Large aperture compound lenses made of lithium

We have measured the intensity profile and transmission of x rays focused by a series of biconcave parabolic unit lenses fabricated in lithium. For specified focal length and photon energy lithium compound refractive lenses (CRL) have a larger transmission, aperture size, and gain compared to aluminum, kapton, and beryllium CRLs. The lithium compound refractive lens was composed of 335 biconcave, parabolic unit lenses each with an on-axis radius of curvature of 0.95 mm. Two-dimensional focusing was obtained at 8.0 keV with a focal length of 95 cm. The effective aperture of the CRL was measured to be 1030 μm with on-axis (peak) transmissions of 27% and an on-axis intensity gain of 18.9.