Low energy X-ray spectrometer development

The technology for fabricating artificial crystals has been investigated and developed to a point where such crystals can be readily produced. Properties such as scattering efficiency and resolving power were investigated using laboratory calibration X-ray sources. Such crystals, bent and mounted in a curved-crystal spectrograph and coupled with NS or SC-7 film, provide an effective low-energy, high-resolution X-ray detection system. Lead-stearate artificial crystals appeared to have the most desirable feature for providing good resolution and efficiency for x radiation below 1,000 eV. A feasibility study for using an array of thin-film superconducting-strips in the recording plane of the spectrograph (in place of passive film) showed that this kind of configuration has promise as an active detector of low-energy x rays capable of subnanosecond time resolution. (Modified author abstract)