Polarizing optics for the soft x-ray regime: whispering-gallery mirrors and multilayer beamsplitters

摘要

Two short-wavelength optical components are described. The first, the whispering-gallery mirror, uses many glancing-incidence reflections to deflect a beam through a large net angle. Because the Fresnel coefficient for each reflection depends upon the state of polarization, the whispering-gallery mirror can act both as a polarizer and as a birefringent element. The second, the multilayer polarizing beamsplitter, is a Brewster-angle reflector thin enough to allow partial transmission of the incident beam. Its behavior can be surprising; in some cases the same polarization mode is preferred on both reflection and transmission.