Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. An optical device for directing x-rays, the optical device comprising:a plurality of curved optical crystals, each with at least one lattice plane, positioned according to an x-ray source and an x-ray target to define at least one Rowland circle of radius R and a source-to-target line;wherein the optical device provides focusing of x-rays from the source to the target;wherein the plurality of curved optical crystals have a radius at the plane of the Rowland circle different than R; andwherein an angle of at least one lattice plane of a first crystal of the plurality of curved optical crystals relative to a surface of the first crystal is different from an angle of at least one lattice plane of a second crystal of the plurality of curved optical crystals relative to surface of the least one second crystal. 2. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of curved optical crystals have a radius at the plane of the Rowland circle of about 2R. 3. The optical device of claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of optical crystals comprises a surface upon which x-rays are directed, and wherein at least one of the plurality of optical crystals comprises a set of atomic diffraction planes having a Bragg angle θB and oriented at an angle γ with the surface of the at least one of the plurality of optical crystals, and wherein a line drawn from the x-ray source to a point on the surface of the at least one of the plurality of optical crystals makes an angle θB+γ with the source-to-target line. 4. The optical device of claim 3, wherein the line drawn from the x-ray source to a point on the surface of the at least one of the plurality of optical crystals comprises a line drawn from the x-ray source to the midpoint of the surface of the at least one of the plurality of optical crystals. 5. The optical device of claim 3, wherein the line drawn from the x-ray source to a point on the surface of the at least one of the plurality of optical crystals comprises a line drawn from the x-ray source to about the point of tangency of the surface of the at least one of the plurality of optical crystals and the Rowland circle of the at least one of the plurality of optical crystals. 6. The optical device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the crystals is a doubly-curved crystal. 7. The optical device of claim 6, wherein at least one of the crystals is a toroidal doubly-curved crystal. 8. The optical device of claim 1, in combination with a source of x-rays. 9. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the optical device comprises a toroidal angle about the source-to-target line of at least about 90 degrees. 10. The optical device of claim 9, wherein the optical device comprises a toroidal angle about the source-to-target line of at least about 180 degrees. 11. The optical device of claim 10, wherein the optical device comprises a toroidal angle about the source-to-target line of at least about 270 degrees. 12. The optical device of claim 11, wherein the optical device comprises a toroidal angle about the source-to-target line of about 360 degrees. 13. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the angle of the lattice planes of the first crystal relative to the surface of the first crystal is about zero. 14. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the angle of the at least one lattice plane of the at least one second crystal relative to the surface of the at least one second crystal is at least about 5 degrees greater than the angle of the at least one lattice plane of the first crystal relative to the surface of the first crystal. 15. The optical device of claim 1, wherein a line directed from the x-ray source to the center of a surface of the first curved crystal and a line directed from the x-ray source to the center of a surface of the at least one second crystal define an angle γ. 16. The optical device of claim 15, wherein the angle of the at least one lattice plane of the at least one second crystal relative to the surface of the at least one second crystal is about γ. 17. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the angle γ is between about minus 15 degrees and about plus 15 degrees. 18. A method for directing x-rays, comprising:providing an optical device, the optical device comprising a plurality of curved optical crystals, each with at least one lattice plane, arranged in a matrix, the matrix being positionable to define at least one Rowland circle of radius R with an x-ray source and an x-ray target, and wherein the matrix comprises a plurality of rows, with each row comprising multiple optical crystals of said plurality of optical crystals, wherein the plurality of curved optical crystals have a radius at the plane of the Rowland circle different than R; andpositioning the optical device wherein at least some x-rays from the x-ray source are directed to the x-ray target;wherein an angle of at least one lattice plane of a first crystal of the plurality of curved optical crystals relative to a surface of the first crystal is different from an angle of at least one lattice plane of a second crystal of the plurality of curved optical crystals relative to a surface of the at least one second crystal. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of curved optical crystals have a radius at the plane of the Rowland circle of about 2R. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein positioning the optical device comprises positioning the device wherein at least some x-rays emitted by the source impinge at least some of the crystals of the optical device wherein at least some of the x-rays are diffracted. 21. A device for directing x-rays, comprising a first curved crystal and at least one second curved crystal spaced from the first crystal, the first and at least one second curved crystal each comprising at least one lattice plane, and the first curved crystal and the at least one second curved crystal being positionable to define at least one Rowland circle of radius R with an x-ray source and an x-ray target, wherein at least some x-rays impinging upon the first curved crystal and the at least one second curved crystal are directed to the target, and wherein an angle of the at least one lattice plane of the first crystal relative to a surface of the first crystal is different from an angle of the at least one lattice plane of the at least one second crystal relative to a surface of the at least one second crystal. 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the angle of the lattice planes of the first crystal relative to the surface of the first crystal is about zero. 23. The device of claim 21, wherein the angle of the at least one lattice plane of the at least one second crystal relative to the surface of the at least one second crystal is at least about 5 degrees greater than the angle of the at least one lattice plane of the first crystal relative to the surface of the first crystal. 24. The device of claim 21, wherein a line directed from the x-ray source to the center of a surface of the first curved crystal and a line directed from the x-ray source to the center of a surface of the at least one second crystal define an angle γ. 25. The device of claim 24, wherein the angle of the at least one lattice plane of the at least one second crystal relative to the surface of the at least one second crystal is about γ. 26. The device of claim 25, wherein the angle γ is between about minus 15 degrees and about plus 15 degrees. 27. The device of claim 21, wherein the first curved crystal and the at least one second crystal comprise a first set of crystals, and the device further comprises at least one second set of crystals which are also positioned to define a Rowland circle with the x-ray source and the x-ray target, wherein at least some x-rays which impinge upon the at least one second set of crystals are directed to the x-ray target, the target being common with the first set of crystals, and wherein the second set of crystals is spaced from the first set of crystals in a direction orthogonal to a plane of the Rowland circle of the first set of crystals.