Multispectroscopic Study of Single Xe Clusters Using XFEL Pulses

X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) deliver ultrashort coherent laser pulses in the X-ray spectral regime, enabling novel investigations into the structure of individual nanoscale samples. In this work, we demonstrate how single-shot small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements combined with fluorescence and ion time-of-flight (TOF) spectroscopy can be used to obtain size- and structure-selective evaluation of the light-matter interaction processes on the nanoscale. We recorded the SAXS images of single xenon clusters using XFEL pulses provided by the SPring-8 Angstrom compact free-electron laser (SACLA). The XFEL fluences and the radii of the clusters at the reaction point were evaluated and the ion TOF spectra and fluorescence spectra were sorted accordingly. We found that the XFEL fluence and cluster size extracted from the diffraction patterns showed a clear correlation with the fluorescence and ion TOF spectra. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of the multispectroscopic approach for exploring laser–matter interaction in the X-ray regime without the influence of the size distribution of samples and the fluence distribution of the incident XFEL pulses.

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Characterizing crystalline defects in single nanoparticles from angular correlations of single-shot diffracted X-rays

IUCrJ ◽

10.1107/s205225252000144x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 276-286 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Akinobu Niozu ◽

Yoshiaki Kumagai ◽

Toshiyuki Nishiyama ◽

Hironobu Fukuzawa ◽

Koji Motomura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Free Electron ◽

Structural Information ◽

Single Shot ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

X Ray ◽

Angular Correlations ◽

Crystalline Defects ◽

X Ray Scattering ◽

Diffraction Patterns ◽

Ray Scattering

Characterizing and controlling the uniformity of nanoparticles is crucial for their application in science and technology because crystalline defects in the nanoparticles strongly affect their unique properties. Recently, ultra-short and ultra-bright X-ray pulses provided by X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) opened up the possibility of structure determination of nanometre-scale matter with Å spatial resolution. However, it is often difficult to reconstruct the 3D structural information from single-shot X-ray diffraction patterns owing to the random orientation of the particles. This report proposes an analysis approach for characterizing defects in nanoparticles using wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) data from free-flying single nanoparticles. The analysis method is based on the concept of correlated X-ray scattering, in which correlations of scattered X-ray are used to recover detailed structural information. WAXS experiments of xenon nanoparticles, or clusters, were conducted at an XFEL facility in Japan by using the SPring-8 Ångstrom compact free-electron laser (SACLA). Bragg spots in the recorded single-shot X-ray diffraction patterns showed clear angular correlations, which offered significant structural information on the nanoparticles. The experimental angular correlations were reproduced by numerical simulation in which kinematical theory of diffraction was combined with geometric calculations. We also explain the diffuse scattering intensity as being due to the stacking faults in the xenon clusters.

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Processing of Diffraction Patterns Obtained from X-Ray Diffraction Imaging Experiments Using X-Ray Free Electron Laser Pulses

X-Ray Diffraction Imaging of Biological Cells - Springer Series in Optical Sciences ◽

10.1007/978-4-431-56618-2_6 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 125-140

Author(s):

Masayoshi Nakasako

Keyword(s):

Free Electron ◽

Free Electron Laser ◽

Laser Pulses ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

X Ray ◽

Diffraction Imaging ◽

Diffraction Patterns

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Multiple application X-ray imaging chamber for single-shot diffraction experiments with femtosecond X-ray laser pulses

Journal of Applied Crystallography ◽

10.1107/s1600576713029944 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 188-197 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Changyong Song ◽

Kensuke Tono ◽

Jaehyun Park ◽

Tomio Ebisu ◽

Sunam Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Free Electron ◽

Single Pulse ◽

Laser Pulses ◽

Atomic Scale ◽

Single Shot ◽

X Rays ◽

Structural Investigations ◽

X Ray ◽

Multiple Application ◽

X Ray Imaging

X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) provide intense (∼1012 photons per pulse) coherent X-rays with ultra-short (∼10−14 s) pulse lengths. X-rays of such an unprecedented nature have introduced new means of atomic scale structural investigations, and discoveries are still ongoing. Effective use of XFELs would be further accelerated on a highly adaptable platform where most of the new experiments can be realized. Introduced here is the multiple-application X-ray imaging chamber (MAXIC), which is able to carry out various single-pulse diffraction experiments including single-shot imaging, nanocrystallographic data acquisition and ultra-fast pump–probe scattering for specimens in solid, liquid and gas phases. The MAXIC established at the SPring-8 ångström compact free-electron laser (SACLA) has demonstrated successful applications in the aforementioned experiments, but is not limited to them. Also introduced are recent experiments on single-shot diffraction imaging of Au nanoparticles and serial crystallographic data collection of lysozyme crystals at SACLA.

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Spectral monitoring at SwissFEL using a high-resolution on-line hard X-ray single-shot spectrometer

Journal of Synchrotron Radiation ◽

10.1107/s1600577521009619 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Christian David ◽

Gediminas Seniutinas ◽

Mikako Makita ◽

Benedikt Rösner ◽

Jens Rehanek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Free Electron ◽

Free Electron Laser ◽

Reference Data ◽

Diffraction Order ◽

Laser Pulses ◽

Single Shot ◽

Spectral Measurements ◽

X Ray ◽

On Line ◽

Spectral Monitoring

The performance and parameters of the online photon single-shot spectrometer (PSSS) at the Aramis beamline of the SwissFEL free-electron laser are presented. The device operates between the photon energies 4 and 13 keV and uses diamond transmission gratings and bent Si crystals for spectral measurements on the first diffraction order of the beam. The device has an energy window of 0.7% of the median photon energy of the free-electron laser pulses and a spectral resolution (full width at half-maximum) ΔE/E on the order of 10−5. The device was characterized by comparing its performance with reference data from synchrotron sources, and a parametric study investigated other effects that could affect the reliability of the spectral information.

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Single-shot arrival timing diagnostics for a soft X-ray free-electron laser beamline at SACLA

Journal of Synchrotron Radiation ◽

10.1107/s1600577517015284 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 68-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Shigeki Owada ◽

Kyo Nakajima ◽

Tadashi Togashi ◽

Tetsuo Kayatama ◽

Makina Yabashi

Keyword(s):

Free Electron ◽

Free Electron Laser ◽

Imaging System ◽

Laser Pulses ◽

Single Shot ◽

Simultaneous Operation ◽

One Dimensional ◽

X Ray ◽

Arrival Timing ◽

Optical Laser

Arrival timing diagnostics performed at a soft X-ray free-electron laser (FEL) beamline of SACLA are described. Intense soft X-ray FEL pulses with one-dimensional focusing efficiently induce transient changes of optical reflectivity on the surface of GaAs. The arrival timing between soft X-ray FEL and optical laser pulses was successfully measured as a spatial position of the reflectivity change. The temporal resolution evaluated from the imaging system reaches ∼10 fs. This method requires only a small portion of the incident pulse energy, which enables the simultaneous operation of the arrival timing diagnostics and experiments by introducing a wavefront-splitting scheme.

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Time-resolved ionization measurements with intense ultrashort XUV and X-ray free-electron laser pulses

Laser and Particle Beams ◽

10.1017/s0263034619000326 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 235-241 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Victor Tkachenko ◽

Martin Büscher ◽

Hauke Höppner ◽

Nikita Medvedev ◽

Vladimir Lipp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Free Electron ◽

Impact Ionization ◽

Extreme Ultraviolet ◽

Laser Pulses ◽

Index Of Refraction ◽

Single Shot ◽

Monte Carlo Code ◽

Thermal Transitions ◽

Time Jitter ◽

X Ray

AbstractModern free-electron lasers (FEL) operating in XUV (extreme ultraviolet) or X-ray range allow an access to novel research areas. An example is the ultrafast ionization of a solid by an intense femtosecond FEL pulse in XUV which consequently leads to a change of the complex index of refraction on an ultrashort timescale. The photoionization and subsequent impact ionization resulting in electronic and atomic dynamics are modeled with our hybrid code XTANT(X-ray thermal and non-thermal transitions) and a Monte Carlo code XCASCADE(X-ray-induced electron cascades). The simulations predict the temporal kinetics of FEL-induced electron cascades and thus yield temporally and spatially resolved information on the induced changes of the optical properties. In a series of experiments at FERMI and LCLS, single shot measurements with spatio-temporal encoding of the ionization process have been performed by a correlation of the FEL pump pulse with an optical femtosecond probe pulse. An excellent agreement between the experiment and the simulation has been found. We also show that such kind of experiments forms the basis for pulse duration and arrival time jitter monitoring as currently under development for XUV-FELs.

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Data processing software suiteSITENNOfor coherent X-ray diffraction imaging using the X-ray free-electron laser SACLA

Journal of Synchrotron Radiation ◽

10.1107/s1600577514003439 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 600-612 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Yuki Sekiguchi ◽

Tomotaka Oroguchi ◽

Yuki Takayama ◽

Masayoshi Nakasako

Keyword(s):

Data Processing ◽

Free Electron ◽

Free Electron Laser ◽

Single Shot ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

X Ray ◽

Custom Made ◽

Diffraction Imaging ◽

Diffraction Patterns ◽

Ccd Detectors

Coherent X-ray diffraction imaging is a promising technique for visualizing the structures of non-crystalline particles with dimensions of micrometers to sub-micrometers. Recently, X-ray free-electron laser sources have enabled efficient experiments in the `diffraction before destruction' scheme. Diffraction experiments have been conducted at SPring-8 Angstrom Compact free-electron LAser (SACLA) using the custom-made diffraction apparatus KOTOBUKI-1 and two multiport CCD detectors. In the experiments, ten thousands of single-shot diffraction patterns can be collected within several hours. Then, diffraction patterns with significant levels of intensity suitable for structural analysis must be found, direct-beam positions in diffraction patterns determined, diffraction patterns from the two CCD detectors merged, and phase-retrieval calculations for structural analyses performed. A software suite namedSITENNOhas been developed to semi-automatically apply the four-step processing to a huge number of diffraction data. Here, details of the algorithm used in the suite are described and the performance for approximately 9000 diffraction patterns collected from cuboid-shaped copper oxide particles reported. Using theSITENNOsuite, it is possible to conduct experiments with data processing immediately after the data collection, and to characterize the size distribution and internal structures of the non-crystalline particles.

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