Hard x-ray waveguides can be strongly curved

Nov. 11, 2015
Waveguide channels x-rays via grazing-incidence reflection.

Hard x-rays are used for imaging at the nanometer scalefor example, imaging cells. However, optically routing hard x-rays traditionally requires very large (up to meter-length) bulk optics operating at grazing-incidence angles. Now, as noted by the American Physical Society's Physics Focus, an international team led by researchers at the University of Göttingen (Göttingen, Germany) have created 100-nm-wide waveguides that can bend a hard x-ray beam by up to 30° over a 5 mm distance.1

The waveguide is a narrow, open channel cut into a solid piece of tantalum, with the beam propagating via grazing incidence along the channel, with a critical angle of total reflection of 1°.

To maximize x-ray throughput, the team used intense beams generated at the DESY synchrotron facility in Hamburg, Germany, and, in a second test, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France. They focused the beams to a width of a few hundred nanometers at the entrances of the waveguides.

This new work "changes x-ray optics from fairly [large-scale] devices to miniature devices, with all the attendant advantages," says Sunil Sinha of the University of California, San Diego.

Source: http://physics.aps.org/articles/v8/107

REFERENCE:

1. T. Salditt et al., Physical Review Letters (2015); http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.203902

About the Author

John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)

John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.

Sponsored Recommendations

Next generation tunable infrared lasers

Nov. 28, 2023
Discussion of more powerful and stable quantum cascade tunable infrared lasers, applications, and test results.

What AI demands mean for data centers

Nov. 28, 2023
The 2023 Photonics-Enabled Cloud Computing Summit assembled by Optica took an aggressive approach to calling out the limitations of today’s current technologies.

SLP feature for lighting control available on cameras offering

Nov. 28, 2023
A proprietary structured light projector (SLP) feature is now available on the company’s camera series, including the ace 2, boost R, ace U, and ace L.

Chroma Customer Spotlight - Dr. David Warshaw, About his Lab

Nov. 27, 2023
David Warshaw, Professor and Chair of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Vermont (UVM), walks us through his lab. Learn about his lab’s work with the protein...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!