A streaked parabolic crystal imaging diagnostic at the Orion laser.

We report on a novel scheme for the imaging of soft X-rays using a parabolic crystal coupled to a fast X-ray streak camera. The merits of parabolic, and more generally aspheric imaging, are discussed in relation to conventional spherical schemes and calculations used to show the advantages. An example of such a system has been designed and built at the Orion laser, AWE Aldermaston, UK.