Revolution in X-Ray Optics

Abstract

In the past half decade or so there has been a technological revolution in our ability to generate, control, manipulate, focus, and detect x rays. The emergence of x-ray lasers and synchrotron insertion devices has increased the brightness of laboratory x-ray sources 8 to 12 orders of magnitude over what was available in the late 1960s. In addition, the past few years have been witness to significant advances in the development of normal incidence x-ray mirrors and beam splitters, diffraction limited x-ray lenses, x-ray microscopy, x-ray holography, x-ray waveguides, and CCD x-ray detector arrays. Utilizing these new capabilities, workers in the field are taking the first steps toward the development of sophisticated soft x-ray optical systems, including soft x-ray interferometers, high-intensity x-ray lasers, and projection optics for x-ray lithography. Details of these developments are discussed, as is the question, Why is this happening now?