Application of layered synthetic microstructures to high-temperature plasma diagnostics (invited)

Layered synthetic microstructures (LSM's) are a new type of man-made x-ray diffracting element which can be applied to a broad variety of diagnostic applications. The ability to use the synthesis process to engineer the properties of the LSM allows the designer of x-ray diagnostics to construct many novel instruments. In this paper, we review the state of the art in LSM fabrication and will describe some unique spectrometers that have been designed and fielded to provide measurements which are unachievable with conventional designs. We have also begun an experiment to understand the properties of LSM's under intense heat loads. We will describe the experiments to date and our plans for further work in this area