110 research outputs found
Bent crystal spectrometer for both frequency and wavenumber resolved x-ray scattering at a seeded free-electron laser
We present a cylindrically curved GaAs x-ray spectrometer with energy
resolution and wave-number resolution of
, allowing plasmon scattering at the resolution
limits of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) x-ray free-electron laser. It
spans scattering wavenumbers of 3.6 to \AA\ in 100 separate bins, with
only 0.34\% wavenumber blurring. The dispersion of 0.418~eV/m agrees
with predictions within 1.3\%. The reflection homogeneity over the entire
wavenumber range was measured and used to normalize the amplitude of scattering
spectra. The proposed spectrometer is superior to a mosaic HAPG spectrometer
when the energy resolution needs to be comparable to the LCLS seeded bandwidth
of 1~eV and a significant range of wavenumbers must be covered in one exposure
The Phase-Contrast Imaging Instrument at the Matter in Extreme Conditions Endstation at LCLS
We describe the Phase-Contrast Imaging instrument at the Matter in Extreme
Conditions (MEC) endstation of the Linac Coherent Light Source. The instrument
can image phenomena with a spatial resolution of a few hundreds of nanometers
and at the same time reveal the atomic structure through X-ray diffraction,
with a temporal resolution better than 100 femtosecond. It was specifically
designed for studies relevant to High-Energy-Density Science and can monitor,
e.g., shock fronts, phase transitions, or void collapses. This versatile
instrument was commissioned last year and is now available to the MEC user
community
Live Iterative Ptychography
We demonstrate live-updating ptychographic reconstruction with ePIE, an
iterative ptychography method, during ongoing data acquisition. The
reconstruction starts with a small subset of the total data, and as the
acquisition proceeds the data used for reconstruction is extended. This creates
a live-updating view of object and illumination that allows monitoring the
ongoing experiment and adjusting parameters with quick turn-around. This is
particularly advantageous for long-running acquisitions. We show that such a
gradual reconstruction yields interpretable results already with a small subset
of the data. We show simulated live processing with various scan patterns,
parallelized reconstruction, and real-world live processing at the hard X-ray
ptychographic nanoanalytical microscope PtyNAMi at the PETRA III beamline
Single-exposure X-ray phase imaging microscopy with a grating interferometer
The advent of hard X-ray free-electron lasers enables nanoscopic X-ray imaging with sub-picosecond temporal resolution. X-ray grating interferometry offers a phase-sensitive full-field imaging technique where the phase retrieval can be carried out from a single exposure alone. Thus, the method is attractive for imaging applications at X-ray free-electron lasers where intrinsic pulse-to-pulse fluctuations pose a major challenge. In this work, the single-exposure phase imaging capabilities of grating interferometry are characterized by an implementation at the I13-1 beamline of Diamond Light Source (Oxfordshire, UK). For comparison purposes, propagation-based phase contrast imaging was also performed at the same instrument. The characterization is carried out in terms of the quantitativeness and the contrast-to-noise ratio of the phase reconstructions as well as via the achievable spatial resolution. By using a statistical image reconstruction scheme, previous limitations of grating interferometry regarding the spatial resolution can be mitigated as well as the experimental applicability of the technique
Evolution of Hierarchically Porous Nickel Alumina Catalysts Studied by X‐Ray Ptychography
The synthesis of hierarchically porous materials usually requires complex experimental procedures, often based around extensive trial and error approaches. One common synthesis strategy is the sol–gel method, although the relation between synthesis parameters, material structure and function has not been widely explored. Here, in situ 2D hard X‐ray ptychography (XRP) and 3D ptychographic X‐ray computed tomography (PXCT) are applied to monitor the development of hierarchical porosity in Ni/Al(2)O(3) and Al(2)O(3) catalysts with connected meso‐ and macropore networks. In situ XRP allows to follow textural changes of a dried gel Ni/Al(2)O(3) sample as a function of temperature during calcination, activation and CO(2) methanation reaction. Complementary PXCT studies on dried gel particles of Ni/Al(2)O(3) and Al(2)O(3) provide quantitative information on pore structure, size distribution, and shape with 3D spatial resolution approaching 50 nm, while identical particles are imaged ex situ before and after calcination. The X‐ray imaging results are correlated with N(2)‐sorption, Hg porosimetry and He pycnometry pore characterization. Hard X‐ray nanotomography is highlighted to derive fine structural details including tortuosity, branching nodes, and closed pores, which are relevant in understanding transport phenomena during chemical reactions. XRP and PXCT are enabling technologies to understand complex synthesis pathways of porous materials
A versatile nanoreactor for complementary in situ X-ray and electron microscopy studies in catalysis and materials science
PtyNAMi: ptychographic nano-analytical microscope
Ptychographic X-ray imaging at the highest spatial resolution requires an optimal experimental environment, providing a high coherent flux, excellent mechanical stability and a low background in the measured data. This requires, for example, a stable performance of all optical components along the entire beam path, high temperature stability, a robust sample and optics tracking system, and a scatter-free environment. This contribution summarizes the efforts along these lines to transform the nanoprobe station on beamline P06 (PETRA III) into the ptychographic nano-analytical microscope (PtyNAMi
- …