Foreword to the special virtual issue on Actinide physics and chemistry with synchrotron radiation

Foreword to the virtual special issue of Journal of Synchrotron Radiation on Actinide Physics and Chemistry with Synchrotron Radiation.

Application study of infrared free-electron lasers towards the development of amyloidosis therapy

An infrared free-electron laser was applied to dissociate amyloid fibrils of a peptide as a goal of the development of a novel therapeutic strategy for amyloidosis. Solid evidence for β-sheet to α-helix conversion in the peptide fibril by vibrational excitation of amide bonds was obtained by both experiment and molecular dynamics simulation.

Fixed-target serial crystallography at the Structural Biology Center

A fixed-target 3D-printed mesh-holder optimized for sample handling for serial synchrotron crystallography was implemented. This allows rapid data collection from microcrystals. Data are analyzed and structures determined using a high-performance computing pipeline.

Highly efficient thermal deformation optimization method for smart-cut mirrors over the entire photon energy range

A theoretical method is proposed to optimize the notches of water-cooled white-beam mirrors over the entire photon energy range.

Beamline simulations using monochromators with high d-spacing crystals

A method is introduced for representation of arbitrary crystals, numerical calculation treatment and ray-tracing simulation, and upgrading the tools in the OASYS suit; the upgraded tools are particularly helpful for very complicated crystals constituting charged atoms arranged in any crystalline structure and including isotropic or anisotropic temperature factors. The new open source software tools developed here are available for supporting accurate calculations in the design and optimization of new X-ray monochromators.

Fe_0.79Si_0.07B_0.14 metallic glass gaskets for high-pressure research beyond 1 Mbar

The performance of Fe_0.79Si_0.07B_0.14 metallic glass as gasket material is investigated in a number of high-pressure X-ray diffraction experiments beyond 1 Mbar using conventional diamond anvil cells (DACs) or toroidal DACs. The combination of high mechanical stability and the smooth scattering background of the amorphous metal enable challenging high-pressure experiments, and result in a better signal-to-noise ratio in challenging powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies.

Microscopic observation of the effects of elongation on the polymer chain dynamics of crosslinked polybutadiene using quasi-elastic γ-ray scattering

A synchrotron-radiation-based quasi-elastic γ-ray scattering system has been developed that uses time-domain interferometry to observe microscopic polymer dynamics under uniaxial deformation. The stress-producing mechanism of crosslinked polybutadiene has been studied from a microscopic viewpoint.

Coupling between γ-irradiation and synchrotron-radiation-based XAFS techniques for studying Mn-doped ZnO nanoparticles

X-ray absorption fine-structure (XAFS) spectroscopy carried out at the SESAME synchrotron has provided detailed fine (local/electronic) structural information on pristine and γ-irradiated Mn–ZnO nanoparticles. XAFS describes structural changes upon γ-irradiation and Mn-doping by determining very small amounts of the secondary phase of Mn₃O₄ along with structure distortion, and their impact on improving the magnetic properties of ZnO:Mn.

Improved precision in As speciation analysis with HERFD-XANES at the As K-edge: the case of As speciation in mine waste

The improvement in As speciation resulting from As K-edge HERFD-XANES is evaluated in mine waste samples and synthetically generated mixtures of reference compounds.

High-resolution XEOL spectroscopy setup at the X-ray absorption spectroscopy beamline P65 of PETRA III

X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) spectroscopy is increasingly important to understand the interplay between the optical properties, structure and chemical composition, providing insights into the mechanism of radiative recombination for a wide range of materials. This study demonstrates a newly implemented setup to perform steady-state XEOL and simultaneous XEOL and XAFS characterizations at beamline P65 of PETRA III.

Multicolor single-analyzer high-energy-resolution XES spectrometer for simultaneous examination of different elements

This paper proves the feasibility and demonstrates the performance of a novel conical single-crystal analyzer in a von Hámos geometry to follow two sets of Kα hard X-ray emission peaks simultaneously, which can be used as an additional feature at synchrotron beamlines but also with laboratory setups or plasma sources. The conical-analyzer-based spectrometer is studied both experimentally as well as with ray-tracing simulations to provide a broad overview and understanding.

Environmental control for X-ray nanotomography

An environmental control system for in situ or operando nanotomography is presented. It allows controlling the sample temperature from room temperature to 850°C under controlled gas compositions, and a 3D isotropic resolution of sub-20 nm at a temperature of 600°C is demonstrated.

3D deep convolutional neural network segmentation model for precipitate and porosity identification in synchrotron X-ray tomograms

A 3D U-net deep convolutional neural network has been developed and tested to segment precipitates in synchrotron-based X-ray tomography experiments. Comparison of predicted segmentation showed a good agreement with manual segmentation.

Synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging with large field of view and high resolution using micro-scanning method

In synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging, the spatial resolution under a fixed field of view is improved using the micro-scanning method.

Study of X-ray topography using the super-Borrmann effect

X-ray topography exerting the super-Borrnann effect is realized using synchrotron radiation and a high-resolution CMOS camera.

Observation of water droplets in microporous layers for polymer electrolyte fuel cells by X-ray computed nano-tomography

Condensed liquid water was observed in the pores of a model microporous layer for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell using an X-ray computed nano-tomography system constructed at the BL33XU beamline of SPring-8. The water droplets had a spherical shape, regardless of the structure of the pores in the hydro­phobic porous material.

Double-multilayer monochromators for high-energy and large-field X-ray imaging applications with intense pink beams at SPring-8 BL20B2

Double-multilayer monochromators for high-energy and large-field X-ray imaging applications are designed, installed and evaluated at the SPring-8 medium-length (215 m) bending-magnet beamline BL20B2.

Pump–probe capabilities at the SPB/SFX instrument of the European XFEL

The pump–probe capabilities at the SPB/SFX instrument of the European XFEL are discussed.

A new Kirkpatrick–Baez-based scanning microscope for the Submicron Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy (SRX) beamline at NSLS-II

The development and initial commissioning of a new Kirkpatrick–Baez-based scanning microscope installed at the Submicron Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy beamline at NSLS-II are reported.

Upgraded imaging capabilities at the BAMline (BESSY II)

A recent upgrade of key equipment of the BAMline widens its imaging capabilities: shorter scan acquisition times are now possible, in situ and operando studies can now be routinely performed, and different energy spectra can easily be set up.

The soft X-ray monochromator at the SASE3 beamline of the European XFEL: from design to operation

The SASE3 soft X-ray beamline at the European XFEL is equipped with a grating monochromator. The design and current performance of the monochromator are discussed.

AXEAP: a software package for X-ray emission data analysis using unsupervised machine learning

AXEAP, a program that can process high-resolution emission spectrum data quickly, has been developed based on machine-learning algorithms.

New data analysis for BioSAXS at the ESRF

A detailed presentation of the automatic data analysis pipelines for the BioSAXS beamline at the European synchrotron.