This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 10235, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, and Conference Committee listing.

This paper presents a Lobster Eye (LE) X-ray telescope developed for the Water Recovery X-ray Rocket (WRX-R) experiment. The primary payload of the rocket experiment is a soft X-ray spectroscope developed by the Pennsylvania State University (PSU), USA. The Czech team participates by hard LE X-ray telescope as a secondary payload. The astrophysical objective of the rocket experiment is the Vela Supernova of size about 8deg x 8deg. In the center of the nebula is a neutron star with a strong magnetic field, roughly the mass of the Sun and a diameter of about 20 kilometers forming the Vela pulsar.

The primary objective of WRX-R is the spectral measurement of the outer part of the nebula in soft X-ray and FOV of 3.25deg x 3.25deg. The secondary objective (hard LE X-ray telescope) is the Vela neutron star observation. The hard LE telescope consists of two X-ray telescopes with the Timepix detector. First telescope uses 2D LE Schmidt optics (2DLE- REX) with focal length over 1m and 4 Timepix detectors (2x2 matrix). The telescope FOV is 1.5deg x 1.5deg with spectral range from 3keV to 60keV. The second telescope uses 1D LE Schmidt optics (1D-LE-REX) with focal length of 25 cm and one Timepix detector. The telescope is made as a wide field with FOV 4.5deg x 3.5deg and spectral range from 3keV to 40keV. The rocket experiment serves as a technology demonstration mission for the payloads. The LE X-ray telescopes can be in the future used as all‐sky monitor/surveyor. The astrophysical observation can cover the hard X-ray observation of astrophysical sources in time-domain, the GRBs surveying or the exploration of the gravitational wave sources.

X-ray astronomy uses space-based telescopes to overcome the disturbing absorption of the Earth´s atmosphere. The telescope mirrors are operating at grazing incidence angles and are coated with thin metal films of high-Z materials to get sufficient reflectivity for the high-energy radiation to be observed. In addition the optical payload needs to be light-weighted for launcher mass constrains. Within the project JEUMICO, an acronym for “Joint European Mirror Competence”, the Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences and the Czech Technical University in Prague started a collaboration to develop mirrors for X-ray telescopes. The X-ray telescopes currently developed within this Bavarian- Czech project are of Lobster eye type optical design. Corresponding mirror segments use substrates of flat silicon wafers which are coated with thin iridium films, as this material is promising high reflectivity in the X-ray range of interest. The deposition of the iridium films is based on a magnetron sputtering process. Sputtering with different parameters, especially by variation of the argon gas pressure, leads to iridium films with different properties. In addition to investigations of the uncoated mirror substrates the achieved surface roughness has been studied. Occasional delamination of the iridium films due to high stress levels is prevented by chromium sublayers. Thereby the sputtering parameters are optimized in the context of the expected reflectivity of the coated X-ray mirrors. In near future measurements of the assembled mirror modules optical performances are planned at an X-ray test facility.

In the field of astronomical X-ray telescopes, different types of optics based on grazing incidence mirrors can be used. This contribution describes the special design of a lobster-eye optics in Schmidt's arrangement, which uses dual reflection to increase the collecting area. The individual mirrors of this wide-field telescope are made of at silicon wafers coated with reflecting iridium layers. This iridium coatings have some advantages compared to more common gold layers as is shown in corresponding simulations. The iridium coating process for the X-ray mirrors was developed within a cooperation of the Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences and the Czech Technical University in Prague. Different mirror parameters essential for a proper function of the X-ray optics, like the surface microroughness and the problematic of a good adhesion quality of the coatings were studied. After integration of the individual mirrors into the final lobster-eye optics and the corresponding space qualification testing it is planned to fly the telescope in a recently proposed NASA rocket experiment.

Beginning with the Einstein Observatory in 1978, continuing with ROSAT in the 1990’s and currently the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, high angular resolution focusing telescopes have been the premier X-ray astronomy instruments of their time. However, as they have acquired larger area and improved angular resolution they have become increasingly massive and expensive. The successor to Chandra planned for the late 2020’s currently named “Lynx” will rely on active optics to allow the use of much lower mass segmented mirrors with the goal of gaining an order of magnitude larger area than Chandra with a lower ratio of mass to effective area and perhaps slightly better angular resolution than Chandra’s 0.5 arc second half power diameter and/or over a somewhat larger field. The goals for Lynx are probably at the limit of what is possible with grazing incidence X-ray optics. Success in the development of higher angular resolution, lower mass telescopes will come at the expense of effective area. A diffractive-refractive pair consisting of a Fresnel zone plate and a diffractive lens that transmits rather than reflects X-rays is capable in theory of achieving mili arc second resolution with a much lower ratio of mass to effective area than the grazing incidence reflective Wolter optics. However, the focal lengths of this system are thousands of kilometers necessitating formation flying between one spacecraft hosting the optics and another hosting the detectors, most likely in a Sun-Earth L2 orbit. The trajectory of one of the two spacecraft can be in a true orbit but the other must be powered by an ion engine to maintain the alignment. The growing interest in deep space astronaut operations may allow the ion engines to be replaced when depleted.

The paper addresses the X-ray monitoring for astrophysical applications. A novel approach based on the use of 1D and 2D "Lobster eye" optics in combination with Timepix X-ray detector in the energy range 3 - 40 keV was further studied. Wide-field optical system of this type has not been used in space yet. Designed wide-field optical system combined with Timepix X-ray detector is described together with latest experimental results obtained during laboratory tests. Proposed project includes theoretical study and a functional sample of the Timepix X-ray detector with multifoil wide-field X-ray "Lobster eye" optics. Using optics to focus X-rays on a detector is the only solution in cases where intensity of impinging X-ray radiation is below the sensitivity of the detector, e.g. while monitoring astrophysical objects in space, or phenomena in the Earth's atmosphere. The optical system is considered to be used in a student rocket experiment.

The principles of biomimetics were successfully applied in X ray optics in the past and recently, e.g. in Lobster-Eye optical systems. However, the recent growing knowledge of sea vision, especially of peculiar mirror eyes of scallops, crustaceans, and deep sea fishes, makes it possible to consider other such applications. One of the most important discoveries is finding of mirror eyes in deep sea fish Dolichopteryx longipes based on large large numbers of very small mirror plates organized in specific positions. This arrangement may even include principles of active optics. We report on ongoing study with focus on understanding of very specific mirror eyes of sea animals and how they may help us to design and develop special optics for scientific applications. We study the ways these mirror eyes work, what are the advantages of these peculiar eye arrangements, and whether these optics can be used in advanced devices, e. g. X-ray optics. We will briefly present and discuss the preliminary results.

We report on our work of minimizing the microroughness of replicated grazing incidence X-ray optics. Ion beam and RF sputter cleaning was used as surface treatment and we compare its effects in the article. Vacuum deposition of smoothing layers was also used for minimizing the microroughness. The surfaces were measured by atomic force microscopy and X-ray reflectometry. Microroughness less than 0,5 nm RMS and R_a was achieved.

ARKA and KORTES are two upcoming solar space missions in extreme ultraviolet and X-ray wavebands. KORTES is a sun-oriented mission designed for the Russian segment of International Space Station. KORTES consists of several imaging and spectroscopic instruments that will observe the solar corona in a number of wavebands, covering EUV and X-ray ranges. The surveillance strategy of KORTES is to cover a wide range of observations including simultaneous imaging, spectroscopic and polarization measurements. ARKA is a small satellite solar mission intended to take highresolution images of the Sun at the extreme ultraviolet wavelengths. ARKA will be equipped with two high-resolution EUV telescopes designed to collect images of the Sun with approximately 150 km spatial resolution in the field of view of about 10'×10'. The scientific results of the mission may have a significant impact on the theory of coronal heating and may help to clarify the physics of small-scale solar structures and phenomena including oscillations of fine coronal structures and the physics of micro- and nanoflares.

The work is devoted to the method of mounting and surface shape measurement of the primary mirror of ARCA telescope, intended for the Sun observation in EUV wavelength range. Calculation of mirror’s deformation due to weight is carried out and a method of its experimental determination in interferometer is proposed. The method of deformation-free installation of mirror into the telescope is proposed. Impact shocks and vibrations, arising during missile launch, is analyzed, and an optimal size of bridges in the rim is determined. Calculations of the mirror deformation due to temperature difference in the telescope on the Earth's orbit and its influence on the resolution of the telescope are conducted. The stresses arising in epoxy adhesive due to temperature changes and due to starting shocks are simulated.

In this work different kinds of reflective optical systems were used for creation and investigation of low temperature, photoionized plasmas. The plasmas were created in gases, irradiated with a focused beam of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) or soft X-ray (SXR) radiation, from laser-plasma sources employing 10 Hz Nd:YAG laser systems (0.8 J/ 4 ns and 10 J/ 1-10 ns). In both cases, the EUV radiation was focused using a gold-plated grazing incidence ellipsoidal collector in the wavelength range λ = 9÷70 nm or a gold-plated grazing incidence multifoil collector in the wavelength range λ = 5 ÷ 70 nm. Additionally, in case of the 10 J Nd:YAG laser with the pulse duration 1 ns, a paraboloidal collector optimized for the wavelength range λ ≥ 1 nm was employed. Different gases were injected into the vacuum chamber, perpendicularly to an optical axis of the irradiation system at the focal region, using an auxillary gas puff valve. Irradiation of the gases resulted in ionization and excitation of atoms/molecules. Spectra in SXR/EUV range were measured using a grazing incidence, flat-field spectrometer (McPherson Model 251), equipped with a 450 lines/mm toroidal grating or a home-made spectrograph based on the 5000 l/mm transmission grating. Optical spectra were recorded using the Echelle Spectra Analyzer ESA 4000. In all cases the most intense emission lines were assigned to singly charged ions, however, lines corresponding to ions with higher charge were also recorded. Based on spectral lines originating from ions electron temperature was estimated.

In the last 20 years, , due to the rapid development of X-ray optics, micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (micro-XRF) has become a powerful tool to determine the spatial distribution of major, minor, and trace elements within a sample. Micro-X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) spectrometers for light element analysis (6 ≤ Z ≤ 14) using glass polycapillary optics are usually designed and applied to confocal geometry. Two such X-ray optics systems are used in this setup. The first one focuses the primary beam on the sample; the second restricts the field of view of the detector. In order to be able to analyze a wider range of elements especialy with (6 ≤ Z ≤ 14), both sample and detector are under vacuum. Depth resolution varies between 100 μm at 1 keV fluorescence energy (Na-Kα) and 30 μm for 17.5 keV (Mo-Kα) [1,2].

In order to improve resolution at energies below 9 keV, our group designed similar spectrometer (in cooperation with PREVAC) but instead of primary polycapillary optics we applied single bounce metallic capillaries optics , designed and manufactured in our Laboratory. The vacuum chumber is currently under construction and is expected to be fully operational in September this year. Single bounce gold capillaries with elliptic internal shape have recently been redesigned and developed in our Laboratory. Surface roughness was reduced up to 0.5 nm and slope error to 0.3 mrad. For these capillaries an expected depth resolution varies from 3 μm (1 keV) and 10 µm for 9 keV (Cu-Kα). The spectrometer equipped with gold capillaries offers the possibility of elemental analysis with better depth resolution than is offerred by glass polycapillaries at energies below 9 keV. Furthermore, we will compare the capabilities and limitations of this spectrometer with others, that use laboratory and/or synchrotron sources.

Acknowledgments: This work was supported and co-funded by the European Union as part of the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland for 2007–2013, Priority I Innovative Economy, Measure I.3. Support for Innovations and The National Centre for Research and Development, Project no. TANGO1,267102/NCBR/2015

We use hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy combined with x-ray standing waves to characterize a series of Pd/Y multilayers designed to work in the 7.5-11 nm wavelength range. The samples, prepared by magnetron sputtering, are deposited either with or without nitrogen introduced in the sputtering gas. The aimed period of the samples is 4 nm. The experiments consist in obtaining the core level spectra of the various elements for a series of grazing angles. The angular scan is made in the range given by the Bragg law, the multilayer period and the incident photon energy. Given the period of the multilayer and the presence of a 2.5 nm-thick B4C capping layer, the photon energy is chosen to be 10 keV in order to probe the first 5-6 periods of the stack. Thus the Bragg angle is a little less than 1°. Rotating the sample enables putting the nodes of the electric field at some particular location of the stack, thus to make the excitation depth-selective, probing one interface or another or the center of one given layer. The changes of the chemical shift in the Pd 2p and 3d, Y 2p and 3d, O 1s, N 1s, C 1s and B 1s as a function of the angle, that is to say as a function of the location in the stack will give information about the possible interfacial process taking place in the Pd/Y multilayers.

X-ray Timing and Polarization (XTP) telescope is proposed in China, by using the nested Wolter-I type optical system with large effective area, for the study of high energy physics at the region of 1-30 keV. High reflectance and low stress W/Si multilayers are demanded in the telescope to fulfill the spectral response and ensure the figure quality of the mirrors at the same time. A dedicated cylindrical deposition facility based on direct current magnetron sputtering technique was developed. Using this facility, W/Si multilayers fabricated under different base pressure and working pressure were tested to optimize the sputtering process. The microstructure and stress of W/Si multilayers with different d-spacing (d=2.0 nm-7.0 nm) and thickness ratio of W (ϒ_w=0.3-0.7) were studied. In order to obtain low stress multilayer mirrors, post-deposition annealing was applied on the multilayers and both the effects of temperature and annealing time were studied. Based on these works, a depth-graded W/Si multilayer was deposited on thin cylindrical mirror and the X-ray reflectivity was measured at Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF).

In the present paper we describe X-ray glitches and diffraction losses in monocrystalline diamond X-ray refractive lenses. For this purpose, X-ray spectroscopy of several types of diamond lenses was done at the BM31, ESRF. X-rays were propagating through lenses, while the transmitted intensity was measured at different energies. Use of compound refractive lenses, that were perfectly aligned by stacking in a single plate, gave us strong diffraction losses, reducing the outgoing signal by maximal value of 35%. The magnitude of the effect was then minimized down to ~ 10% by use of CRLs compiled from individual lenses with different crystallographic orientation. At the same time, X-ray glitches did not affect any focal spot’s size or shape while only arousing the darkening of the focal spot at exact energies of X-ray glitches.

Polarimetry is a valuable technique to help us understand the role played by the magnetic field of the coronal plasma in the energy transfer processes from the inner parts of the Sun to the outer space. Polarimetry in the far ultraviolet (FUV: 100-200 nm), which must be performed from space due to absorption in terrestrial atmosphere, supplies fundamental data of processes that are governed by the Doppler and Hanle effects on resonantly scattered line-emission. To observe these processes there are various key spectral lines in the FUV, from which H I Lyman α (121.6 nm) is the strongest one. Hence some solar physics missions that have been proposed or are under development plan to perform polarimetry at 121.6 nm, like the suborbital missions CLASP I (2015) and CLASP II (2018), and the proposed solar missions SolmeX and COMPASS and stellar mission Arago. Therefore, the development of efficient FUV linear polarizers may benefit these and other possible future missions. C IV (155 nm) and Mg II (280 nm) are other spectral lines relevant for studies of solar and stellar magnetized atmospheres.

High performance polarizers can be obtained with optimized coatings. Interference coatings can tune polarizers at the spectral line(s) of interest for solar and stellar physics. Polarizing beamsplitters consist in polarizers that separate one polarization component by reflection and the other by transmission, which enables observing the two polarization components simultaneously with a single polarizer. They involve the benefit of a higher efficiency in collection of polarization data due to the use of a single polarizer for the two polarization components and they may also facilitate a simplified design for a space polarimeter. We present results on polarizing beamsplitters tuned either at 121.6 nm or at the pair of 155 and 280 nm spectral lines.

Our intention is to develop high-resolution stigmatic spectral imaging in the XUV (2 – 40 nm). We have designed, aligned and tested a broadband stigmatic spectrometer for a range of 12–30 nm, which makes combined use of a normalincidence multilayer mirror (MM) (in particular, a broadband aperiodic MM) and a grazing-incidence plane varied linespace (VLS) reflection grating. The concave MM produces a slightly astigmatic image of the radiation source (for instance, the entrance slit), and the VLS grating produces a set of its dispersed stigmatic spectral images. The multilayer structure determines the spectral width of the operating range, which may amount to more than an octave in wavelength (e.g. 12.5–30 nm for an aperiodic Mo/Si MM), while the VLS grating controls the spectral focal curve. The stigmatism condition is satisfied simultaneously for two wavelengths, 14 and 27 nm. In this case, the condition of non-rigorous stigmatism is fulfilled for the entire wavelength range. A LiF laser plasma spectrum was recorded in one 0.5 J laser shot. A spatial resolution of 26 μm and a spectral resolution of 900 were demonstrated in the 12.5 – 25 nm range. We also report the design of a set of flat-field spectrometers of Harada type with VLS gratings. VLS gratings were made by ebeam and interference lithography. A technique (analytical + numerical) was developed for calculating optical schemes for writing plane and concave VLS gratings with predefined line density variation.

In the paper is studied the main aspects of using ion-beam etching for finish polishing. It is found that 400 eV is the optimal energy for neon ion etching ensuring slight surface roughness smoothing in the range of incidence angles of ± 40°. The deposition of 200 nm amorphous silicon films onto beryllium and their subsequent etching with the 800 eV argon ions improve the effective surface roughness integrated across the range of the spatial frequencies of 0.025-60 μm^-1, from σ_eff=1.37 nm down to σ_eff=0.29 nm. The effectiveness of the smoothing technology for x-ray applications, confirmed by the results of the study the reflective properties of the Mo/Si mirrors deposited on the substrate. The reflectivity at a wavelength of 13.5 nm increased from 2% for the substrates with the surface roughness of σ_eff=2.3 nm (the roughness value corresponds to the as-prepared bulk Be substrates and is taken from the literature) up to 67.5% after the smoothing technology.

Wolter I optics are commonly used for imaging in X-Ray spectrum. This system uses two reflections, and at higher energies, this system is not so much efficient but has a very good optical resolution. Here is another type of optics Lobster Eye, which is using also two reflections for focusing rays in Schmidt's or Angel's arrangement. Here is also possible to use Lobster eye optics as two one dimensional independent optics. This paper describes advantages of one dimensional and two dimensional Lobster Eye optics in Schmidt's arrangement and its data processing - find out a number of sources in wide field of view. Two dimensional (2D) optics are suitable to detect the number of point X-ray sources and their magnitude, but it is necessary to expose for a long time because a 2D system has much lower transitivity, due to double reflection, compared to one dimensional (1D) optics. Not only for this reason, two 1D optics are better to use for lower magnitudes of sources. In this case, additional image processing is necessary to achieve a 2D image. This article describes of approach an image reconstruction and advantages of two 1D optics without significant losses of transitivity.

In the field of X-ray detection for Astrophysics there are mainly two objectives; first is to create 2D images as a result of sensing radiation by detectors consisting of a pixels matrix and the second is a spectral analysis of the incident radiation. For spectral analysis, the basis is usually the principle of diffraction. This paper describes the new design of X-ray spectrometer based on Timepix detector with optics positioned in front of it. The advantage of this setup is the ability to get the image and spectrum from the same devices. With other modifications is possible to shift detection threshold into areas of soft X-ray radiation.

The development and demonstration of a soft X-ray (SXR) microscope, based on a Z-pinching capillary discharge source has been realized. The Z-pinching plasma acts as a source of SXR radiation. A ceramic capacitor bank is pulsed charged up to 80 kV, and discharged through a pre- ionized nitrogen filled ceramic capillary. The discharge current has an amplitude of ~25 kA. Working within the water-window spectral region (λ = 2.88 nm), corresponding to the 1s²-1s2p quantum transition of helium-like nitrogen (N⁵⁺), the microscope has a potential in exploiting the natural contrast existing between the K-absorption edges of carbon and oxygen as the main constituents of biological materials, and hence imaging them with high spatial resolution. The SXR microscope uses the grazing incidence ellipsoidal condenser mirror for the illumination, and the Fresnel zone plate optics for the imaging of samples onto a BI-CCD camera. The half- pitch spatial resolution of 100 nm [1] was achieved, as demonstrated by the knife-edge test. In order to enhance the photon-flux at the sample plane, a new scheme for focusing the radiation, from multiple capillary sources has been investigated. Details about the source, and the construction of the microscope are presented and discussed.

In the framework of the project, substances are indicators, which are the main constituents of a watery suspension found on the surface of Mars. According to the conducted researches, the spectral region for the study of indicator substances was chosen. The method of remote sensing of the surface and the lidar construction scheme are chosen. The results of the preliminary calculation of the system are presented.

We present a laboratory high-aperture monochromator-reflectometer employing laser-plasma radiation source and three replaceable Schwarzschild objectives for a certain range of applications in the soft X-ray spectral waveband. Three sets of X-ray multilayer mirrors for the Schwarzschild objectives enable operation of the reflectometer at the wavelengths of 135, 171 and 304 Å, while a goniometer with three degrees of freedom allows different measurement modes. We have used the facility for a laboratory CCD calibration at the wavelengths specified. Combined with the results of the CCD sensitivity measurements conducted in the VUV spectral waveband, the total outcome provides a more comprehensive understanding of the CCD effectivity in a wide spectral range.

The EUV reflectometer facility available at the Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies-CNR Padua (Italy) has been characterized in terms of Stokes’ parameters at two wavelengths of particular interest for space applications, the hydrogen Lyman alpha at 121.6 nm and 160 nm. The design and the performances of a polarizer based on four gold coated mirrors and coupled with the facility are also described. The whole system consisting of the reflectometer and the polarizer can be used to test mirrors, polarizers and phase retarders in the EUV range by means of the Mueller Matrix formalism, and even to investigate compositions, interfaces and structure of thin films and optical coatings.