Quasi-parallel X-ray microbeam obtained using a parabolic monocapillary X-ray lens with an embedded square-shaped lead occluder

Abstract: A parabolic monocapillary X-ray lens (PMXRL) is designed to effectively constrain a laboratory point X-ray source into a parallel beam. A square-shaped lead occluder (SSLO) is used to block direct X-rays in the PMXRL. To design the PMXRL, we use Python to simulate the conic parameter (p = 0.001 mm) of the lens and then use a drawing machine to draw a corresponding lens (p = 0.000939 mm) with a total length of 60.8 mm. We place the SSLO at the lens inlet for optical testing. The results show that the controlled outgoing beam has a divergence of less than 0.4 mrad in the range of 15-45 mm of the lens outlet, which achieves excellent optical performance in X-ray imaging methodology. The design details are reported in this paper.