Convex curve has at least four vertices, points that are local minima or local maxima of curvature. A curve "C" is convex if and only if there are no three different points in "C" such that the tangents in these points are parallel. Proof: ⇒ If there are three parallel tangents, then one of them, say "L", must be between the other two. This means that "C" lies on both sides of "L", so it cannot be convex. ⇐ If "C" is not convex, then by definition there is point "p" on "C" such that the tangent line at "p" (call it
Compound refractive lens Compound refractive lens A Compound refractive lens (CRL) is a series of individual lenses arranged in a linear array in order to achieve focusing of X-rays in the energy range of 5-40 keV. They are an alternative to the KB mirror. For all materials the refractive index for X-rays is close to 1, hence a single conventional lens for X-rays has an extremely long focal length (for practical lens sizes). In addition, X-rays attenuate as they pass through a material so that conventional lenses for X-rays have long been considered impractical. The CRL gets its reasonably short focal length, on