Open AccessSimulating and optimizing compound refractive lens‐based X‐ray microscopes
Author(s) -
Simons Hugh,
Ahl Sonja Rosenlund,
Poulsen Henning Friis,
Detlefs Carsten
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of synchrotron radiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 99
ISSN - 1600-5775
DOI - 10.1107/s160057751602049x
Subject(s) - optics , chromatic aberration , lens (geology) , numerical aperture , vignetting , microscope , focal length , spherical aberration , achromatic lens , thin lens , simple lens , microscopy , chromatic scale , materials science , physics , wavelength
A comprehensive optical description of compound refractive lenses (CRLs) in condensing and full‐field X‐ray microscopy applications is presented. The formalism extends ray‐transfer matrix analysis by accounting for X‐ray attenuation by the lens material. Closed analytical expressions for critical imaging parameters such as numerical aperture, spatial acceptance (vignetting), chromatic aberration and focal length are provided for both thin‐ and thick‐lens imaging geometries. These expressions show that the numerical aperture will be maximized and chromatic aberration will be minimized at the thick‐lens limit. This limit may be satisfied by a range of CRL geometries, suggesting alternative approaches to improving the resolution and efficiency of CRLs and X‐ray microscopes.