X-Ray Optics for Astrophysics: a historical review
Abstract
Grazing-incidence X-ray optics have revolutionized X-ray astrophysics. The ability to concentrate flux to a tiny detection region provides a dramatic reduction in background and a consequent very large improvement in sensitivity. The X-ray optics also permit use of small-format, high-performance focal plane detectors and, of course, especially for high-angular-resolution optics, provide a wealth of imaging data from extended sources. This review, follows the use of X-ray optics from the first rocket-borne instruments in the 1960s through to the Observatories flying today and being developed for future use. It also includes a brief overview of the challenges of fabricating X-ray optics and the various technologies that have been used to date
Cite
@article{arxiv.2207.00512,
title = {X-Ray Optics for Astrophysics: a historical review},
author = {Finn E. Christensen and Brian D. Ramsey},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2207.00512},
year = {2023}
}
Comments
45 pages, 21 figures. Invited chapter for the 'Handbook of X-ray and Gamma-ray Astrophysics (Eds C.Bambini and A Santangelo, Springer Singapore, expected publication in 2022)