Angular vibrations of cryogenically cooled double‐crystal monochromators

The effect of angular vibrations of the crystals in cryogenically cooled monochromators on the beam performance has been studied theoretically and experimentally. A simple relation between amplitude of the vibrations and size of the focused beam is developed. It is shown that the double‐crystal monochromator vibrations affect not only the image size but also the image position along the optical axis. Several methods to measure vibrations with the X‐ray beam are explained and analyzed. The methods have been applied to systematically study angular crystal vibrations at monochromators installed at the PETRA III light source. Characteristic values of the amplitudes of angular vibrations for different monochromators are presented.     

Performance of a collimating L‐shaped laterally graded multilayer mirror for the IXS analyzer system at NSLS‐II

The L‐shaped laterally graded multilayer mirror is a vital part of the ultrahigh‐energy and momentum‐resolution inelastic X‐ray scattering spectrometer at the National Synchrotron Light Source II. This mirror was designed and implemented as a two‐dimensional collimating optic for the analyzer system. Its performance was characterized using a secondary large‐divergence source at the 30‐ID beamline of the Advanced Photon Source, which yielded an integrated reflectivity of 47% and a collimated beam divergence of 78 µrad with a source size of 10 µm. Numerical simulations of the mirror performance in tandem with the analyzer crystal optics provided details on the acceptance sample volume in forward scattering and defined the technical requirements on the mirror stability and positioning precision. It was shown that the mirror spatial and angular stability must be in the range <8.4 µm and <21.4 µrad, respectively, for reliable operation of the analyzer.     

Collimating Montel mirror as part of a multi‐crystal analyzer system for resonant inelastic X‐ray scattering

Advances in resonant inelastic X‐ray scattering (RIXS) have come in lockstep with improvements in energy resolution. Currently, the best energy resolution at the Ir L₃‐edge stands at ～25 meV, which is achieved using a diced Si(844) spherical crystal analyzer. However, spherical analyzers are limited by their intrinsic reflection width. A novel analyzer system using multiple flat crystals provides a promising way to overcome this limitation. For the present design, an energy resolution at or below 10 meV was selected. Recognizing that the angular acceptance of flat crystals is severely limited, a collimating element is essential to achieve the necessary solid‐angle acceptance. For this purpose, a laterally graded, parabolic, multilayer Montel mirror was designed for use at the Ir L₃‐absorption edge. It provides an acceptance larger than 10 mrad, collimating the reflected X‐ray beam to smaller than 100 µrad, in both vertical and horizontal directions. The performance of this mirror was studied at beamline 27‐ID at the Advanced Photon Source. X‐rays from a diamond (111) monochromator illuminated a scattering source of diameter 5 µm, generating an incident beam on the mirror with a well determined divergence of 40 mrad. A flat Si(111) crystal after the mirror served as the divergence analyzer. From X‐ray measurements, ray‐tracing simulations and optical metrology results, it was established that the Montel mirror satisfied the specifications of angular acceptance and collimation quality necessary for a high‐resolution RIXS multi‐crystal analyzer system.     

Hard X‐ray phase‐contrast imaging with the Compact Light Source based on inverse Compton X‐rays

The first imaging results obtained from a small‐size synchrotron are reported. The newly developed Compact Light Source produces inverse Compton X‐rays at the intersection point of the counter propagating laser and electron beam. The small size of the intersection point gives a highly coherent cone beam with a few milliradian angular divergence and a few percent energy spread. These specifications make the Compact Light Source ideal for a recently developed grating‐based differential phase‐contrast imaging method.     

Transmission‐mode diamond white‐beam position monitor at NSLS

Two transmission‐mode diamond X‐ray beam position monitors installed at National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) beamline X25 are described. Each diamond beam position monitor is constructed around two horizontally tiled electronic‐grade (p.p.b. nitrogen impurity) single‐crystal (001) CVD synthetic diamonds. The position, angle and flux of the white X‐ray beam can be monitored in real time with a position resolution of 500 nm in the horizontal direction and 100 nm in the vertical direction for a 3 mm × 1 mm beam. The first diamond beam position monitor has been in operation in the white beam for more than one year without any observable degradation in performance. The installation of a second, more compact, diamond beam position monitor followed about six months later, adding the ability to measure the angular trajectory of the photon beam.     

Multimodal hard X‐ray imaging of a mammography phantom at a compact synchrotron light source

The Compact Light Source is a miniature synchrotron producing X‐rays at the interaction point of a counter‐propagating laser pulse and electron bunch through the process of inverse Compton scattering. The small transverse size of the luminous region yields a highly coherent beam with an angular divergence of a few milliradians. The intrinsic monochromaticity and coherence of the produced X‐rays can be exploited in high‐sensitivity differential phase‐contrast imaging with a grating‐based interferometer. Here, the first multimodal X‐ray imaging experiments at the Compact Light Source at a clinically compatible X‐ray energy of 21 keV are reported. Dose‐compatible measurements of a mammography phantom clearly demonstrate an increase in contrast attainable through differential phase and dark‐field imaging over conventional attenuation‐based projections.     

Rapid in situ X‐ray position stabilization via extremum seeking feedback

X‐ray beam stability is crucial for acquiring high‐quality data at synchrotron beamline facilities. When the X‐ray beam and defining apertures are of similar dimensions, small misalignments driven by position instabilities give rise to large intensity fluctuations. This problem is solved using extremum seeking feedback control (ESFC) for in situ vertical beam position stabilization. In this setup, the intensity spatial gradient required for ESFC is determined by phase comparison of intensity oscillations downstream from the sample with pre‐existing vertical beam oscillations. This approach compensates for vertical position drift from all sources with position recovery times <6 s and intensity stability through a 5 µm aperture measured at 1.5% FWHM over a period of 8 hours.     

X‐ray beam‐position feedback system with easy‐to‐use beam‐position monitor

X‐ray beam‐position stability is indispensable in cutting‐edge experiments using synchrotron radiation. Here, for the first time, a beam‐position feedback system is presented that utilizes an easy‐to‐use X‐ray beam‐position monitor incorporating a diamond‐fluorescence screen. The acceptable range of the monitor is above 500 µm and the feedback system maintains the beam position within 3 µm. In addition to being inexpensive, the system has two key advantages: it works without a scale factor for position calibration, and it has no dependence on X‐ray energy, X‐ray intensity, beam size or beam shape.     

An alternative scheme of angular‐dispersion analyzers for high‐resolution medium‐energy inelastic X‐ray scattering

The development of medium‐energy inelastic X‐ray scattering optics with meV and sub‐meV resolution has attracted considerable efforts in recent years. Meanwhile, there are also concerns or debates about the fundamental and feasibility of the involved schemes. Here the central optical component, the back‐reflection angular‐dispersion monochromator or analyzer, is analyzed. The results show that the multiple‐beam diffraction effect together with transmission‐induced absorption can noticeably reduce the diffraction efficiency, although it may not be a fatal threat. In order to improve the efficiency, a simple four‐bounce analyzer is proposed that completely avoids these two adverse effects. The new scheme is illustrated to be a feasible alternative approach for developing meV‐ to sub‐meV‐resolution inelastic X‐ray scattering spectroscopy.     

Heat bump on a monochromator crystal measured with X‐ray grating interferometry

Deformation of the first crystal of an X‐ray monochromator under the heat load of a high‐power beam, commonly referred to as `heat bump', is a challenge frequently faced at synchrotron beamlines. Here, quantitative measurements of the deformations of an externally water‐cooled silicon (111) double‐crystal monochromator tuned to a photon energy of 17.6 keV are reported. These measurements were made using two‐dimensional hard X‐ray grating interferometry, a technique that enables in situ at‐wavelength wavefront investigations with high angular sensitivity. The observed crystal deformations were of the order of 100 nm in the meridional and 5 nm in the sagittal direction, which lead to wavefront slope errors of up to 4 µrad in the meridional and a few hundred nanoradians in the sagittal direction.     

Diffractive–refractive optics: X‐ray splitter

The possibility of splitting a thin (e.g. undulator) X‐ray beam based on diffraction–refraction effects is discussed. The beam is diffracted from a crystal whose diffracting surface has the shape of a roof with the ridge lying in the plane of diffraction. The crystal is cut asymmetrically. One half of the beam impinges on the left‐hand part of the roof and the other half impinges on the right‐hand side of the roof. Owing to refraction the left part of the beam is deviated to the left whereas the right part is deviated to the right. The device proposed consists of two channel‐cut crystals with roof‐like diffraction surfaces; the crystals are set in a dispersive position. The separation of the beams after splitting is calculated at a distance of 10 m from the crystals for various asymmetry and inclination angles. It is shown that such a splitting may be utilized for long beamlines. Advantages and disadvantages of this method are discussed.     

利用干涉光场的相位涡旋测量拉盖尔-高斯光束的轨道角动量

对拉盖尔-高斯光束经多圆孔衍射屏在远场平面上形成的干涉光场的相位和零值线进行了计算模拟.当入射光束的轨道角动量量子数为零时,实部零值线与虚部零值线在干涉光场中心点不相交,因而在该点上不能形成相位涡旋.当入射光束的轨道角动量量子数为+1和-1时,实部零值线与虚部零值线在干涉光场中心垂直并相交,干涉光场相应位置处的相位涡旋的符号相反.当入射光束的轨道角动量量子数为±2和±3时,有四条零值线相交于干涉光场的中心点上,并且实部零值线和虚部零值线交替分布,该交点处形成的相位涡旋的拓扑荷的值恰好与拉盖尔-高斯光束的轨道角动量量子数相等.这种结果可以用来测量涡旋光束的轨道角动量.     

Design and performance of an ultra‐high‐vacuum‐compatible artificial channel‐cut monochromator

The design and performance of a novel ultra‐high‐vacuum‐compatible artificial channel‐cut monochromator that has been commissioned at undulator beamline 8‐ID‐I at the Advanced Photon Source are presented. Details of the mechanical and optical design, control system implementation and performance of the new device are given. The monochromator was designed to meet the challenging stability and optical requirements of the X‐ray photon correlation spectroscopy program hosted at this beamline. In particular, the device incorporates a novel in‐vacuum sine‐bar drive mechanism for the combined pitch motion of the two crystals and a flexure‐based high‐stiffness weak‐link mechanism for fine‐tuning the pitch and roll of the second crystal relative to the first crystal. The monochromator delivers an exceptionally uniform and stable beam and thereby improved brilliance preservation.     

Investigation of surface topology of printed nanoparticle layers using wide‐angle low‐Q scattering

A new small‐angle scattering technique in reflection geometry is described which enables a topological study of rough surfaces. This is achieved by using long‐wavelength soft X‐rays which are scattered at wide angles but in the low‐Q range normally associated with small‐angle scattering. The use of nanometre‐wavelength radiation restricts the penetration to a thin surface layer which follows the topology of the surface, while moving the scattered beam to wider angles preventing shadowing by the surface features. The technique is, however, only applicable to rough surfaces for which there is no specular reflection, so that only the scattered beam was detected by the detector. As an example, a study of the surfaces of rough layers of silicon produced by the deposition of nanoparticles by blade‐coating is presented. The surfaces of the blade‐coated layers have rough features of the order of several micrometers. Using 2 nm and 13 nm X‐rays scattered at angular ranges of 5°≤θ≤ 51° and 5°≤θ≤ 45°, respectively, a combined range of scattering vector of 0.00842 Å^?1≤Q≤ 0.4883 Å^?1 was obtained. Comparison with previous transmission SAXS and USAXS studies of the same materials indicates that the new method does probe the surface topology rather than the internal microstructure.     

Comparison of Two Theories for the Relativistic Self Focusing of Laser Beams in Plasma

In the present paper, self‐focusing of laser beams in relativistic plasmas is studied by the moment theory approach. The equilibrium beam radius of the self‐trapped laser beams is also derived. Results are compared with the paraxial ray theory. It is observed from the analysis that at higher intensities, the equilibrium beam radius increases in case of the paraxial ray theory, whereas it becomes independent of the beam intensity in case of the moment theory. Analysis also confirms the role of relativistic electrons travelling with the light pulse in (3D PIC) simulation studies (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A dedicated small‐angle X‐ray scattering beamline with a superconducting wiggler source at the NSRRC

At the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), which operates a 1.5 GeV storage ring, a dedicated small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) beamline has been installed with an in‐achromat superconducting wiggler insertion device of peak magnetic field 3.1 T. The vertical beam divergence from the X‐ray source is reduced significantly by a collimating mirror. Subsequently the beam is selectively monochromated by a double Si(111) crystal monochromator with high energy resolution (ΔE/E? 2 × 10^?4) in the energy range 5–23 keV, or by a double Mo/B₄C multilayer monochromator for 10–30 times higher flux (～10¹¹ photons s^?1) in the 6–15 keV range. These two monochromators are incorporated into one rotating cradle for fast exchange. The monochromated beam is focused by a toroidal mirror with 1:1 focusing for a small beam divergence and a beam size of ～0.9 mm × 0.3 mm (horizontal × vertical) at the focus point located 26.5 m from the radiation source. A plane mirror installed after the toroidal mirror is selectively used to deflect the beam downwards for grazing‐incidence SAXS (GISAXS) from liquid surfaces. Two online beam‐position monitors separated by 8 m provide an efficient feedback control for an overall beam‐position stability in the 10 µm range. The beam features measured, including the flux density, energy resolution, size and divergence, are consistent with those calculated using the ray‐tracing program SHADOW. With the deflectable beam of relatively high energy resolution and high flux, the new beamline meets the requirements for a wide range of SAXS applications, including anomalous SAXS for multiphase nanoparticles (e.g. semiconductor core‐shell quantum dots) and GISAXS from liquid surfaces.     

扭转对称光束的产生及其变换过程中的轨道角动量传递

研究了采用扭转柱面镜光学系统将厄米-高斯光束变换成为具有轨道角动量的拉盖尔-高斯扭转对称光束. 采用本征模式分解的方法分析了扭转柱面镜光学变换系统实现光束变换的原理.利用光束传输矩阵和二阶矩理论分析计算了光束经过扭转柱面透镜变换过程中的轨道角动量传递过程，证明光束与透镜系统的轨道角动量交换发生在第一个柱面透镜处，光束经过第一个柱面透镜后，具有的轨道角动量保持不变. 关键词： 轨道角动量 光束变换 扭转对称光束 轨道角动量传递     

High‐energy X‐ray optics with silicon saw‐tooth refractive lenses

Silicon saw‐tooth refractive lenses have been in successful use for vertical focusing and collimation of high‐energy X‐rays (50–100 keV) at the 1‐ID undulator beamline of the Advanced Photon Source. In addition to presenting an effectively parabolic thickness profile, as required for aberration‐free refractive optics, these devices allow high transmission and continuous tunability in photon energy and focal length. Furthermore, the use of a single‐crystal material (i.e. Si) minimizes small‐angle scattering background. The focusing performance of such saw‐tooth lenses, used in conjunction with the 1‐ID beamline's bent double‐Laue monochromator, is presented for both short (～1:0.02) and long (～1:0.6) focal‐length geometries, giving line‐foci in the 2 µm–25 µm width range with 81 keV X‐rays. In addition, a compound focusing scheme was tested whereby the radiation intercepted by a distant short‐focal‐length lens is increased by having it receive a collimated beam from a nearer (upstream) lens. The collimation capabilities of Si saw‐tooth lenses are also exploited to deliver enhanced throughput of a subsequently placed small‐angular‐acceptance high‐energy‐resolution post‐monochromator in the 50–80 keV range. The successful use of such lenses in all these configurations establishes an important detail, that the pre‐monochromator, despite being comprised of vertically reflecting bent Laue geometry crystals, can be brilliance‐preserving to a very high degree.     

Suppression of Bragg reflection glitches of a single‐crystal diamond anvil cell by a polycapillary half‐lens in high‐pressure XAFS spectroscopy

In combination with a single‐crystal diamond anvil cell (DAC), a polycapillary half‐lens (PHL) re‐focusing optics has been used to perform high‐pressure extended X‐ray absorption fine‐structure measurements. It is found that a large divergent X‐ray beam induced by the PHL leads the Bragg glitches from single‐crystal diamond to be broadened significantly and the intensity of the glitches to be reduced strongly so that most of the DAC glitches are efficiently suppressed. The remaining glitches can be easily removed by rotating the DAC by a few degrees with respect to the X‐ray beam. Accurate X‐ray absorption fine‐structure (XAFS) spectra of polycrystalline Ge powder with a glitch‐free energy range from ?200 to 800 eV relative to the Ge absorption edge are obtained using this method at high pressures up to 23.7 GPa, demonstrating the capability of PHL optics in eliminating the DAC glitches for high‐pressure XAFS experiments. This approach brings new possibilities to perform XAFS measurements using a DAC up to ultrahigh pressures.     

X‐ray‐Raman‐scattering‐based EXAFS beyond the dipole limit

X‐ray Raman scattering (XRS) provides a bulk‐sensitive method of measuring the extended X‐ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) of soft X‐ray absorption edges. Accurate measurements and data analysis procedures for the determination of XRS‐EXAFS of polycrystalline diamond are described. The contributions of various angular‐momentum components beyond the dipole limit to the atomic background and the EXAFS oscillations are incorporated using self‐consistent real‐space multiple‐scattering calculations. The properly extracted XRS‐EXAFS oscillations are in good agreement with calculations and earlier soft X‐ray EXAFS results. It is shown, however, that under certain conditions multiple‐scattering contributions to XRS‐EXAFS deviate from those in standard EXAFS, leading to noticeable changes in the real‐space signal at higher momentum transfers owing to non‐dipole contributions. These results pave the way for the accurate application of XRS‐EXAFS to previously inaccessible light‐element systems.