Observation of parametric X-ray radiation for the asymmetric Laue geometry

•Angular distributions of parametric X-ray radiation (PXR) have been measured.•The PXR intensities for two asymmetric Laue geometries were analyzed.•The obtained results indicate that PXR can be well explained by the standard theory. Angular distributions of parametric X-ray radiation from 255-MeV electrons in a thin Si crystal have been investigated for asymmetric Laue geometries using an imaging plate as a two-dimensional position-sensitive X-ray detector. The peak intensities of parametric X-ray radiation observed for (111) and (1¯1¯ 1) reflections, normalized by taking into account the effective target thickness and the transmission fraction of X-rays in the crystal, coincided within several percent. A large intensity difference depending on the asymmetry parameter, which is predicted by a dynamical theory dealing with the asymmetric Laue geometry, was not observed under the present experimental conditions. This indicates that the dependence of angular distributions of parametric X-ray radiation on the asymmetry parameter is negligibly weak, i.e., that it can be well explained by the well-established kinematical theory and dynamical theory as well as those for symmetric Laue and Bragg geometries.