Focusing optics for molybdenum radiation: a bright laboratory source for small-molecule crystallography

This paper reports the design, installation and testing of a set of multilayer confocal mirrors in a side-by-side arrangement, built to increase the intensity from a molybdenum rotating-anode X-ray source. Ray-tracing experiments were performed in order to evaluate the best design parameters for the system, which are shown to be a side-by-side configuration of 100 mm length. Measurements of the primary beam intensity show an increase by a factor of approximately five. Comparative data collections were performed which highlight significant enhancements in the derived crystal structure, arising from the increased intensity of the primary beam.