In situ X-ray beam imaging using an off-axis magnifying coded aperture camera system

An imaging model and an image reconstruction algorithm for a transparent X-ray beam imaging and position measuring instrument are presented. The instrument relies on a coded aperture camera to record magnified images of the footprint of the incident beam on a thin foil placed in the beam at an oblique angle. The imaging model represents the instrument as a linear system whose impulse response takes into account the image blur owing to the finite thickness of the foil, the shape and size of camera’s aperture and detector’s point-spread function. The image reconstruction algorithm first removes the image blur using the modelled impulse response function and then corrects for geometrical distortions caused by the foil tilt. The performance of the image reconstruction algorithm was tested in experiments at synchrotron radiation beamlines. The results show that the proposed imaging system produces images of the X-ray beam cross section with a quality comparable with images obtained using X-ray cameras that are exposed to the direct beam

Position and flux stabilization of X-ray beams produced by double-crystal monochromators for EXAFS scans at the titanium K

The simultaneous and active feedback stabilization of X-ray beam position and monochromatic beam flux during EXAFS scans at the titanium K-edge as produced by a double-crystal monochromator beamline is reported. The feedback is generated using two independent feedback loops using separate beam flux and position measurements. The flux is stabilized using a fast extremum-searching algorithm that is insensitive to changes in the synchrotron ring current and energy-dependent monochromator output. Corrections of beam height are made using an innovative transmissive beam position monitor instrument. The efficacy of the feedback stabilization method is demonstrated by comparing the measurements of EXAFS spectra on inhomogeneous diluted Ti-containing samples with and without feedback applied. © 2014 International Union of Crystallography

In situ micro-focused X-ray beam characterization with a lensless camera using a hybrid pixel detector

Results of studies on micro-focused X-ray beam diagnostics using an X-ray beam imaging (XBI) instrument based on the idea of recording radiation scattered from a thin foil of a low-Z material with a lensless camera are reported. The XBI instrument captures magnified images of the scattering region within the foil as illuminated by the incident beam. These images contain information about beam size, beam position and beam intensity that is extracted during dedicated signal processing steps. In this work the use of the device with beams for which the beam size is significantly smaller than that of a single detector pixel is explored. The performance of the XBI device equipped with a state-of-the-art hybrid pixel X-ray imaging sensor is analysed. Compared with traditional methods such as slit edge or wire scanners, the XBI micro-focused beam characterization is significantly faster and does not interfere with on-going experiments. The challenges associated with measuring micrometre-sized beams are described and ways of optimizing the resolution of beam position and size measurements of the XBI instrument are discussed