Fresnel zone plates for Achromatic Imaging Survey of X-ray sources

Abstract

A telescope with Fresnel Zone Plates has been contemplated to be an excellent imaging mask in X-rays and gamma-rays for quite some time. With a proper choice of zone plate material, spacing and an appropriate readout system it is possible to achieve any theoretical angular resolution. We provide the results of numerical simulations of how a large number of X-ray sources could be imaged at a high resolution. We believe that such an imager would be an excellent tool for a future survey mission for X-ray and gamma-ray sources which we propose.