Normal incidence soft x-ray telescopes

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Abstract
Photos obtained during 5 mm of observation time from the flight of our 25-cm-diam normal-incidence soft x-ray (λ = 63.5 Å) telescope on September 11, 1989, are analyzed and the data are compared to the results expected from tests of the mirror surfaces. These tests cover a range of spatial periods from 25 cm to 1 Å. The photos demonstrate a resolution close to the photon shot noise limit and a reduction in the scattering of the multilayer mirror compared to a single surface for scattering angles above 1 arcmin, corresponding to surface irregularities with spatial penods below 10 μm. Our results are used to predict the possible performance of future telescopes: We conclude that sounding rocket observations might be able to reach a resolution around 0.1 arcsec. Higher resolutions will require flights of longer durations and improvements in mirror testing for the largest spatial periods.

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