Practical implementation of lobster-eye optics

William W. Zhang; Andrew G. Peele; Robert Petre; Yang Soong; Nicholas E. White

doi:10.1117/12.331256

19 November 1998 Practical implementation of lobster-eye optics

William W. Zhang, Andrew G. Peele, Robert Petre, Yang Soong, Nicholas E. White

Proceedings Volume 3444, X-Ray Optics, Instruments, and Missions; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.331256
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1998, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The concept of the lobster eye optics was proposed in the nineteen seventies. It has gained widespread interest in x- ray astronomy for its potential for constructing compact and focusing x-ray all sky monitors with unprecedented sensitivities. The majority of the efforts of developing a practical implementation of this optics has been devoted toward slumping square-pore micro-channel plates. While the advantages of the slumped micro-channel plates are obvious in that they can achieve potentially arc-second angular resolutions, the smoothness requirements for reflecting x- rays are hard to meet by micro-channel plates. It is not clear how the interior of the micro-channel plate pores can be polished to the desired smoothness. In this paper we propose the feasibility of a more straightforward approach of implementing the lobster eye optics with flat glass mirrors assembled in a standard Kirkpatrick-Baez configuration. We demonstrate with both simulations and laboratory test results that this implementation is both practical and meets al the requirements of an x-ray all sky monitor.

Citation Download Citation

William W. Zhang, Andrew G. Peele, Robert Petre, Yang Soong, and Nicholas E. White "Practical implementation of lobster-eye optics", Proc. SPIE 3444, X-Ray Optics, Instruments, and Missions, (19 November 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.331256

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