Experimental and theoretical study of the diffraction properties of various crystals for the realization of a soft gamma-ray Laue lens
Crystals are the elementary constituents of Laue lenses, an emerging technology of gamma-ray optics working in the 100 keV - 1.5 MeV energy range. This paper addresses the current endeavour to the development of efficient crystals for a Laue lens. We have calculated the diffraction efficiency of 35 mosaic crystals (pure or two-component) and among them we present the experimental characterization of Cu and Au. Crystals having curved diffracting planes also enter the scope of this study with measurements of SiGe composition-gradient crystals.
N. Barrière, J. Rousselle, P. von Ballmoos, N. V. Abrosimov, P. Courtois, P. Bastie, T. Camus, M. Jentschel, V. N. Kurlov, L. Natalucci, G. Roudil, N. Frisch Brejnholt and D. Serre
![[Principle of a Laue lens]](https://www.iucr.org/__data/assets/image/0014/26105/JAC_opt160.jpg)
The principle of a Laue lens: a large number of crystal tiles arranged in concentric rings diffract radiation coming from infinity towards a common focus. Depending on the radius of the rings and the d-spacings of the crystals, the energy diffracted by the rings can be the same or overlap to cover a large energy band.
