the material of choice for fast neutron detection. However, until recently it has been difficult to produce sizes large enough to be effectively used as a scintillator because crystals were limited in growth to only a few millimeters.

Off-axis aspheric and parabolic mirrors (OAPs) are useful for collimating or focusing a light path when one must avoid interfering with or obscuring the incoming beam. Many optical systems use this simple approach to minimize their footprint as the light path can be folded while maintaining beam integrity. Inrad Optics has perfected the production of light-weighted metal mirrors made from aluminum, beryllium, and a variety of metal matrix materials.

Obtaining high-quality interferometer transmission flats is now as easy as a few mouse clicks, thanks to our new online configuration and ordering tool. You can fully configure and buy industry-standard 4-, 6- and 12-inch transmission flats.

The pace of new x-ray imaging developments has recently intensified, thanks to improvements in the manufacturing quality and precision of our x-ray monochromators.

Examples of the most recent x-ray optics breakthroughs include:

• Stigmatic x-ray imaging with magnification.
• Log-spiral monochromators using Bragg reflection and transmission geometries as well as single-point-diamond-turned (SPDT) backings.
• New off-axis asphere monochromators that improve spatial resolution in exploding laser-fusion targets.