Reducing stress in multilayer laue lenses
Wednesday, September 21, 2011 - 11:31
in Physics & Chemistry
Multilayer Laue lenses (MLLs) developed at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Sciences Advanced Photon Source (APS) focus high-energy x-rays so tightly they can detect objects as small as 16 nanometers in size, and are in principle capable of focusing well below 10 nanometers. As recently reported this approach doubles the resolution over existing lenses, and future advancements could increase resolution by 10 times. Furthermore, large-diameter MLLs have the potential to achieve a very high efficiency, enabling detailed studies of individual nanoparticles. Now, studies carried out by researchers at the APS reveal a simple means to reduce stress in MLLs, thereby removing a possible obstacle to maximizing the potential of these lenses.