Crystallography Based on Synchrotron Radiation: Experiments of Russian Users of the ESRF BM01 Diffraction Beam Line

The review deals with studies carried out at the BM01 diffraction beam line of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. X-ray diffraction analysis of single-crystal proton conductors demonstrates the possibilities of a precise diffraction experiment in which phase transitions associated with the release of crystallization water and transformation of the network of hydrogen contacts are investigated. Scanning of reciprocal space with the help of a 2D detector enables us to determine the new phase symmetry in a thin-film multiferroic sample based on bismuth ferrite (the given phase is stable only under thin-film conditions). A combination of Bragg and diffusion scattering processes is employed to investigate the interdependence between the structure and dynamics of a crystal lattice and the physical properties of a relaxor material with a perovskite-like structure. The complementarity and synergy of neutron and synchrotron experiments are demonstrated using the combined study of materials from the manganese-silicide group, which has revealed a nontrivial relationship between magnetic and crystallographic chiralities in noncollinear magnets. Although the given review is limited to only a few experiments carried out by Russian scientists at the BM01 beam line, they still illustrate a variety of problems that can be solved using a modern diffraction station where the bending magnet of a third-generation synchrotron is employed as the synchrotron radiation source.     

News & views: New Scientific Opportunities at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

Approximately 400 participants learned about the latest scientific capabilities at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) and Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) during the 2013 Users' Meeting at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, October 1–4, 2013. The Users' Meeting included more than a dozen workshops as well as scientific awards, poster presentations, and talks on the latest scientific trends, challenges, and opportunities.     

Synchrotron and Undulator Radiation Experiments on the SIRIUS Synchrotron

This paper discusses the main results of synchrotron and undulator radiation experiments performed on the SIRIUS accelerator at Tomsk Polytechnical University. Some examples of the use of the SIRIUS synchrotron as a vacuum UV and soft-x-ray source for investigations in solid-state physics and for applied research are given.     

同步辐射穆斯堡尔谱学

同步辐射穆斯堡尔谱自从1985年取得突破后, 经历了20多年的长足发展, 已经成为穆斯堡尔谱学的一个成熟的分支。 目前同步辐射穆斯堡尔谱学由两个部分构成: 基于相干核共振散射机制的时域穆斯堡尔谱学和基于非相干非弹性核共振散射机制的X射线谱学。 第三代同步加速器的出现促进了时域穆斯堡尔谱学的发展, 测量得到穆斯堡尔激发态寿命τ期间衰变计数率与时间的关系, 观测到一些有趣的现象。 同步辐射穆斯堡尔谱既能做常规透射谱学研究, 测量各种超精细相互作用及f_LM, δ_SOD等穆斯堡尔参数, 也能利用非弹性核共振散射测量固体的声子谱, 并且也能测出f_LM和 δ_SOD及力常数等, 时域谱和非相干谱的测量精度都高于常规穆斯堡尔谱。 The idea of using synchrotron radiation as a Mössbauer source experienced a breakthrough in 1985, followed by steady development for more than 20 years. Synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy consists of two areas. The first one is the so called time domain Mössbauer spectroscopy based on coherent nuclear resonant scattering which permits determination of hyperfine interactions and other Mössbauer parameters such as f_LM and δ_SOD. The other is incoherent nuclear resonant inelastic X ray scattering, which provides vibration information of atoms in a solid, i.e., the phonon density of states. All the experiments have better accuracy than that obtained in conventional Mssbauer spectroscopy.     

ALBA Synchrotron Facility

ALBA is the Spanish synchrotron facility located in the area of Barcelona. It is a low-emittance, 3 GeV machine having, at present, seven state-of-the-art operating beamlines covering soft and hard X-rays. The hard X-ray beamlines comprise macromolecular crystallography, non-crystalline diffraction (SAXS and WAXS), high-resolution powder diffraction, and absorption spectroscopy. The soft X-ray beamlines include a photoemission beamline with two endstations—one devoted to photoelectron microscopy (PEEM) and the second to near ambient pressure photoemission (NAPP)—and another beamline devoted to XMCD and soft X-ray scattering. Both beamlines allow full control of the polarization of the beam, since they are equipped with helical undulators. An additional soft X-ray beamline, installed on a bending magnet port, is equipped with a full-field transmission X-ray microscope. Additional information may be found at http://www.albasynchrotron.es/en/beamlines.     

Synchrotron resonance maser

Attention is drawn to an obscure formula derived from relativistic quantum electrodynamics in the mid-'60s by Sokolov and Ternov for induced absorption and emission from highly relativistic electrons in a static uniform magnetic field. From their results, we develop handy formulae and graphs to help in preliminary designs for radiation sources to operate at high synchrotron harmonics. Approximate design parameters are given for 100 kW oscillators operating at wavelengths below 3mm, employing magnetic fields of less than 12 kG. It is shown that the Sokolov-Ternov formula can also be deduced from classical relativistic plasma wave theory, but for a numerical factor in one term. This term is shown to describe a gain mechanism which has apparently received scant notice in the gyrotron literature.     

A combined microRaman and microdiffraction set‐up at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility ID13 beamline

This article describes the current status of the microRaman set‐up at the ID13 beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. This offers an in situ on‐axis microprobe which has a common focal position to the X‐ray microbeam and can collect spectral data simultaneously. It can also be used in an offline sample characterization role, both before and after beamline experiments. To demonstrate the application of microRaman spectroscopy within a beamline environment, a number of examples are given.     

Status of the hard X‐ray microprobe beamline ID22 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

The ESRF synchrotron beamline ID22, dedicated to hard X‐ray microanalysis and consisting of the combination of X‐ray fluorescence, X‐ray absorption spectroscopy, diffraction and 2D/3D X‐ray imaging techniques, is one of the most versatile instruments in hard X‐ray microscopy science. This paper describes the present beamline characteristics, recent technical developments, as well as a few scientific examples from recent years of the beamline operation. The upgrade plans to adapt the beamline to the growing needs of the user community are briefly discussed.     

History of Synchrotron Radiation

Although natural synchrotron radiation from charged particles spiraling around magnetic-field lines in space is as old as the stars—for example, the light we see from the Crab Nebula—short-wavelength synchrotron radiation generated by relativistic electrons in circular accelerators is a modern phenomenon. The first observation—literally, since it was visible light that was seen—came at the General Electric Research Laboratory in Schenectady, New York, on April 24, 1947. In the 68 years since, synchrotron radiation has become a premier research tool for the study of matter in all its varied manifestations, as facilities around the world constantly evolved to provide this light in ever more useful forms.     

Synchrotron radiation in archaeometry

January 2008 was the time of the official opening of SOLEIL's beamlines and guest house. This transition from construction to operational phase was made possible after commissioning of the 17°C water circuits of the beamlines. Users have access to eleven beamlines, from infrared to hard X-ray (AILES, SMIS, DESIRS, CASSIOPEE, TEMPO, DIFFABS, ODE, CRISTAL, SAMBA, PROXIMA1 and SWING). The LUCIA beamline, which has been operational on SLS since June 2004, will be installed at SOLEIL from mid-2008, and the XPEEM station of the future “soft X-ray microscopy” beamline is already producing fascinating XMCD and XMLD results at ELETTRA. Five beamlines are under construction.     

Synchrotron Radiation Facilities in China

Synchrotron radiation activities in China date back to the late 1970s. With the large increase of investment in science by the Chinese central government to promote the development of science and technology in China, quite a few large scientific projects were proposed by the scientific community, among which were Beijing Electron-Positron Collider (BEPC) and Hefei Synchrotron Radiation Light Source (HLS). The major aim of BEPC was for the studies of high energy particle physics with a parasitic synchrotron radiation facility, i.e., the so-called Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF). It started operation in 1991 and became the first synchrotron radiation facility in China. As a parasitic facility, BSRF operated a few months a year and played an important role in fostering the synchrotron radiation user community in China. The HLS, a dedicated synchrotron radiation facility, came into operation almost at the same time as BSRF. As a lower energy synchrotron radiation facility, it aimed mostly at the applications of synchrotron radiation VUV wavelength range. Both BSRF and HLS were upgraded again due to strong demands from users. The rapid development of synchrotron radiation applications and facilities in the world in the 1980s and early 1990s spurred the great interest of Chinese scientists to build an advanced synchrotron radiation light source. A third generation light source was first proposed in mainland China in 1993 and was later shaped as the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) in 1995.     

Synchrotron research solves art mystery

An alliance of Australian scientists and conservators has made a quantum leap forward in the analysis of priceless artworks, revealing an earlier painting of a different woman beneath a French Impressionist masterpiece in unprecedented detail, using a technology combination unavailable anywhere else in the world.     

Australian Synchrotron 2010 User Meeting

The 2010 Australian Synchrotron User Meeting attracted around 230 synchrotron experts, users and potential users, and other interested observers, mainly from around Australia and New Zealand, to Melbourne, Australia, in late November. Held within easy walking distance of Carlton's many cosmopolitan cafes and shops, the User Meeting provided numerous opportunities for participants to discuss their research, learn from each others' experiences, and plan future collaborations.