Nested design and numerical simulation of ellipsoidal glass tube X-ray lens

Abstract

This paper presents a nested optimization design scheme for ellipsoidal glass tubes. The lens, also known as a mirror, is composed of multiple ellipsoidal glass tubes with varying semi-major and semi-minor axes, nested within a larger-diameter ellipsoidal glass tube. Compared to Traditional Ellipsoidal Single-bounce Lens (TESL), the Nested Ellipsoidal Glass Tube X-ray Lens (NEXL) can utilize a smaller or even no beam stop at its input, mitigating the impact of the direct X-ray beam on the NEXL's focused beam and thereby enhancing X-ray source utilization. NEXLs can be designed with a large input focal distance, making them suitable for synchrotron radiation X-ray sources located significant distances from the source point to the sample. Simulation results show that for a synchrotron X-ray source 34,000 mm from the sample, a NEXL with six ellipsoidal sub-tubes offers a solid acceptance angle four times greater than a single ellipsoidal glass tube lens. Furthermore, for standard laboratory X-ray sources, a NEXL with three sub-tubes provides double the solid acceptance angle compared to a single-tube lens. These features position NEXLs as highly versatile in the field of X-ray technology.