High Resolution X-Ray Scattering Measurements For The Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF)

Abstract

The image quality of a high resolution x-ray telescope is determined both by the accuracy to which the optics can be figured and by the smoothness of the reflecting surfaces. The former determines the angular resolution, and the latter, through scattering, affects the fraction of flux within the resolution element. This paper describes a research program designed to enhance the understanding and characterization of x-ray reflecting surfaces with regard to their scattering properties. Included are representative measurements, at the subarcsecond level, of the x-ray scattering from a variety of flat reflectors, and measurements of the surface roughness of a large number of flat reflectors by more traditional methods. This work is part of a technology study for the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, a near earth-orbiting x-ray observatory to be launched by the Space Shuttle in the late 1980's