WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP, CONSTRUCT, AND TEST A PROTOTYPE X-RAY SPECTROGRAPH FOR THE 0.

WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP, CONSTRUCT, AND TEST A PROTOTYPE X-RAY SPECTROGRAPH FOR THE 0.1 - 1 KEV ENERGY RANGE WITH TIME RESOLUTION OF ABOUT ONE NANOSECOND. THE PROPOSED INSTRUMENT WILL PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY IN CHOICE OF OPERATING WAVELENGTH, WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY MORE SENSITIVE THAN X-RAY FILMS, AND WILL BE LESS EXPENSIVE THAN CONVENTIONAL X-RAY STREAK CAMERAS. THE TIME-RESOLVING, ULTRASOFT X-RAY SPECTROGRAPH WILL USE ONE OR MORE LAYERED SYNTHETIC MICROSTRUCTURES AS THE WAVELENGTH-DISPERSING ELEMENT. THE PHOTON DETECTING ELEMENT WILL BE A GATED INTENSIFIED CAMERA INCORPORATING A CUSTOM DESIGNED MICROCHANNEL PLATE COUPLED TO A HIGH-QUALITY PHOSPHOR SCREENT. THE OPTICAL EMISSION WILL BE RECORDED ON A FAST PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM. TIME RESOLUTION WILL BE OBTAINED BY SEQUENTIALLY GATING INDEPENDENT STRIP ELECTRODES ON THE MICROCHANNEL PLATE. ONE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGING CAN BE OBTAINED BY AN ENTRANCE SLIT, WITH SOME LOSS OF SENSITIVITY. THE PROTOTYPE DEVICE WILL BE CALIBRATED USING A SOFT X-RAY CALIBRATION FACILITY SO THAT ITS SENSITIVITY CAN BE COMPARED DIRECTLY TO STANDARD X-RAY FILM. THE DEVICE WILL ALSO BE TESTED USING BURSTS OF LASERPRODUCED X-RAYS TO MEASURE ITS TEMPORAL RESOLUTION.