We propose to design and build a laboratory prototype of a collimator using assemblies of micron scale, drawn glass tubes of heavily leaded shielding glass as shadow masks for hard X-ray imaging. The placement of individual solid and hollow tubes allows the design of almost any desired collimator pattern. During phase I, we will measure the accuracy of currently manufactured tubes in order to determine their suitability for this task. This technique will provide the designers of hard X-ray imaging systems for solar physics and celestial X-ray astronomy with unprecedented flexibility in collimator design. High transparency slits with sizes under ten microns are within the current state of the art. Resolution in the arc second range could be achieved with mask separations on the order of one meter. This technology allows the placement of an X-ray beam in a specific set of spots while leaving nearby areas unexposed. This capability is the effective equivalent of imaging for NDE by digital radiography in the sense that areas of interest can be examined with a minimum of scatter from nearby objects. Specialized designs can be generated from generalized components. The technology is also adaptable to scatter shields for medical radiology and to radiation therapy. It will be possible to target specific areas while keeping adjacent areas unexposed.
Keywords: Phase_I, NASA, Abstract, FY94
