Transmission zone plates as analyzers for efficient parallel 2D RIXS-mapping

Abstract

We have implemented and successfully tested an off-axis transmission Fresnel zone plate as spectral analyzer for resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS). The imaging capabilities of zone plates allow for advanced two-dimensional (2D) mapping applications. By varying the photon energy along a line focus on the sample, we were able to simultaneously record the emission spectra over a range of excitation energies. Moreover, by scanning a line focus across the sample in one dimension, we efficiently recorded RIXS spectra spatially resolved in 2D, increasing the throughput by two orders of magnitude. The presented scheme opens up a variety of novel measurements and efficient, ultra-fast time resolved investigations at X-ray Free-Electron Laser sources.

Strain analysis from M-edge resonant inelastic X-ray scattering of nickel oxide films

“…Also it should be noted that the energy range of the M 2,3 -edges of 3d-transition metal materials can be achieved with lab-high-harmonic-generation (HHG) sources. Although current HHG sources do not provide sufficient flux to perform the here presented RIXS experiments, we expect future developments increasing photon flux in combination with increased efficiency of RIXS optics, 33,34 such that one could foresee that this type of strain engineering analyses with M-edge RIXS may be performed in the lab in the future.…”

Exploiting atomic layer deposition for fabricating sub-10 nm X-ray lenses

“…The line-doubling approach is successfully applied to the fabrication of FZPs with diffraction-limited resolution approaching 10 nm and below. As an additional advantage, the placement of each metal line can be fully controlled by the design of the template structure, making this approach especially appealing for focusing optics, such as FZPs, but also off-axis zone plates [20,21], or one-dimensional gratings with a line focus.…”

Development of Ultrafast X-ray Free Electron Laser Tools in (Bio)Chemical Research

“…The current examples emphasize, however, that the real world, functional materials, pharmaceuticals, catalysts or energy converting materials are not always crystalline and far from being periodically ideally arranged as it could look like when performing model type of investigations. If the intrinsic spatial resolution of the system does not allow for such detailed investigations, a combination of ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy and ultrafast X-ray diffraction or scattering as the "local to global approach" deliver configuration and charge information of the molecules studied [60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76]. This approach will be described in the following chapter.…”

“…As ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction can "shake their hands" in Xray Free-electron laser science, they open up new ways to study complex chemical reactions. X-ray diffraction [17-59] and X-ray spectroscopy [60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76] are complementary techniques. X-ray spectroscopy allows probing the electronic properties in an element-, orbital-and site-specific way, for example bonding or oxidation state changes [63].…”

“…Starting from this introduction as a comprehensive summary of the basic principles, in the following, various FEL methods developed so far will be summarised, including the concept of filming chemical reactions in real time utilizing ultrafast high-flux X-ray sources [11][12][13][14][15][16], X-ray Diffraction and Crystallography for Condensed State Chemistry Studies-Crystallography with Ultrahigh Temporal and Ultrahigh Spatial Resolution [14, and Applications in organic electronics and energy research [14,[53][54][55][56][57][58][59]; from From Local to Global: Ultrafast Multidimensional Soft X-ray Spectroscopy and Ultrafast X-ray Diffraction Shake Their Hands [60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76] and Applications in Bimolecular Reaction Studies and Photocatalysis [77][78][79][80] to Applications in Unimolecular Liquid Phase Reaction Dynamics [81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88]…”