Summary of PIV’97-Fukui and new directions in PIV development

This article is a summary of The Second International Workshop on PIV’97-Fukui, which was held from 8 July to 11 July, 1997, in Fukui, Japan, and describes interesting topics presented there. The first and second workshops originated in Fukui, Japan, sponsored by the Japan Society of Visualization and the Center for Cooperative Research in Science and Technology, Fukui University. The participants exchanged new information and deepened their friendship among them. A lot of important and new directions in PIV development were discussed in the workshop. Some of them are summarized in the last part of this article. The Third Workshop chaired by Prof. Adrian will be held in Santa Barbara, USA, and the forth will be held in Europe.     

XAFS16 at KIT: Five Days of Cutting-Edge X-ray Science in Karlsruhe

The sixteenth international conference on X-ray Absorption Fine Structure, XAFS16, was held August 23–28, 2015, at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. Since the first such meeting in 1981, the XAFS conference series has become the foremost international meeting covering developments and applications in X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Jointly organized by KIT, DESY (Hamburg), HZB (Berlin), and the European XFEL (Hamburg), under the auspices of the International X-ray Absorption Society (IXAS), the XAFS16 conference hosted over 550 participants (including more than 160 young scientists) from 37 different countries, establishing a new record for the number of participants. The local organization was provided by the KIT institutes INE, IKFT, and ITCP and the ANKA synchrotron facility, with Jan-Dierk Grunwaldt leading the local organizing committee.     

同步辐射讲座第一讲 同步辐射XAFS实验站及其应用

介绍了北京和合肥同步辐射XAFS实验站的性能参数和结构, 及在物理，化学，材料和生命科学等研究领域的应用，便于国内广大用户更好地利用其开展高质量的研究工作。     

Insertion devices–recent developments and future trends

The first Ultrafast X-ray Summer School, organized and chaired by Nora Berrah (WMU), was held June 18–22, 2007, at the Stanford University's PULSE Center, located at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). With the advent of 4^th generation X-ray light sources, and in particular, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) under construction at SLAC, it was timely to begin the process of building a competitive community of scientists. It was also primordial to communicate to everyone the excitement many of us have about these new tools and to help raise awareness of the opportunities in ultrafast X-ray research.     

Meeting Reports: International Workshop on the Protein Circular Dichroism Data Bank

The International Workshop on the Protein Circular Dichroism Data Bank (PCDDB) was held on April 11–13, 2005, at Birkbeck College, University of London, UK, under the sponsorship of the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The meeting was chaired by Bonnie Ann Wallace, Professor in the Department of Crystallography at Birkbeck College. The workshop organizing committee consisted of Dr. Robert W. Janes, Queen Mary, University of London, and Dr. Lee Whitmore, also of Birkbeck College.

Participants included experts in both conventional circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and representatives from synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) beamlines: Prof. J. Sutherland of the NSLS SRCD beamlines U9b and U11 and East Carolina University (USA);     

11th Annual BNL Accelerator Test Facility Program Committee and Users' Meeting

The Seventh Annual Users' Meeting of the Canadian Light Source was a great success, as the world's newest synchrotron welcomed close to 400 researchers and students from across Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australia to the University of Saskatchewan on November 17–21, 2004. The plenary session of the Users' Meeting, held November 20, was preceded by five workshops: “XAFS Analysis Using Ifeffit, Athena and Artemis,” “SR Applications in Environmental Science,” “Medical Imaging,” “Protein Crystallography,” and “Applications of Elliptically Polarized Synchrotron Radiation.” Meetings of the Beamline Advisory Committee and beamline teams were held on November 21.

After welcoming remarks by Dr. Alan Anderson, Chair of the CLS User Advisory Committee, the meeting opened with a briefing by CLS Executive Director William Thomlinson regarding the accomplishments made by the CLS over the preceding year.     

New injector boosts light intensity at the LNLS

The active participation by more than 70 attendees in a one-day workshop on in situ XAFS studies of nanocatalysts demonstrated that even though in situ XAFS studies of catalysts have been performed for over 30 years, the field is as vibrant and stimulating as ever. The workshop, held May 16, part of the 2006 Joint NSLS/CFN Users' Meeting, was co-organized by Simon Bare (UOP LLC) and Anatoly Frenkel (Yeshiva University). The format of the workshop was two overview presentations on the Synchrotron Catalysis Consortium, followed by nine technical presentations, and a poster session in conjunction with the main Users' Meeting. It is a pleasure to announce that the first place cash award for best student/postdoc poster was given to Minhua Shao (Stony Brook University) for his work on “novel electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction,” and the second place award was presented to Wen Wen (BNL – Chemistry) for his work on “in situ time-resolved characterization of novel Cu-MoO₂ catalysts during the water gas shift reaction.”     

Early stages of decomposition in Al alloys investigated by X‐ray absorption

We demonstrate the sensitivity of X‐ray absorption fine‐structure (XAFS) measurements to the earliest stages of decomposition in Al alloys, i.e. just a few minutes after quenching. XAFS is one of the few applicable experimental approaches to this regime. Three different AlCu(Mg) samples were investigated by XAFS at the Cu K edge. Significant changes of the XAFS can be detected in the course of the decomposition in these alloys during the first 15 minutes. Actually, these changes correspond to relaxations of the nearest neighbours towards the absorbing Cu atoms. The Fourier transformation of the XAFS spectra thus leads to a pseudo radial distribution function which reflects this relaxation. In addition, XAFS measurements of the S‐phase of AlCuMg are used to decide in favour of the Perlitz and Westgren model for the S‐phase. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A sub‐micrometer resolution hard X‐ray microprobe system of BL8C at Pohang Light Source

A microprobe system has been installed on the nanoprobe/XAFS beamline (BL8C) at PLS‐II, South Korea. Owing to the reproducible switch of the gap of the in‐vacuum undulator (IVU), the intense and brilliant hard X‐ray beam of an IVU can be used in X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) and X‐ray absorption fine‐structure (XAFS) experiments. For high‐spatial‐resolution microprobe experiments a Kirkpatrick–Baez mirror system has been used to focus the millimeter‐sized X‐ray beam to a micrometer‐sized beam. The performance of this system was examined by a combination of micro‐XRF imaging and micro‐XAFS of a beetle wing. These results indicate that the microprobe system of the BL8C can be used to obtain the distributions of trace elements and chemical and structural information of complex materials.     

Progress on sesame

Synchrotron X-ray scattering from liquid interfaces has been indispensable in the investigation of the fundamental science of soft interfaces and in the study of controlled model systems for physical, chemical, and biological processes. However, the very characteristics that make liquid interfaces interesting also make them a challenge to study. At the second School for Liquid Surface X-ray Scattering (LSXS 2012), held at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory on October 17–19, 2012, students learned some of the tricks of the trade from experienced users and beamline scientists. The first LSXS school was held at APS in 2007.     

Meeting Report: Beijing Symposium on Phase-Contrast Imaging of Nanobiological and Medical Systems

A very enjoyable international symposium on Phase-Contrast Imaging of Nanobiological and Medical Systems was held in Beijing from June 5–9, 2006, immediately following SRI-2006. The meeting was organized by the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. More than 60 participants attended, including those from the U.S., Canada, France, Italy, Australia, Japan, and Taiwan. More than 20 invited talks were given, especially by leading workers in the area of hard X-ray phase-contrast imaging with applications to biological and biomedical systems. The venue for the meeting was the Jiu Hu Hot Spa and Resort, located about 60 km from the center of Beijing.     

Advances in theoretical and experimental XAFS studies of thermodynamic properties,anharmonic effects and structural determination of fcc crystals

Thermodynamic properties, anharmonic effects and structural determination of fcc crystals have been studied based on the theoretical and experimental Debye–Waller factors presented in terms of cumulant expansion up to the third order, thermal expansion coefficient, X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra and their Fourier transform magnitudes. The advances in these studies are performed by the further development of the anharmonic correlated Einstein model primary only for approximating three first XAFS cumulants into the method using that all the considered theoretical and experimental XAFS parameters have been provided based on only the calculated and measured second cumulants. The obtained cumulants describe the anharmonic effects in XAFS contributing to the accurate structural determination. Numerical results for Cu are found to be in good agreement with the experimental values extracted by using the present advanced method and with those obtained by the other measurements.     

Summary of FLUCOME 97 Hayama

This article is a summary of the fifth Triennial International Symposium on Fluid Control, Measurement and Visualization, FLUCOME ’97 Hayama, which was held from September 1 to September 4 in 1997 at Hayama, Japan. The FLUCOME symposium was held at first in Tokyo in 1985, the 2nd in 1988 in Sheffield, UK, the 3rd in 1991 in San Fransisco, USA, the 4th in 1994 in Toulouse, France, and came back again to Japan in 1997. FLUCOME ’97 Hayama was sponsored by the Society of Instrument and Control Engineers of Japan and Japan Science Foundation, and co-sponsored by the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Japan Hydraulics and Pneumatics Society and the Visualization Society of Japan. The participants exchanged new information and deepened their friendship among them. A lot of new ideas and important research results were reported and the new directions in fluid control, measurement and visualization were discussed freely. The sixth symposium chaired by Prof. A. Laneville will be held in Sherbrooke (Québec) Canada in 2000, and the seventh will be held in Italy in 2003.     

硬X射线磁圆二色实验方法的建立

在北京同步辐射装置(BSRF)1W1B光束线和XAFS实验站上国内首次建立了硬X射线波段的磁圆二色实验(XMCD)方法. 以单晶金刚石作为相位延迟片, 在透射劳埃(Laue)模式下, 利用衍射双折射效应, 将入射的单色线偏振光转变为相应的左旋和右旋圆偏振光, 测量磁化样品对左旋和右旋圆偏振光吸收的差异, 获得了XMCD信号. 本实验使用透射方法测量了Pt-Fe合金Pt L_2,3边的XMCD, 获得了XMCD信号. XMCD实验方法的建立, 为研究磁性材料尤其是磁性薄膜材料的电子结构和磁结构提供了实验基础.     

The Brazilian synchrotron light source

The Brazilian synchrotron light source, designed and constructed at LNLS, is composed of a 1.37 GeV electron storage ring and a 120 MeV LINAC for low‐energy injection. It has been commissioned and, in July 1997, reached the design electron beam energy, current and emittance. Seven beamlines (TGM, SGM, SXS, XAFS, XRD, SAXS, PCr) have been constructed in parallel with the electron accelerators. The LNLS synchrotron source was opened to users 1st July, 1997, and is now in operation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The São Paulo School of Advanced Sciences (ESPCA) on Recent Developments in Synchrotron Radiation

The São Paulo School of Advanced Sciences (ESPCA) on Recent Developments in Synchrotron Radiation was held July 13–24, 2015, at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) in Campinas, Brazil. The school was attended by 96 students, 48 from Brazil and 48 from 17 different countries. A total of 27 different nationalities were represented in this 12-day school. In addition, 22 lecturers presented 34 talks.     

Application of glancing‐emergent‐angle fluorescence for polarized XAFS studies of single crystals

X‐ray absorption fine‐structure (XAFS) data were obtained for the V K‐edge for a series of anisotropic single crystals of (Cr_xV_1–x)₂O₃. The data and the results were compared for the as‐prepared bulk single crystals (measured in fluorescence in two different orientations) and those ground to powder (measured in transmission). For the bulk single crystals, the glancing‐emergent‐angle (GEA) method was used to minimize fluorescence distortion. The reliability of the GEA technique was tested by comparing the polarization‐weighted single‐crystal XAFS data with the experimental powder data. These data were found to be in excellent agreement throughout the entire energy range. Thus, it was possible to reliably measure individual V–V contributions parallel and perpendicular to the c axis of the single crystals, i.e. those unavailable by powder data XAFS analysis. These experiments demonstrate that GEA is a premiere method for non‐destructive high‐photon‐count in situ studies of local structure in bulk single crystals.     

Effects of alloying elements on the electronic structure and ductility of NiAl compounds investigated by X-ray absorption fine structure

The Ni L_3,2-edge spectra of the pure Ni, pure NiAl and alloying-element-doped NiAl compounds were obtained by synchrotron radiation X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS). Due to orbital hybridization effect, directional covalent-type bonds formed and decreased the ductility during forming NiAl. Combining the XAFS spectra analysis and electronegativity comparison, the effects of alloying elements on the electronic structure and then the ductility of the NiAl compounds were obtained. The results showed that Cr, Co, Mo, Ru and W doping could be beneficial to the ductility by both weakening the directional bonds along the <111> direction and enhancing the d–d interactions of the transition metals–Ni atom pair, namely by the transition from covalent bonds to metallic bonds which was beneficial for dislocation to migrate. The results agreed well with the available experimental data and other theoretical results, proving that the model linking the electronic structure and ductility is reliable and can be used as guidance for alloy design.     

Structural origin of magnetic anisotropy in Co-Pt alloy films probed by polarized XAFS

Polarized X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements at the Co K and Pt L₃ edges show that the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy found in epitaxial fcc CoPt₃ (111) films stems from the existence of anisotropic local ordering. Such ordering, induced during the codeposition process and dependent on the growth temperature, is characterized by preferential CoCo pairs in the film plane, balanced by preferential CoPt pairs out of the plane, resulting from some Co 2D-segregation. Polarized XAFS at the Pt edge reveals similar anisotropic local ordering in epitaxial hcp Co₃Pt (0001) films exhibiting a larger magnetocrystalline anisotropy compared to that of bulk hcp Co. Besides, a polarization dependence of the Co XANES profile is observed only for the Co₃Pt films exhibiting hcp symmetry. Received: 29 April 1998 / Revised: 27 July 1998 / Accepted: 31 August 1998     

A new cell for X-ray absorption spectroscopy study under high pressure

X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the investigation of the local environment around selected atoms in condensed matter. XAFS under pressure is an important method for the synchrotron source. We design a cell for a high pressure XAFS experiment. Sintered boron carbide is used as the anvils of this high pressure cell in order to obtain a full XAFS spectrum free from diffraction peaks. In addition, a hydraulic pump was adopted to make in-suit pressure modulation. High quality XAFS spectra of ZrH2 under high pressure (up to 13 Gpa) were obtained by this cell.