Much effort has been exerted both in the development of modern dedicated synchrotrons and free electron lasers with unique properties. Femtosecond laser plasma sources provide ultra-short X-ray pulses of high peak brilliance and can thus be complementary X-ray sources to the undulator based sources. All these modern X-ray sources need dedicated X-ray optics for diagnostics and applications

respectively. X-ray spectroscopy is one of the most important diagnostics of plasmas in the context of laser fusion. Depending on the aims of these experiments

monochromatic X-ray images or high resolution spectra combined with either spatial or time resolution can be obtained. Sophisticated monochromatic imagers with up to 10 toroidally bent crystals have been developed to study the implosion processes in laser fusion experiments; time-resolved maps of plasma parameters are evaluated from the data.High-power femtosecond lasers provide a practical

relatively inexpensive

powerful X-ray pulse source. Information on production efficiency

the energy distribution and transport of hot electrons is needed to maximize X-ray output in desired K-shell emission lines or continuum ranges so that peak brilliances comparable to those of synchrotrons may be feasible. Combining these new sources with bent crystal optics enables diffraction experiments on sub-picosecond time scales. Laser-pump X-ray-probe experiments have shown evidence of structure changes in several crystals within 250 fs. These X-ray optics have been designed in our institute using ray tracing and Bragg reflection codes for the 1D or 2D bent crystals or combinations thereof. In the preparation process

extreme care has been taken over crystal perfection

selection of optimum reflections

precision bending

measurement of imaging and reflection properties. X-ray topographic cameras and diffractometers are used to check the relevant properties of the analyzer crystals.