Versatile modulators for laser-based FEL seeding at SwissFEL

Two modulators have been designed, assembled, magnetically tested and installed at SwissFEL in order to implement laser-based seeding at the soft X-ray beamline Athos.

Photon-shot-noise-limited transient absorption soft X-ray spectroscopy at the European XFEL

A beam-splitting off-axis zone plate setup to measure transient X-ray absorption spectroscopy is presented, as implemented at the Spectroscopy and Coherent Scattering instrument at the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser.

Development of an insertion device selectively operational as a helical/figure-8 undulator

An insertion device capable of switching the operation mode between helical and figure-8 undulators has been developed.

Adaptive vibration control method for double-crystal monochromator base on VMD and FxNLMS

With the performance of synchrotron radiation sources increasing significantly, higher requirements have been placed on the stability of double-crystal monochromators (DCMs). Using traditional passive vibration control techniques, such as optimized structures, elastic damping and vibration-absorbing materials, is unlikely to meet the future requirements of DCMs. The proposed method is the first attempt of an adaptive filtering algorithm based on variational modal decomposition in the field of DCMs development, which is an advancement for the development of high-performance DCMs at synchrotron radiation facilities.

High-efficiency focusing and imaging by dielectric kinoform zone plate lenses with soft X-rays

The effects of zone materials and zone shapes on the focusing/imaging quality of dielectric kinoform zone plates have been theoretically investigated by a modified thin-grating-approximation method. Greyscale electron beam lithography was applied to generate 3D kinoform zones in HSQ and PMMA for soft X-rays. The dielectric kinoform zone plate lens demonstrates high diffraction efficiency well beyond conventional X-ray optics.

Total scattering measurements at the Australian Synchrotron Powder Diffraction beamline: capabilities and limitations

Total scattering data can be obtained on the PD beamline although there are constraints to the capabilities offered including longer acquisition times and necessary dilution of highly absorbing samples. This work details the considerations needed to successfully carry out total scattering studies on this bending-magnet beamline, which has not been specifically designed for total scattering experiments.

Monitoring surface dynamics of electrodes during electrocatalysis using in situ synchrotron FTIR spectroscopy

A novel bifunctional in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) cell has been elaborately designed and prepared. By coupling with single-reflection infrared mode, a facile and general in situ synchrotron FTIR spectroscopic method has been developed based on the FTIR cell for surface dynamic studies of electrodes during electrolysis.

Microfluidic rotating-target device capable of three-degrees-of-freedom motion for efficient in situ serial synchrotron crystallography

A novel microfluidic rotating-target device capable of three-degrees-of-freedom motion has been proposed, and its feasibility for sample delivery was successfully verified at a synchrotron radiation facility. This device guarantees the full utilization of crystals and only 0.1 mg of protein is consumed in collecting a complete dataset.

Effects of synchrotron-based X-rays and gold nanoparticles on normal and cancer cell morphology and migration

The effects of synchrotron-based kilovoltage X-rays on a cell's morphology and motility are investigated.

Development of serial X-ray fluorescence holography for radiation-sensitive protein crystals

In this work, serial X-ray fluorescence holography is developed and its capabilities are demonstrated by obtaining hologram patterns from the protein crystal Photosystem II before any signs of radiation-induced damage. This new technique paves the way for future experiments on protein crystals that aim to clarify the local atomic structure of their functional metal clusters.

In situ synchrotron X-ray multimodal experiment to study polycrystal plasticity

In situ diffraction contrast tomography has been deployed at the Psiché beamline of Soleil. The evolution of lattice rotation in a 2000 grain region of a titanium sample under tension is studied.

Hard X-ray full-field nanoimaging using a direct photon-counting detector

A direct photon-counting detector was used for different nanoimaging phase contrast techniques, increasing the temporal resolution.

High-energy X-ray micro-lamino­graphy to visualize microstructures in dense planar objects

The development of synchrotron-radiation-based high-energy X-ray micro-lamino­graphy to visualize microstructures in dense planar objects such as planar fossils is described.

Evaluation of qu­antitative synchrotron radiation micro-X-ray fluorescence in rice grain

This work demonstrates which elements are the most easily quantifiable by synchrotron radiation for microprobe X-ray fluorescence (SR-µXRF) imaging in order to understand elemental distributions in plant tissues, with a focus on metals and metalloids in rice grain. This work provides SR-µXRF users with data to understand which elements can be reliably quantified and guidance on how to consider the limitations of the technique to most effectively interpret such data.

Low-density tissue scaffold imaging by synchrotron radiation propagation-based imaging computed tomography with helical acquisition mode

This work shows that combining helical acquisition mode with synchrotron radiation propagation-based imaging computed tomography is a powerful tool for tissue engineering applications with image qualities of high contrast, low noise level and, most importantly, fewer ring artifacts.

In situ wet pharmaceutical granulation captured using synchrotron radiation based dynamic micro-CT

This article outlines the procedure for performing synchrotron radiation based dynamic micro-computed tomography of wet granulation of pharmaceutical powders and subsequent methods for quantitative analysis.

Beam-induced redox chemistry in iron oxide nanoparticle dispersions at ESRF–EBS

With the increased brilliance at the European Research Facility–Extremely Brilliant Source (ESRF–EBS), a beam-induced reduction of non-stochiometric iron oxide nanoparticles (almost maghemite composition) to magnetite was observed in a mixture of ethanol and water with low ethanol concentration.

Mapping the 3D position of battery cathode particles in Bragg coherent diffractive imaging

A method to determine the 3D position of particles in Bragg coherent diffractive imaging experiments is proposed. Test measurements demonstrate depth-resolution with a precision of 20 µm along the beam.

Assessing the prospect of XAFS experiments of metalloproteins under in vivo conditions at Indus-2 synchrotron facility, India

The feasibility of X-ray absorption fine-structure (XAFS) experiments of ultra-dilute metalloprotein solutions at Indus-2 is evaluated.

The beam transport system for the Small Quantum Systems instrument at the European XFEL: optical layout and first commissioning results

The soft X-ray beam from the SASE3 source at the European XFEL is delivered to the SQS instrument by a beam transport system. The system layout and performances are reported.

MAXPEEM: a spectromicroscopy beamline at MAX IV laboratory

The design and performance of a new dedicated spectromicroscopy beamline at the Swedish national synchrotron (MAX IV) is presented.

The soft X-ray and XUV split-and-delay unit at beamlines FL23/24 at FLASH2

The properties of the recently installed split-and-delay unit at beamlines FL23 and FL24 at FLASH2 are presented. Its operational range, performance parameters and results of a first experiment are described.

Sample-minimizing co-flow cell for time-resolved pump–probe X-ray solution scattering

For irreversible or slow reactions studies by time-resolved pump–probe X-ray solution scattering, the standard sample cell and protocol for data collection at the BioCARS 14-ID beamline potentially require up to hundreds of milligrams of sample. A sheath co-flow cell, described here, allows such solution scattering measurements to be conducted with the sample consumption reduced by more than ten times compared with standard protocols at this beamline.