Ultrahigh-vacuum soft x-ray reflectometer

Abstract

We have designed, built, and tested a new instrument for soft x-ray scattering experiments. The reflectometer works under ultrahigh vacuum and permits in situ preparation and characterization of the samples. In particular, deposition and sputtering operations can be performed while measuring x-ray scattering. We report the results of test measurements performed using synchrotron radiation. The precision of the combined positioning of sample and detector angles is better than 0.01°. Separately, sample and detector rotations have a repeatability that is better than 0.005°. Applications will be in the field of surface physics, with emphasis on magnetic properties of surfaces, thin films, and multilayered structures.

Testing spin-flip scattering as a possible mechanism of ultrafast demagnetization in ordered magnetic alloys

“…The IR pump (spot size about 500 µm FWHM) and XUV probe beam (spot size about 200 µm FWHM) are recombined on the sample in an almost collinear geometry in the IRMA reflectometer featuring a vertical scattering plane [29]. The maximum temporal inaccuracy by changing the XUV wavelength, due to movements in the monochromator, is estimated to be below 5 fs for the chosen harmonics.…”

Seeded Multicolor FEL Pulses: Status and Future Plans

“…The two-color, twin-seeded FEL source described earlier has been used in a test experiment aimed at studying the resonant-pump/ resonant-probe magnetization dynamics in Fe-Ni samples, using the IRMA reflectometer [59] installed at the DIPROI beamline [60].…”

News and views

“…Such reflectometry facilities are available at different synchrotron sources across the world [1,2], however the work presented here describes the first reflectometry system available in the Indian subcontinent, which operates in the soft X-ray/vacuum ultraviolet region.…”