A new precision two-crystal vacuum x-ray spectrometer and the aluminum K series x-ray spectrum

The design and construction of a precision vacuum two-crystal x-ray spectrometer was completed. The capabilities of the spectrometer were tested by recording several long and short range scans of the aluminum K series spectrum. This was accomplished by coupling the spectrometer to an existing x-ray tube. The aluminum K series spectrum was chosen since it offered a comparison of the results of this work with that of previous studies. It is shown that the spectrometer is capable of repeatable precision angular measurements and high resolution scans. The range of the recorded spectra was 68.25° to 78.75° Bragg angle (1480 eV to 1569 eV). The observed spectra were corrected for background and spectral window smearing and showed previously unobserved lines in the Kα_3,4 group. The comparison with the previous studies shows no unexpected differences.