Total scattering measurements at the Australian Synchrotron Powder Diffraction beamline: capabilities and limitations
This study describes the capabilities and limitations of carrying out total scattering experiments on the Powder Diffraction (PD) beamline at the Australian Synchrotron, ANSTO. A maximum instrument momentum transfer of 19   Å − 1 can be achieved if the data are collected at 21   keV. The results detail how the pair distribution function (PDF) is affected by Qmax, absorption and counting time duration at the PD beamline, and refined structural parameters exemplify how the PDF is affected by these parameters. There are considerations when performing total scattering experiments at the PD beamline, including (1) sample...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - January 13, 2023 Category: Physics Authors: D'Angelo, A.M. Brand, H.E.A. Mitchell, V.D. Hamilton, J.L. Oldfield, D. Liu, A.C.Y. Gu, Q. Tags: pair distribution function powder X-ray diffraction Mythen-II detector total scattering research papers Source Type: research

Effects of synchrotron-based X-rays and gold nanoparticles on normal and cancer cell morphology and migration
In this study, synchrotron-based microbeam radiation therapy, as a novel pre-clinical radiotherapy protocol, is employed to investigate the effects of AuNPs on cell migration. Experiments were conducted utilizing synchrotron X-rays to investigate cancer and normal cell morphology and migration behaviour when they are exposed to synchrotron broad beams (SBB) and synchrotron microbeams (SMB). This in vitro study was conducted in two phases. In phase I two cancer cell lines – human prostate (DU145) and human lung (A549) – were exposed to various doses of SBB and SMB. Based on the phase I results, in phase II two normal ce...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - January 13, 2023 Category: Physics Authors: Shahhoseini, E. Nakayama, M. Panettieri, V. Hall, C. Feltis, B. Geso, M. Tags: synchrotron-based X-rays cell migration microbeam radiation therapy research papers Source Type: research

Development of an insertion device selectively operational as a helical/figure-8 undulator
An insertion device capable of switching the operation mode between helical and figure-8 undulators, and thus referred to as a helical-8 undulator, has been developed. It has the advantage that the on-axis heat load can be kept low regardless of the polarization state, even when a high K value is required to lower the fundamental photon energy. This is in contrast to conventional undulators in which the on-axis heat load tends to be significantly high to generate linearly polarized radiation with a high K value, and optical elements can be seriously damaged. The principle of operation, specification and light source perfor...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - January 13, 2023 Category: Physics Authors: Tanaka, T. Seike, T. Kagamihata, A. Aoyagi, H. Kai, T. Sano, M. Takahashi, S. Oura, M. Tags: undulator polarization low heat load research papers Source Type: research

Ian Munro – father of synchrotron radiation in the UK (1937 – 2022)
(Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation)
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 23, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Hasnain, S.S. Tags: obituary obituaries Source Type: research

BioSAXS at European Synchrotron Radiation Facility – Extremely Brilliant Source: BM29 with an upgraded source, detector, robot, sample environment, data collection and analysis software
As part of its Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS) upgrade project, the ESRF's BM29 BioSAXS beamline was subject to a significant upgrade and refurbishment. In addition to the replacement of the beamline's original bending magnet source by a two-pole wiggler, leading to an increase in brilliance by a factor of 60, the sample environment of the beamline was almost completely refurbished: a vacuum-compatible Pilatus3 X 2M with a sensitive area of 253.7   mm × 288   mm and frame rates up to 250   Hz was installed, increasing the active area available and thus the q-scaling of scattering images taken; the sample changer wa...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 17, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Tully, M.D. Kieffer, J. Brennich, M.E. Cohen Aberdam, R. Florial, J.B. Hutin, S. Oscarsson, M. Beteva, A. Popov, A. Moussaoui, D. Theveneau, P. Papp, G. Gigmes, J. Cipriani, F. McCarthy, A. Zubieta, C. Mueller-Dieckmann, C. Leonard, G. Pernot, P. Tags: BM29 high-throughput small-angle X-ray scattering SAXS macromolecules in solution online size-exclusion chromatography (SEC-SAXS) microfluidic screening beamlines Source Type: research

A compact-rigid multi-analyser for energy and angle filtering of high-resolution X-ray experiments. Part 2. Efficiency of a single-crystal-comb
Diffraction instruments using filtering by one or several analyser crystals exist since the 1980s and 1990s at synchrotron radiation sources, but, due to its low efficiency, this filtering is little used on laboratory sources. In order to overcome this limitation, the efficiency of a small diffraction filtering multi-analyzer block (MAD block) realized with a `single-crystal-comb' curved on a rigid support is demonstrated here. The geometry of this curved surface is logarithmic spiral and is optimized to allow multi-filtering over a relatively important diffraction angular range and to be also applicable over an X-ray spec...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 16, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Hodeau, J.-L. Prat, A. Boudet, N. Blanc, N. Arnaud, S. Hazemann, J.-L. Lah é ra, E. Proux, O. Jacquet, M. Autran, P.-O. Dejoie, C. Martinetto, P. Tags: high-resolution powder diffraction multi-analyser-diffraction filtering heterogeneous materials compact-rigid multi-analyser research papers Source Type: research

A compact-rigid multi-analyser for energy and angle filtering of high-resolution X-ray experiments. Part 1. Principles and implementation
Diffraction and spectroscopy instruments using a filtering process with several analyser crystals have existed for about 30 years at synchrotron radiation sources, but they are difficult to use on laboratory sources. Several diffraction multi-filtering systems for powder diffraction experiments have been studied and optimized, in order to show the relevance, simplicity and efficiency of their implementation. Optical filter systems containing one or many diffracting elements, precisely positioned in a rigid manner on a logarithmic spiral surface and having a stability that allows high resolution and high sensitivity to powd...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 16, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Prat, A. Hodeau, J.-L. Tags: high-resolution powder diffraction multi-analyser diffraction filtering heterogeneous materials high-resolution experiments compact-rigid multi-analyser research papers Source Type: research

Jungfraujoch: hardware-accelerated data-acquisition system for kilohertz pixel-array X-ray detectors
The JUNGFRAU 4-megapixel (4M) charge-integrating pixel-array detector, when operated at a full 2   kHz frame rate, streams data at a rate of 17   GB   s − 1. To operate this detector for macromolecular crystallography beamlines, a data-acquisition system called Jungfraujoch was developed. The system, running on a single server with field-programmable gate arrays and general-purpose graphics processing units, is capable of handling data produced by the JUNGFRAU 4M detector, including conversion of raw pixel readout to photon counts, compression and on-the-fly spot finding. It was also demonstrated that 30   GB  ...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 15, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Leonarski, F. Br ü ckner, M. Lopez-Cuenca, C. Mozzanica, A. Stadler, H.-C. Mat ě j, Z. Castellane, A. Mesnet, B. Wojdyla, J.A. Schmitt, B. Wang, M. Tags: X-ray detectors macromolecular crystallography X-ray image acquisition data acquisition field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) short communications Source Type: research

The structure of tick-borne encephalitis virus determined at X-ray free-electron lasers. Simulations
The study of virus structures by X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has attracted increased attention in recent decades. Such experiments are based on the collection of 2D diffraction patterns measured at the detector following the application of femtosecond X-ray pulses to biological samples. To prepare an experiment at the European XFEL, the diffraction data for the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) was simulated with different parameters and the optimal values were identified. Following the necessary steps of a well established data-processing pipeline, the structure of TBEV was obtained. In the structure determinati...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 15, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Assalauova, D. Vartanyants, I.A. Tags: single-particle imaging XFELs tick-borne encephalitis virus research papers Source Type: research

Fly-scan-oriented motion analyses and upgraded beamline integration architecture for the High-Dynamic Double-Crystal Monochromator at Sirius/LNLS
The High-Dynamic Double-Crystal Monochromator (HD-DCM) is a mechatronic system with unique control-based architecture and deep paradigm changes as compared with traditional beamline monochromators. Aiming at unprecedented inter-crystal positioning stability in vertical-bounce double-crystal monochromators (DCMs) of the order of 10   nrad RMS (1   Hz to 2.5   kHz), and not only in fixed-energy but also in fly-scan operation, it has been developed according to a `first-time right' predictive design approach for hard X-ray beamlines at Sirius, the fourth-generation light source at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laborat...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 14, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Geraldes, R.R. Luiz, S.A.L. de Brito Neto, J.L. Soares, T.R.S. dos Reis, R.D. Calligaris, G.A. Witvoet, G. Vermeulen, J.P.M.B. Tags: vertical double-crystal monochromator synchrotron instrumentation high-performance mechatronics continuous energy scanning beamline integration research papers Source Type: research

FOCUS: fast Monte Carlo approach to coherence of undulator sources
FOCUS (Fast Monte CarlO approach to Coherence of Undulator Sources) is a   new GPU-based simulation code to compute the transverse coherence of undulator radiation from ultra-relativistic electrons. The core structure of the code, which is written in the language C++ accelerated with CUDA, combines an analytical description of the emitted electric fields and massively parallel computations on GPUs. The combination is rigorously justified by a statistical description of synchrotron radiation based on a Fourier optics approach. FOCUS is validated by direct comparison with multi-electron Synchrotron Radiation Workshop (SRW) ...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 14, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Siano, M. Geloni, G. Paroli, B. Butti, D. Lef è vre, T. Mazzoni, S. Trad, G. Iriso, U. Nosych, A.A. Torino, L. Potenza, M.A.C. Tags: undulator sources cross spectral density function spectral degree of coherence GPU synchrotron radiation partially coherent radiation Monte Carlo simulations numerical algorithms research papers Source Type: research

Direct LiF imaging diagnostics on refractive X-ray focusing at the EuXFEL High Energy Density instrument
The application of fluorescent crystal media in wide-range X-ray detectors provides an opportunity to directly image the spatial distribution of ultra-intense X-ray beams including investigation of the focal spot of free-electron lasers. Here the capabilities of the micro- and nano-focusing X-ray refractive optics available at the High Energy Density instrument of the European XFEL are reported, as measured in situ by means of a LiF fluorescent detector placed into and around the beam caustic. The intensity distribution of the beam focused down to several hundred nanometers was imaged at 9   keV photon energy. A deviatio...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 9, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Makarov, S. Makita, M. Nakatsutsumi, M. Pikuz, T. Ozaki, N. Preston, T.R. Appel, K. Konopkova, Z. Cerantola, V. Brambrink, E. Schwinkendorf, J.-P. Mohacsi, I. Burian, T. Chalupsky, J. Hajkova, V. Juha, L. Vozda, V. Nagler, B. Zastrau, U. Pikuz, S. Tags: X-ray free-electron lasers X-ray focusing X-ray beam characterization compound refractive lenses focusing system lithium fluoride (LiF) detector research papers Source Type: research

Artifact identification in X-ray diffraction data using machine learning methods
In situ synchrotron high-energy X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) is highly utilized by researchers to analyze the crystallographic structures of materials in functional devices (e.g. battery materials) or in complex sample environments (e.g. diamond anvil cells or syntheses reactors). An atomic structure of a material can be identified by its diffraction pattern along with a detailed analysis of the Rietveld refinement which yields rich information on the structure and the material, such as crystallite size, microstrain and defects. For in situ experiments, a series of XRD images is usually collected on the same sample under...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 9, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Yanxon, H. Weng, J. Parraga, H. Xu, W. Ruett, U. Schwarz, N. Tags: in situ synchrotron high-energy X-ray powder diffraction machine learning image identification and recognition research papers Source Type: research

A magnetically controlled chemical – mechanical polishing (MC-CMP) approach for fabricating channel-cut silicon crystal optics for the High Energy Photon Source
Crystal monochromators are indispensable optical components for the majority of beamlines at synchrotron radiation facilities. Channel-cut monochromators are sometimes chosen to filter monochromatic X-ray beams by virtue of their ultrahigh angular stability. Nevertheless, high-accuracy polishing on the inner diffracting surfaces remains challenging, thus hampering their performance in preserving the coherence or wavefront of the photon beam. Herein, a magnetically controlled chemical – mechanical polishing (MC-CMP) approach has been successfully developed for fine polishing of the inner surfaces of channel-cut crystals. ...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 5, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Hong, Z. Diao, Q. Xu, W. Yuan, Q. Yang, J. Li, Z. Jiang, Y. Zhang, C. Zhang, D. Liu, F. Zhang, X. Liu, P. Tao, Y. Sheng, W. Li, M. Zhao, Y. Tags: channel-cut crystal MC-CMP high-accuracy roughness residue-stress free scratch- and speckle-free research papers Source Type: research

Differential phase contrast for quantitative imaging and spectro-microscopy at a nanoprobe beamline
The interaction of a focused X-ray beam with a sample in a scanning probe experiment can provide a variety of information about the interaction volume. In many scanning probe experiments X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is supplemented with measurements of the transmitted or scattered intensity using a pixelated detector. The automated extraction of different signals from an area pixelated detector is described, in particular the methodology for extracting differential phase contrast (DPC) is demonstrated and different processing methods are compared across a range of samples. The phase shift of the transmitted X-ray beam by the s...
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - December 5, 2022 Category: Physics Authors: Quinn, P.D. Cacho-Nerin, F. Gomez-Gonzalez, M.A. Parker, J.E. Poon, T. Walker, J.M. Tags: differential phase contrast DPC ptychography nanoprobe spectro-microscopy research papers Source Type: research