An enthousiastic team of the XUV Optics and IMS groups at the University of Twente has accomplished a task that made all at Twente show a smile on their faces: they demonstrated for the first time an adaptive optical element for the eXtreme UV wavelength range! The new optic consists of a 15 pixel element which allows free adaptations of the optical surface figure in order to correct for instance wavefront aberrations in the nanometer range. The technique, called Smart Multilayer Interactive optics for xuv waveLEngths, or SMILE, employs piezo technology to steer the individual 15 pixels with unprecedented precision. An additional component interconnects the pixels to create a smooth, continuous surface. This sets a milestone for XUV and X-ray optics which require high demands on the optical surfaces in order to properly reflect nanoscale wavelengths. The future of XUV optics is smiling.
