Far UV narrowband mirrors tuned at H Lyman α

Abstract

Imaging at H Ly-α (121.6 nm), among other spectral lines in the short far UV (FUV), is of high interest for astrophysics, solar, and atmosphere physics, since this spectral line is ubiquitously present in space observations. However, the lack of efficient narrowband coatings has mostly prevented such observations. Present and future space observatories like GLIDE and the IR/O/UV NASA concept, among other applications, can benefit from the development of efficient narrowband coatings at Ly-α. The current state of the art of narrowband FUV coatings lacks performance and stability for coatings that peak at wavelengths shorter than ∼135 nm. We report highly reflective AlF3/LaF3 narrowband mirrors at Ly-α prepared by thermal evaporation, with, to our knowledge, the highest reflectance (over 80%) of a narrowband multilayer at such a short wavelength obtained so far. We also report a remarkable reflectance after several months of storage in different environments, including relative humidity levels above 50%. For astrophysics targets in which Ly-α may mask a close spectral line, such as in the search for biomarkers, we present the first coating in the short FUV for imaging at the OI doublet (130.4 and 135.6 nm), with the additional requirement of rejecting the intense Ly-α, which might mask the OI observations. Additionally, we present coatings with the symmetric design, aimed to observe at Ly-α, and reject the strong OI geocoronal emission, that could be of interest for atmosphere observations.