McXtrace - An X-ray ray-trace simulation package

14  AstroX components: X-ray optics for astronomical instrumentation

The astrox category collects components specific to the AstroX branch of McXtrace, modelling grazing-incidence X-ray optics of the kind used in astronomical X-ray telescopes (nested Wolter-type mirror shells, pore optics, and micropore/microchannel plate optics), together with a dedicated extended source component suited to astronomical (rather than laboratory or synchrotron) source geometries.

Each optical element is generally available in three variants, reflecting the underlying mirror-shell geometry:

• _c: conical approximation,

• _p: parabolic/hyperbolic (true Wolter-I) profile,

• _h: hyperbolic profile (second Wolter-I reflection).