Proposal of X-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism using broadband free-electron lasers

A highly efficient scheme for X-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism driven by broadband free-electron lasers has been proposed and numerically demonstrated. The entire range of spectroscopy can be covered by hundreds of FEL pulses under the same machine condition in a few minutes, without resorting to tedious FEL wavelength tuning and other time-consuming machine operations.

Systematic study of a corrugated waveguide as a microwave undulator

A microwave undulator operating at 36 GHz has been designed for a UK X-ray free-electron laser. The equivalent magnetic field is 1.27 T when driven by 50 MW of input power.

Alignment of the aberration-free XUV Raman spectrometer at FLASH

The advanced alignment concept and its application to the double-stage XUV Raman spectrometer at the free-electron laser FLASH is presented.

Silicon carbide X-ray beam position monitors for synchrotron applications

The viability of thin 4H-SiC membrane X-ray beam position monitors in synchrotrons is investigated. Devices are fabricated and show improved linearity, dynamics and signal-to-noise ratio compared with commercial polycrystalline diamond X-ray beam position monitors.

Dynamic adaptive X-ray optics. Part I. Time-resolved optical metrology investigation of the bending behaviour of piezoelectric bimorph deformable X-ray mirrors

The time-domain bending behaviour of piezoelectric bimorph deformable X-ray mirrors for use at synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser sources is investigated for the first time using high-speed Fizeau interferometry. It is demonstrated that several hardware and software innovations enable the optical surface of such mirrors to be rapidly tuned and stabilized on the nanometre scale within only a few seconds.

Dynamic adaptive X-ray optics. Part II. High-speed piezoelectric bimorph deformable Kirkpatrick–Baez mirrors for rapid variation of the 2D size and shape of X-ray beams

Demonstrated here is the first simultaneous high-speed beamline operation of a pair of piezoelectric bimorph deformable Kirkpatrick–Baez mirrors for the rapid and repeatable change and stabilization of the vertical and horizontal size of a synchrotron X-ray beam within only a few seconds. This enables continuous adaptive shaping of the X-ray beam in almost real time. Such innovations could lead to a major scientific change in how deformable X-ray mirrors are used at synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser sources.

Inverse-phase composite zone plate providing deeper focus than the normal diffraction-limited depth of X-ray microbeams

A novel type of zone plate, i.e. an inverse-phase composite zone plate, is proposed and examined with the aim of achieving deeper focus with little reduction in spatial resolution.

Numerical analysis of brilliance and coherent photon flux of segmented undulator radiation based on statistical optics

Comparisons of the brilliance and transverse coherence properties of a single and a segmented undulator in a double mini-β_y lattice were carried out by wave optics based on the Wigner function and without a Gaussian approximation. A study of the related issues is described.

The Adaptive Gain Integrating Pixel Detector at the European XFEL

A description of the 1 million pixel AGIPD system in use at the SPB beamline of the European XFEL is given.

One-dimensional parallax-free position-sensitive detector for diffraction measurements based on a home-made thin THGEM

A large parallax-free gas diffraction meter based on a thinner-THGEM (thick gaseous electron multiplier), developed at the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, is described. Two powder samples, TiO₂ and SnO₂, were tested separately.

X-ray diffraction reveals blunt-force loading threshold for nanoscopic structural change in ex vivo neuronal tissues

Using X-ray diffraction of rat optic nerves ex vivo, the nanometer-scale changes in the structure of nerve myelin in direct relation to the degree of force applied were followed. Although the nerve myelin appears to return to its original structure at lesser loads, it was confirmed that a permanent change in structure occurs between 15 and 20 g (2.7 and 3.5 psi) average load.

Observation of the shock-induced β-Sn to b.c.t.-Sn transition using time-resolved X-ray diffraction

Time-resolved X-ray diffraction measurements were carried out on dynamically compressed Sn at the ID09 beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Using an infra-red laser (up to 180 mJ at 1064 nm) with a 5 ns Gaussian pulse shape, the high-pressure β-Sn to b.c.t.-Sn phase transition was observed using a single X-ray bunch from the synchrotron.

Nanoscale mapping of carrier collection in single nanowire solar cells using X-ray beam induced current

Nanofocused X-ray beam induced current (XBIC) is used to quantitatively map the spatially dependent carrier collection probability within single nanowires.

Investigation of `glitches' in the energy spectrum induced by single-crystal diamond compound X-ray refractive lenses

This paper aims at studying some effects of experimental features on glitches appearing in the energy spectrum from single-crystal diamond compound refractive lenses. Furthermore, an attempt to predict the glitch positions based on the results from an ω-scan setup is presented.

In situ semi-qu­antitative analysis of zinc dissolution within nanoporous silicon by X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy employing an X-ray compatible cell

The in situ study of the discharge process in a zinc-based half-cell employing a porous electrode as a structural scaffold is reported.

In situ high-temperature EXAFS measurements on radioactive and air-sensitive molten salt materials

An experimental set-up and specific sample containment allowing high-temperature in situ EXAFS measurements of radioactive, air-sensitive and corrosive fluoride salts is described. First results are reported and compared with molecular dynamics simulations of the highly disordered liquid salts.

Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy study of the Fischer–Tropsch reaction with a Co catalyst

This article describes in situ studies of the Fischer–Tropsch reaction for the production of methane from carbon monoxide and hydrogen using a Co-based catalyst. A combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy and gas chromatography techniques has been used to correlate the structural changes with the activity of the catalyst at different reaction temperatures.

The influence of nitro­gen doping on the electronic structure of the valence and conduction band in TiO₂

The modification of the titanium dioxide valence band by insertion of N p-states is observed with simultaneous dumping of unoccupied d-orbitals of titanium.

Ca and S K-edge XANES of CaS calculated by different methods: influence of full potential, core hole and Eu doping

There are differences between theoretical and experimental Ca and S K-edge XANES of CaS within the first 10 eV above the edge that cannot be explained as full-potential effects or by the influence of the core hole as accounted for by the final-state rule.

Phenomenological and numerical analysis of power evolution and bunching in single-pass X-ray FELs

The power and bunching in a two-frequency undulator are studied analytically and numerically and compared with experiment. Based on the experimentally verified model, the two-frequency free-electron laser (FEL) is proposed with a dominant fifth harmonic at 0.15 nm, for which radiation reaches full power, ∼14 GW, at just 30 m, i.e. half the length of a FEL with a conventional undulator.

Fast inside-source X-ray fluorescent holography

An experimental demonstration of a fast inside-source holography measurement and structure reconstruction is presented. This type of measurement provides a route to single-pulse structure determination at X-ray free-electron lasers allowing strongly non-ambient conditions.

Live-pig-airway surface imaging and whole-pig CT at the Australian Synchrotron Imaging and Medical Beamline

The first live-large-animal X-ray phase-contrast imaging performed at the Australian Synchotron Imaging and Medical Beamline (IMBL) is presented. The mucociliary transport behaviour of deposited marker particles in the trachea of live anaesthetized pigs was measured and, in one animal, whole-animal high-resolution computed tomography was performed after death.

Qu­antification of propagating and standing surface acoustic waves by stroboscopic X-ray photoemission electron microscopy

Stroboscopic XPEEM imaging resolves the phase of surface acoustic waves in LiNbO₃ with contrast by piezoelectric surface potential shift. Standing and propagating components of surface acoustic waves are measured and can be separated by a detuning method.

Nanoporous gold: a hierarchical and multiscale 3D test pattern for characterizing X-ray nano-tomography systems

Nanoporous gold is hereby proposed as an ideal 3D pattern for characterizing the performance of hard X-ray nano-imaging systems. While a wide range of techniques such as ptychography, holography or other forms of nano-probes will benefit from this development, here its utility is demonstrated by characterizing the transmission X-ray microscope at beamline P05, DESY, which is a full-field technique.

Thermal behavior of single-crystal scintillators for high-speed X-ray imaging

Numerical simulations have been performed in order to understand thermal loading of three common X-ray scintillator materials.

Single-image phase retrieval for hard X-ray grating interferometry

A single-image method is proposed for quantitative phase retrieval in hard X-ray grating interferometry. This method assumes a quasi-homogeneous sample, with a constant ratio between the real and imaginary parts of its complex refractive index. Experimental synchrotron radiation results demonstrate that the method can provide phase images of improved quality and is highly stable against noise.

Methods for operando coherent X-ray diffraction of battery materials at the Advanced Photon Source

Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction measurements and the associated phase retrieval in order to image cathode materials under operando conditions are described in detail. Experiments with a sodium-ion cathode material at the 34-ID-C beamline at the Advance Photon Source are demonstrated.

Multi-element X-ray movie imaging with a visible-light CMOS camera

A visible-light camera was used to resolve X-ray fluorescence spectra. Following the installation of a micro-pinhole, simultaneous multi-element X-ray fluorescence movie imaging was conducted in a synchrotron facility.

X-ray mirror surface figure correction with nanometre precision controlled by layer stresses simulated by FEA

A high-precision surface shape control method for hard X-ray deformable mirrors utilizing layer thermal stress is proposed. A nanometre precision can be easily achieved for the mirror shape error.

A new mini-triaxial cell for combined high-pressure and high-temperature in situ synchrotron X-ray microtomography experiments up to 400°C and 24 MPa

A new mini-triaxial cell for in situ synchrotron X-ray microtomography, able to operate at temperatures and pressures up to 400°C and 24 MPa, is presented, along with an application example.

Automated data collection and real-time data analysis suite for serial synchrotron crystallography

Implementation of the complete synchrotron serial crystallography (SSX) suite for real-time data collection and processing available at the Swiss Light Source macromolecular beamlines is reported. A detailed description of the latest software extensions, i.e. the SSX user interface, as well as online data processing and merging routines, is also given.

A water-cooled monochromator for the B16 Test beamline at the Diamond Light Source: capabilities and performance characterization

Systematic studies of the performance of a water-cooled X-ray monochromator, designed and built for the B16 Test beamline at Diamond Light Source, UK, are presented.

The GALAXIES inelastic hard X-ray scattering end-station at Synchrotron SOLEIL

The GALAXIES beamline, an in-vacuum undulator hard X-ray micro-focused beamline at Synchrotron SOLEIL dedicated to the study of the electronic structure of materials with high energy resolution using both photoelectron spectroscopy and inelastic X-ray scattering and under both non-resonant and resonant conditions, is described

A new diffractometer for diffuse scattering studies on the ID28 beamline at the ESRF

A new diffractometer has been built as a side station on the ID28 beamline at the ESRF. The instrument is primarily dedicated to the study of diffuse scattering in a large class of materials, ranging from strongly correlated electron systems to nanoscale-modulated and low-dimensional systems.

COMET: a new end-station at SOLEIL for coherent magnetic scattering in transmission

The new COMET experimental station dedicated to soft X-ray coherent scattering imaging techniques at the SEXTANTS beamline of the SOLEIL synchrotron is presented. The instrument and its performance are illustrated with examples of holography and ptychography imaging of magnetic domains.

VMXi: a fully automated, fully remote, high-flux in situ macromolecular crystallography beamline

VMXi, a new tunable beamline dedicated to fully automatic screening and data collection from crystals in situ, is reported.