We suggest a new class of high-flux renewable optics, in particular, for the use at the X-ray free electron laser, LCLS, which is under discussion now. The size of optical elements we have in mind is from a fraction of a square centimeter to a few square centimeters. We suggest that working fluid be pressed through a porous substrate (made, e.g., of fused capillaries) to form a film, a few tens to a hundred microns thick. After the passage of an intense laser pulse, the liquid film is sucked back through the substrate by a reversed motion of the piston, and formed anew before the next pulse. The working surface of the film is made flat by capillary forces. We discuss the role of viscous, gravitational, and capillary forces in the dynamics of the film and show that the properly made film can be arbitrarily oriented with respect to the gravitational force. This makes the proposed optics very flexible. We discuss effects of vibrations of the supporting structures on the quality of optical elements. Limitations on the radiation intensity are formulated. We show how the shape of the film surface can be controlled by electrostatic and magnetic forces, allowing one to make parabolic mirrors and reflecting diffraction gratings.

Date Published: 28 December 2001
PDF: 16 pages
Proc. SPIE 4500, Optics for Fourth-Generation X-Ray Sources, (28 December 2001); doi: 10.1117/12.452959

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4500:
Optics for Fourth-Generation X-Ray Sources
Roman O. Tatchyn; Andreas K. Freund; Tadashi Matsushita, Editor(s)