title: Simulating and optimizing compound refractive lens-based X-ray microscopes.
abstract: A comprehensive optical description of compound refractive lenses (CRLs) in condensing and full-field X-ray microscopy applications is presented. The formalism extends ray-transfer matrix analysis by accounting for X-ray attenuation by the lens material. Closed analytical expressions for critical imaging parameters such as numerical aperture, spatial acceptance (vignetting), chromatic aberration and focal length are provided for both thin- and thick-lens imaging geometries. These expressions show that the numerical aperture will be maximized and chromatic aberration will be minimized at the thick-lens limit. This limit may be satisfied by a range of CRL geometries, suggesting alternative approaches to improving the resolution and efficiency of CRLs and X-ray microscopes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Simons
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Sonja Rosenlund
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ahl
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Henning Friis
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Poulsen
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Detlefs
keywords: X-ray imaging; X-ray microscopy; X-ray optics; compound refractive lens; ray transfer matrix