Abstract
Imaging in X-rays is inherently challenging because X-ray wavelengths are comparable to atomic dimensions (or, equivalently, X-ray photon energies are comparable to the binding energies of electrons in atoms), so that a ray-based focusing optics approach is not generally tenable. This problem becomes more acute at the shorter wavelengths corresponding to hard X-ray energies. In this chapter various X-ray imaging methods are described, from the basic medical technique using a single point source of X-rays to image body parts, to the techniques used in solar physics and astrophysics to image the X-ray sources themselves. X-rays interact with matter through both their wave and particle properties; the principal processes involved are absorption, scattering, reflection, refraction, and diffraction. Techniques are described that use these different forms of the interaction of X-rays with matter to obtain images of sources of astrophysical interest. Examples are provided of X-ray telescope designs to achieve the highest sensitivity, angular resolution, and dynamic range over hard X-ray energies ranging from 10 keV to 1 MeV.
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Notes
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Note that θ is not the angle to the normal, as used, e.g., in Snell’s Law.
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Piana, M., Emslie, A.G., Massone, A.M., Dennis, B.R. (2022). X-Ray Imaging Methods. In: Hard X-Ray Imaging of Solar Flares. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87277-9_2
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