Point-line converter

An X-ray optical configuration for irradiation of a sample (1) with an X-ray beam having a line-shaped cross-section, wherein the configuration contains an X-ray source (2) and a beam-conditioning X-ray optics, is characterized in that the X-ray source (2) comprises a brilliant point source (4) and the X-ray optics comprises an X-ray optical element (3) which conditions X-ray light emitted by the point source in such a fashion that the X-ray beam is rendered parallel in one direction perpendicular to the beam propagation direction and remains divergent in a direction which is perpendicular thereto and also to the beam propagation direction. An X-ray optical element of this type enables use of both point-shaped and line-shaped beam geometries without complicated and time-consuming conversion work.