Modeling Optical Performance of Grazing Incidence X-ray interferometers

This paper discusses X-ray interferometer designs with milli-arcsecond resolution. The goal of this work was to derive interferometer designs that can be built and operated within the budget of a NASA mission. The current interferometer mission designs we propose use separate spacecraft for the optics and detector. Applying design techniques that desensitize the optical performance of the interferometer to spacecraft tip-tilt, and de-center errors was the goal of this work. An interferometer design will be presented with milli-arcsecond resolution. The requirements on relative motion between the spacecraft carrying the interferometer optics and the detector are discussed. Optical performance predictions will be shown.