Description: NASA has a cross-project need for large format aspheric x-ray optics, which, demonstrate exceptionally low periodic surface errors. Available technologies to both measure and fabricate such surfaces are limited and have not been demonstrated to the precision required. The special requirements contemplated by future x-ray observatory missions include far off-axis hyperbolic and parabolic mirror segments used in nested Wolter Type-1 x-ray telescopes. Such mirrors are to be produced by replication on convex mandrels to meet aggressive manufacturing cost goals, however doing so will require breakthroughs in process, manufacturing and testing technologies. In 2008-9, Aperture Optical Sciences Inc. designed and built a unique custom cylindrical grinding and polishing machine and delivered this machine to a customer for the automated production of cylinder optics. The machine embodied a fundamental technology that could be applied toward the low-cost production of x-ray optics mandrels including a fully scalable large tool computer controlled platform and an algorithmic approach to figure correction using programmable motion and pressure control. Our proposed work would model the adaptation of this machine design and would model the technology and parametric machine controls required to produce full-aperture mirrors having low amplitude periods across the full power spectrum of interest.

Benefits: Glancing incidence optics are used in a variety of applications including synchrotron beam lines, extreme UV lithography, and x-ray spectroscopy for chemical analysis. The technology for producing such optics for commercial systems has not changed significantly over the past century, nor has the quality. The very few companies that have the capabilities to produce such components has caused the price to remain high as compared to standard flat or spherical components. Breakthroughs in low cost manufacturing of high quality x-ray optics will open new applications in this region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Achievements in space-borne astronomy made over the past four decades have been driven by many factors, including technological advances in optical manufacturing. Next generation space astronomy will require even greater technological breakthroughs to produce telescopes of far lower areal density at far lower cost per square meter. Segmented mirrors are candidate designs for the ATLAST Program, having a primary mirror diameter of 8 to 16.8 meters. Advanced x-ray telescopes such as GenX, using nested Wolter Type 1 designs will require thousands of thin shell mirror segments produced by replication using convex mandrels. Scientific instruments aboard these telescope payloads will include optical components and structures that will drive further advancements in manufacturing technology. The technical effort proposed here has clear potential to benefit these and other future space astronomy programs by improving the performance and lowering the cost of precision optical components.