Abstract
X-ray reflectivity of single layer coated X-ray mirror is confined to small grazing angles (< 1°) grazing incidence X-ray telescopes usually are bulky and have large focal lengths in trade of effective area which is expensive for a space based telescope. Critical angle for total external reflection of a mirror varies inversely with the energy of the incident photon. This practically limits the possibility of making an X-ray telescope sensitive to higher energy X-rays $$( < 10 \,{\text{keV}}$$ ). Use of multilayer mirrors makes it possible to operate the instrument at higher angles and also significantly improves the high energy sensitivity (80 keV). Fabricated $$W /B_{4} C$$ multilayer mirror provides a peak reflectivity of 19% at first Bragg peak (2.3°) when tested with 8.047 keV X-rays. Multi-wavelength reflectivity analysis of $$W /B_{4} C$$ multilayer mirror from 9 to 16 keV is presented with a discussion on applications of multilayer mirrors in high energy astronomy.
Published Version
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