Recent advances in reflective hard x-ray / soft gamma-ray optics and the prospects for future astrophysical missions

Over the last forty years, reflective x-ray telescopes have enabled detailed observations of the 0.1-10 keV x-ray sky and dramatically improved our knowledge of astrophysical processes, cosmology and fundamental physics.   Focusing optics overcome intrinsic limitations of other techniques (e.g., absorptive collimation), and their use above 10 keV should revolutionize our understanding of the hard Xxray Universe.  The early science results from NASA's NuSTAR, the first satellite to provide true-focusing from up to 78 keV, show the promise of extending this technology above 100 keV.

In this talk, I will discuss recent advances in multilayer x-ray optics that have demonstrated excellent performance at energies beyond 600 keV.  After presenting results from our active research program at Lawrence Livermore, I will describe how reflective multilayer-coated mirrors could be used for a future satellite mission that could provide sub arc-minute imaging beyond 0.5 MeV.

Speaker: Michael Pivovafoff, Lawrence Livermore National Labs

Location: Redwoods A/B