Abstract

We have developed a system capable of rapid characterization of optics in the soft x-ray region. X-rays from a laser produced plasma source are dispersed by a grating spectrograph onto a microchannel plate detector which is coupled to a CCD detector, figure 1. The CCD image is then read by a Macintosh computer. Part of the x-ray flux from the plasma is passed through the optic under test before being analyzed by the grating. In this way, spectral images with and without the test component in the optical path can be recorded simultaneously and compared to give throughput, figure 2. A .7 Joule Nd:Yag laser with 8ns pulse width, frequency doubled and capable of 10Hz operation, is focussed onto various targets to produce the x-ray pulses. A thin film filter is used to stop visible laser light from reaching the detector. Multiple diffraction orders from the grating are recorded so that the wavelength scale on the detector can be determined with high precision.

© 1992 Optical Society of America