Abstract
X-ray reflectivity of single layer coated X-ray mirror is confined to small grazing angles (< 1°) grazing incidence X-ray telescopes usually are bulky and have large focal lengths in trade of effective area which is expensive for a space based telescope. Critical angle for total external reflection of a mirror varies inversely with the energy of the incident photon. This practically limits the possibility of making an X-ray telescope sensitive to higher energy X-rays \(( < 10 \,{\text{keV}}\)). Use of multilayer mirrors makes it possible to operate the instrument at higher angles and also significantly improves the high energy sensitivity (80 keV). Fabricated \(W /B_{4} C\) multilayer mirror provides a peak reflectivity of 19% at first Bragg peak (2.3°) when tested with 8.047 keV X-rays. Multi-wavelength reflectivity analysis of \(W /B_{4} C\) multilayer mirror from 9 to 16 keV is presented with a discussion on applications of multilayer mirrors in high energy astronomy.
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G. S. Lodha: currently retired.
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Panini, S.S., Nayak, M., Shyama Narendranath, K.C. et al. Development of multilayer mirrors for space-based astronomical X-ray optics. J Opt 47, 91–95 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12596-017-0444-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12596-017-0444-8