Soft X-ray images of the solar corona using normal incidence optics

A solar coronal loop system has been photographed in soft X-rays using a normal incidence telescope based on multilayer mirror technology. The telescope consisted of a spherical objective mirror of 4 cm aperture and 1 m focal length, a film cassette, and a focal plane shutter. A metallized thin plastic film filter was used to exclude visible light. The objective mirror was covered with a multilayer coating consisting of alternating layers of tungsten and carbon whose combined thicknesses satisfied the Bragg diffraction condition for 44 A radiation. The image was recorded during a rocket flight on October 25, 1985 and was dominated by emission lines arising from the Si XII spectrum. The rocket also carried a high resolution soft X-ray spectrograph that confirmed the presence of Si XII line radiation in the source. This image represents the first successful use of multilayer technology for astrophysical observations.