Reflectivity and imaging capabilities of spherically bent crystals studied by ray-tracing simulations

Spherically bent crystals are widely used in focusing monochromators, spectrometers and other x-ray optical systems. In particular, they are used in focusing spectrometers with spatial resolution, applied in high energy density diagnostics and warm dense matter studies. In this case, plasma parameters are obtained via measurements of relative intensities of characteristic spectral emission lines for multiply charged ions, which are affected by an instrumental function. Here we develop and use the ray-tracing computer simulations to study reflectivity properties of spherically bent crystals in a particular experimental conditions and to provide the method to adjust and validate the measured spectral line intensities on quantitative basis.