Comprehensive characterization and simulation of the point spread function of lobster eye X-ray micro pore optics

• Published in: Optics communications Vol. 569; p. 130821
• Main Authors: Li, Longhui, Zhang, Chen, Wang, Jian, Cong, Xiaoqing, Ling, Zhixing, Jia, Zhenqing, Yang, Xue
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.10.2024
• Subjects: Lobster eye; Micro pore optics; Point spread function; Semi-analytical; Semi-analytical; Micro pore optics; Point spread function; Lobster eye
• ISSN: 0030-4018
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optcom.2024.130821

Lobster eye micro pore optics has been extensively researched, developed, and experimented with over the past few decades since its proposal by Angel in 1979. The lobster eye X-ray telescope represents the next generation of X-ray time-domain astronomy. This study presents a novel semi-analytical numerical model for simulating and studying the optical performance of micro pore X-ray optics based on geometric physical models, channel errors, and Fresnel reflectance. The numerical method accurately and rapidly models the X-ray point-spread function through millions of square microchannels. Soft X-ray testing validates the semi-analytical numerical model, which simulates common channel errors in lobster eye optics manufacturing. The X-ray results demonstrated that tilt and shear channel errors significantly impacted the point spread function, which is consistent with simulation outcomes and has a significant guiding value for the subsequent process improvement. •The optical properties of the lobster eye micro pore optics were characterized and measured in detail.•We propose a novel semi-analytical numerical model for studying the performance of micro pore optics.•The Tilt and Shear channel errors significantly impacted the point spread function of lobster eye optics.