The establishment of Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) as the technology of choice for the implementation of future large
X-ray space optics has opened up the road to its use in all classes of X-ray missions with varying scientific goals.
This interest has given us the possibility to broaden the design parameter space which is normally considered
for SPO optics. In doing so a number of classical space X-ray optics design issues (e.g., field of view, stray
light, baffling, aberrations) have been tackled. In this paper we report on recent results achieved in this effort.
Particular attention will be given to the issues of stray light and baffling, a topic upon which a combination of
analytical, simulation, and data analysis means can be effectively brought to bear. Missions considering the use
of SPO optics have requirements spanning more than two orders of magnitude in energy, and a factor 20 in focal
length. The possibilities that can be considered and the trade offs that must be made when applying SPO to
such a wide range of optical designs will be illustrated, and some of the possible solutions discussed.
The characteristics of the latest generation of assembled silicon pore X-ray optics are discussed in this paper. These very light, stiff and modular high performance pore optics (HPO) have been developed [1] for the next generation of astronomical X-ray telescopes, which require large collecting areas whilst achieving angular resolutions better than 5 arcseconds. The suitability of 12 inch silicon wafers as high quality optical mirrors and the automated assembly process are discussed elsewhere in this conference. HPOs with several tens of ribbed silicon plates are assembled by bending the plates into an accurate cylindrical shape and directly bonding them on top of each other. The achievable figure accuracy is measured during assembly and in test campaigns at X-ray testing facilities like BESSY-II and PANTER. Pencil beam measurements allow gaining information on the quality achieved by the production process with high spatial resolution. In combination with full beam illumination a complete picture of the excellent performance of these optics can be derived. Experimental results are presented and discussed in detail. The results of such campaigns are used to further improve the production process in order to match the challenging XEUS requirements [2] for imaging resolution and mass.
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