New Concepts for X-Ray, Soft X-Ray, and EUV Optical Instrumentation Including Applications in Spectroscopy, Plasma Diagnostics, and Biomedical Microscopy: A Status Report

In this article, we review current progress in the development of several techniques for extreme ultraviolet, soft x-ray, and x-ray optical instrumentation. Applications of these concepts include diagnostics of hot plasmas, spectroscopic studies of the interaction of multicharged ion beams with matter (atoms, ions, molecules, microstructures, surfaces, solids), and biomedical x-ray microscopy. Novel applications of components include the use of glass capillary converters (GCCs) and multilayer mirrors (MLMs) or crystals. GCC devices provide guiding, focusing, and polarization analysis of short wavelength radiation over a wide bandwidth. The MLM or crystal optical elements can be used for dispersing, focusing, and polarization-sensitive studies of radiation within a narrow bandwidth. In this report we focus on the development and testing of optical diagnostic devices for the short wavelength spectral region 0.1 nm < λ < 100 nm.