Polarization elements for controlling of a beam of the compact discharge X-ray laser

Abstract
The high average power of the compact discharge X-ray laser makes feasible various applications in optical instrumentation and material science. Among them there are polarization measurements that are especially important for optical element characterization and investigation of material properties. An accuracy of polarization measurements strongly depends on a quality of polarizes and phase shifters that are used to change the polarization state of a beam. In this work several types of polarizing elements for the wavelength 46.9 nm are considered. The main attention is paid to those (based on Si/3d-transition metal) multilayer structures that were shown to provide high performance mirrors in this spectral range.