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Wolter telescope

(reflector telescope using only shallow-angle reflections)

A Wolter telescope is a type of reflector telescope that uses only grazing incidence optics, i.e., all reflections are such that the EMR is reflected only by a small angle, far from perpendicular to the reflective surface, with a small angle between the surface and the beam. There are a number of designs that differ substantially. The designs are intended for X-rays, which are more likely to penetrate the reflective surface if they strike it any closer to perpendicular, and is a common design for X-ray telescopes. Example Wolter telescopes:

Hans Wolter published such optical designs in 1952 papers, proposing them for microscopes, but it is telescopes that came to use the designs. The term Wolter telescope is clearly used for optics based upon his designs, and likely sometimes used for other telescope designs that similarly use grazing incident optics.


(telescope type,X-ray)
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolter_telescope
https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/observatories/technology/xray_telescopes2.html
https://arxiv.org/abs/1610.00266
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1952AnP...445...94W/abstract
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1952AnP...445..286W/abstract

Referenced by pages:
eROSITA
grazing incidence optics (GIO)
Lynx
NuSTAR
reflector telescope
Spektr-RG (SRG)
telescope type

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