Nonlinearly Shaped Pulses in Photoinjectors and Free-Electron Lasers

Photoinjectors and Free Electron Lasers (FEL) are amongst the most advanced systems in accelerator physics and have consistently pushed the boundaries of emittance and x-ray peak power. In this paper, laser shaping at the cathode is proposed to further lower the emittance and reduce electron beam tails, which would result in brighter x-ray production. Using dispersion controlled nonlinear shaping (DCNS), laser pulses and beam dynamics were simulated in LCLS-II. The photoinjector emittance was optimized and the resulting e-beam profiles were then simulated and optimized in the linac. Finally, the expected FEL performance is estimated and compared to the current technology: Gaussian laser pulses on the cathode. The e-beams produced by DCNS pulses show a potential for 35% increase in x-ray power per pulse during SASE when compared to the standard Gaussian laser pulses

Evidence for Microbial Enhanced Electrical Conductivity in Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Sediments

Bulk electrical conductivity of sediments during microbial mineralization of diesel was investigated in a mesoscale laboratory experiment consisting of biotic contaminated and uncontaminated columns. Population numbers of oil degrading microorganisms increased with a clear pattern of depth zonation within the contaminated column not observed in the uncontaminated column. Microbial community structure determined from ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer analysis showed a highly specialized microbial community in the contaminated column. The contaminated column showed temporal increases in bulk conductivity, dissolved inorganic carbon, and calcium, suggesting that the high bulk conductivity is due to enhanced mineral weathering from microbial activity. The greatest change in bulk conductivity occurred in sediments above the water table saturated with diesel. Variations in electrical conductivity magnitude and microbial populations and their depth distribution in the contaminated column are similar to field observations. The results of this study suggest that geophysical methodologies may potentially be used to investigate microbial activity

In-situ Apparent Conductivity Measurements and Microbial Population Distribution at a Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Site

We investigated the bulk electrical conductivity and microbial population distribution in sediments at a site contaminated with light nonaqueous-phase liquid (LNAPL). The bulk conductivity was measured using in-situ vertical resistivity probes; the most probable number method was used to characterize the spatial distribution of aerobic heterotrophic and oil-degrading microbial populations. The purpose of this study was to assess if high conductivity observed at aged LNAPL-impacted sites may be related to microbial degradation of LNAPL. The results show higher bulk conductivity coincident with LNAPL-impacted zones, in contrast to geoelectrical models that predict lower conductivity in such zones. The highest bulk conductivity was observed to be associated with zones impacted by residual and free LNAPL. Data from bacteria enumeration from sediments close to the resistivity probes show that oil-degrading microbes make up a larger percentage (5-55%) of the heterotrophic microbial community at depths coincident with the higher conductivity compared to ∼5% at the uncontaminated location. The coincidence of a higher percentage of oil-degrading microbial populations in zones of higher bulk conductivity suggests that the higher conductivity in these zones may result from increased fluid conductivity related to microbial degradation of LNAPL, consistent with geochemical studies that suggest that intrinsic biodegradation is occurring at the site. The findings from this study point to the fact that biogeochemical processes accompanying biodegradation of contaminants can potentially alter geoelectrical properties of the subsurface impacted media

The LCLS-II Photoinjector Laser Infrastructure

This paper presents a comprehensive technical overview of the Linac Coherent Light Source II (LCLS-II) photoinjector laser system, its first and foremost component. The LCLS-II photoinjector laser system serves as an upgrade to the original LCLS at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This advanced laser system generates high-quality laser beams to power the LCLS-II, contributing to the instrument's unprecedented brightness, precision, and flexibility. Our discussion extends to the various subsystems that comprise the photoinjector, including the photocathode laser, laser heater, and beam transport systems. Lastly, we draw attention to the ongoing research and development infrastructure underway to enhance the functionality and efficiency of the LCLS-II, and similar X-ray free-electron laser facilities around the world, thereby contributing to the future of laser technology and its applications.Comment: Submitted to High Power Laser Science and Engineerin

Enhanced ultrafast X-ray diffraction by transient resonances

Diffraction-before-destruction imaging with single ultrashort X-ray pulses has the potential to visualise non-equilibrium processes, such as chemical reactions, at the nanoscale with sub-femtosecond resolution in the native environment without the need of crystallization. Here, a nanospecimen partially diffracts a single X-ray flash before sample damage occurs. The structural information of the sample can be reconstructed from the coherent X-ray interference image. State-of-art spatial resolution of such snapshots from individual heavy element nanoparticles is limited to a few nanometers. Further improvement of spatial resolution requires higher image brightness which is ultimately limited by bleaching effects of the sample. We compared snapshots from individual 100 nm Xe nanoparticles as a function of the X-ray pulse duration and incoming X-ray intensity in the vicinity of the Xe M-shell resonance. Surprisingly, images recorded with few femtosecond and sub-femtosecond pulses are up to 10 times brighter than the static linear model predicts. Our Monte-Carlo simulation and statistical analysis of the entire data set confirms these findings and attributes the effect to transient resonances. Our simulation suggests that ultrafast form factor changes during the exposure can increase the brightness of X-ray images by several orders of magnitude. Our study guides the way towards imaging with unprecedented combination of spatial and temporal resolution at the nanoscale

Attosecond Delays in X-ray Molecular Ionization

The photoelectric effect is not truly instantaneous, but exhibits attosecond delays that can reveal complex molecular dynamics. Sub-femtosecond duration light pulses provide the requisite tools to resolve the dynamics of photoionization. Accordingly, the past decade has produced a large volume of work on photoionization delays following single photon absorption of an extreme ultraviolet (XUV) photon. However, the measurement of time-resolved core-level photoionization remained out of reach. The required x-ray photon energies needed for core-level photoionization were not available with attosecond tabletop sources. We have now measured the x-ray photoemission delay of core-level electrons, and here report unexpectedly large delays, ranging up to 700 attoseconds in NO near the oxygen K-shell threshold. These measurements exploit attosecond soft x-ray pulses from a free-electron laser (XFEL) to scan across the entire region near the K-shell threshold. Furthermore, we find the delay spectrum is richly modulated, suggesting several contributions including transient trapping of the photoelectron due to shape resonances, collisions with the Auger-Meitner electron that is emitted in the rapid non-radiative relaxation of the molecule, and multi-electron scattering effects. The results demonstrate how x-ray attosecond experiments, supported by comprehensive theoretical modelling, can unravel the complex correlated dynamics of core-level photoionization