Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. An x-ray optical system comprising:an x-ray source which emits x-rays;a first optical element which conditions the x-rays to form two collimated beams; andat least a second optical element which further conditions a first beam of the two beams from the first optical element, the first beam conditioned by the first and the second optical elements being directed at a desired location in a first operation mode and a second beam of the two beams conditioned by the first optical element being directed at the desired location in a second operation mode wherein the second optical element is a channel-cut crystal monochromator which conditions the first beam of the two beams from the first optical element, the first beam conditioned by the channel-cut monochromator having a beam path after the monochromator that is aligned with the beam path of the second beam from the first optical element. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the channel-cut monochromator includes two reflecting surfaces with two different atomic planes. 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the channel-cut monochromator includes two reflecting surfaces with the same atomic planes. 4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a third optical element, the channel-cut monchromator being positioned between the first optical element and the third optical element, the third optical element further conditioning the first beam from the channel-cut monochromator. 5. The system of claim 4 wherein the third optical element is a parabolic reflector focusing the first beam conditioned by the channel-cut monochromator. 6. The system of claim 4 wherein the channel-cut monochromator is rotatable by about 180 degrees about an axis, so that either the first beam conditioned by the first optical element and the second optical element reaches the desired location or the second beam conditioned by the first optical element, the second optical element and the third optical element reaches the desired location. 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the channel-cut monochromator is rotatable by about 90 degrees about an axis, so that either the first beam conditioned by the first optical element and the second optical element reaches the desired location or the second beam conditioned by the first optical element reaches the desired location.