Graded Multilayers not Required for Hard X-ray Imaging!

For a given X ray optic, a graded-multilayer coating extends the energy response to higher energies. However, this does not imply that graded multilayers are required for efficient hard X ray focusing. Indeed, smaller X ray optics using conventional coatings provide advantages -- namely, greater effective area per unit mass, less diffractive scattering by surface micro-roughness, and demonstrated feasibility - over larger optics coated with multilayers.