EXOSAT x-ray imaging optics

Abstract

The European X-ray Observatory, EXOSAT, to be launched in 1981 will carry two Wolter I x-ray telescopes, each having a geometric area of ~100 cm(2). A qualification model of the Wolter I optics has been manufactured and extensively tested in optical and x-ray beams. The influence of manufacturing tolerances on the resolution of the optics is discussed, and mechanical and optical measurements of those deviations are presented. Finally, the x-ray imaging quality of the optics is presented, and the correlation with the achieved tolerances is shown.