On the Baronova-Stepanenko X-ray crystal spectropolarimeter.

A few years ago Baronova and Stepanenko realized that the two orthogonal X-ray polarizations can reflect in mutually perpendicular direction from hexagonal crystals, and other crystals with the necessary symmetry. This paper will discuss their geometry, and the advantages it may have for diagnosing anisotropic effects in high energy density plasmas, e.g., non-Maxwellian electron beams or electromagnetic fields. Any results obtained with a prototype crystal will be presented.