Abstract

During the past five years, varied-space mechanically ruled reflection gratings have been employed in the design and construction of several soft x-ray spectroscopic instruments applied to both laboratory and astrophysical research in the 5–1000-Å grazing incidence regime. These aberration-corrected optical components offer a unique combination of properties, including use in compact beam geometries, freedom from astigmatism, imaging onto normal incidence focal surfaces, maximum diffraction efficiency, and the capability for either large angular acceptance or high spectral or spatial resolution. I discuss the advantages of this technique, the practical considerations of implementation, recent experimental results, and plans for future applications with particular attention to ultrahigh spectral resolution systems and the potential for a submicron soft x-ray reflection grating microscope.

© 1986 Optical Society of America