Advanced x ray multilayer waveguide optics The aim of this thesis was to design novel waveguide structures and to analyze them in view of complex phenomena of near field propagation. For this purpose experimental far field measurements were used in combination with finite difference simulations and phase retrieval methods. Two novel structures have been designed fabricated and characterized: the waveguide array (WGA) yielding several waveguided beams in transmission and multi guide resonate beam couplers (RBCs) tailored to yield two or several reflected beams. Two novel structures have been designed fabricated and characterized: the WGA yielding several waveguided beams in transmission and multi guide RBCs tailored to yield two or several reflected beams. The WGA and the multi guide RBCs are not only distinct in the coupling geometry. A major difference is related to the fact that the WGA principle is based on the separation (non coupling) of the different transmitted wavelets while the RBC functions are based on a strong coupling of guided radiation in several layers.