The Development of the Curved Quartz Crystal X-Ray Spectograph and a Determination of the Grating Constant of Quartz

Citation

Watson, Bernard Bennett (1935) The Development of the Curved Quartz Crystal X-Ray Spectograph and a Determination of the Grating Constant of Quartz. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/p0f8-cp78. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:10212024-180539496

Abstract

The development of the curved. crystal type. of high luminosity x-ray spectrograph is traced from the original suggestion by Gouy in 1916 through the work of Cauchois in 1932 and 1933. The construction of a small experimental spectrograph of the curved crystal type is described. The use of quartz instead of mica or gypsum which are customarily used and the improvement of the spectra obtained when quartz is used are discussed.

The theory of the curved crystal spectrograph has been extended in two ways - (1) to cover the doubling of spectral lines which arises due to reflections from opposite surfaces of the crystal and (2) to cover the vertical separation of spectral lines reflected from opposite sides of atomic reflecting planes. This last effect is traced to a non-parallelism between the reflecting planes and the axis of curvature of the crystal.

By means of the curved crystal spectrograph the grating constant for the basal planes of quartz was determined. This value was found to be

d = 5.393 ± .002 Å

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