Image quality criteria for wide-field x-ray imaging applications

Patrick L. Thompson; James E. Harvey

doi:10.1117/12.368231

5 October 1999 Image quality criteria for wide-field x-ray imaging applications

Proceedings Volume 3779, Current Developments in Optical Design and Optical Engineering VIII; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.368231
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1999, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

For staring, wide-field applications, such as a solar x-ray imager, the severe off-axis aberrations of the classical Wolter Type-I grazing incidence x-ray telescope design drastically limits the 'resolution' near the solar limb. A specification upon on-axis fractional encircled energy is thus not an appropriate image quality criterion for such wide-angle applications. A more meaningful image quality criterion would be a field-weighted-average measure of 'resolution.' Since surface scattering effects from residual optical fabrication errors are always substantial at these very short wavelengths, the field-weighted-average half- power radius is a far more appropriate measure of aerial resolution. If an ideal mosaic detector array is being used in the focal plane, the finite pixel size provides a practical limit to this system performance. Thus, the total number of aerial resolution elements enclosed by the operational field-of-view, expressed as a percentage of the n umber of ideal detector pixels, is a further improved image quality criterion. In this paper we describe the development of an image quality criterion for wide-field applications of grazing incidence x-ray telescopes which leads to a new class of grazing incidence designs described in a following companion paper.

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Patrick L. Thompson and James E. Harvey "Image quality criteria for wide-field x-ray imaging applications", Proc. SPIE 3779, Current Developments in Optical Design and Optical Engineering VIII, (5 October 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.368231

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KEYWORDS

Imaging systems

Image resolution

Image quality

Point spread functions

Grazing incidence

Optical instrument design

Telescopes

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