Can X-rays be reflected?

[helium]

Can x-rays be reflected? I thought x-rays can be neither reflected nor focused (such as light with a lens). I found this quote from an article from the link below:

"Scientists have long been aware of the advantages of X-ray imagers, but they have been difficult to build. X-rays have enough energy to pass right through an ordinary mirror instead of being reflected off it. However, lower-energy or "soft" X-rays can be reflected if the mirror is stood on edge so that the incoming radiation just grazes the surface."

http://imagine.gsfc....ray_mirror.html

 

So, if x-rays really can be reflected off a mirror, how exactly does it work? Are the optical properties of the mirror important for this to occur? Can any type of mirror be used? Won't x-rays graze off of any object?

 

On the same topic of x-rays and mirrors, are mirrors implemented in x-ray lasers, and if so, how?

Edited February 3, 2011 by helium

[Mr Skeptic]

Yes. This is part of how thermonuclear weapons work, though no doubt some of the x-rays leak through or get absorbed, a good portion of them get reflected.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermonuclear_weapons#Two-stage_thermonuclear_weapons

[helium]

But are these reflectors mentioned work specifically for x-rays, or is it only neutrons? It says " In practical applications, the amount of material required for criticallity is modified by shape, purity, density, and the proximity to neutron-reflecting material, all of which affect the escape or capture of neutrons." And also " Often the same layer serves both as tamper and as neutron reflector."

[swansont]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray_optics

 

X-ray lasers don't use mirrors

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2009/04/21-02.html?rss=1

[lemur]

So, if x-rays really can be reflected off a mirror, how exactly does it work? Are the optical properties of the mirror important for this to occur? Can any type of mirror be used? Won't x-rays graze off of any object?

 

On the same topic of x-rays and mirrors, are mirrors implemented in x-ray lasers, and if so, how?

My general impression is that electron-density is the factor of lead that causes it to be impenetrable to x-rays. I say this from information I received in another forum discussion a while ago so I'm really just mentioning it to stimulate the discussion. I find this topic interesting because it suggests the possibility of understanding specific mechanical relations between photon-wavelengths and the composition of atoms/molecules and the lattices they form. What you mention about the angle of the mirror making a difference evokes for me the issue of how the electrons in the surface of the mirror appear different to the x-ray photons because of the angle of approach. It seems analogical to jumping onto a water-slide; i.e. if you jump onto the slide at an angle, the water forms a barrier that prevents you from penetrating through to the slide, whereas if you jump onto it without the angle you would immediately penetrate through the thin layer of water and reach the slide. Now I wonder if this analogy actually holds up for electrons in the surface of a mirror. Can their density and depth along the trajectory of the photon cause them to exert reflective resistance to that photon in the same way lead or some other x-ray resistant material does?