Expected thermal deformation and wavefront preservation of a cryogenic Si monochromator for Cornell ERL beamlines.

Cornell energy-recovery linac (ERL) beamlines will have higher power density and higher fractional coherence than those available at third-generation sources; therefore the capability of a monochromator for ERL beamlines has to be studied. A cryogenic Si monochromator is considered in this paper because the perfect atomic structure of Si crystal is needed to deliver highly coherent radiation. Since neither the total heat load nor the power density alone can determine the severity of crystal deformation, a metric called modified linear power density is used to gauge the thermal deformation. For all ERL undulator beamlines, crystal thermal deformation profiles are simulated using the finite-element analysis tool ANSYS, and wavefront propagations are simulated using Synchrotron Radiation Workshop. It is concluded that cryogenic Si monochromators will be suitable for ERL beamlines in general.

Dual-detector X-ray fluorescence imaging of ancient artifacts with surface relief.

Interpretation of X-ray fluorescence images of archeological artifacts is complicated by the presence of surface relief and roughness. Using two symmetrically arranged fluorescence detectors in a back-reflection geometry, the proper X-ray fluorescence yield can be distinguished from intensity variations caused by surface topography. This technique has been applied to the study of Roman inscriptions on marble.

Feasibility of one-shot-per-crystal structure determination using Laue diffraction.

Crystal size is an important factor in determining the number of diffraction patterns which may be obtained from a protein crystal before severe radiation damage sets in. As crystal dimensions decrease this number is reduced, eventually falling to one, at which point a complete data set must be assembled using data from multiple crystals. When only a single exposure is to be collected from each crystal, the polychromatic Laue technique may be preferable to monochromatic methods owing to its simultaneous recording of a large number of fully recorded reflections per image. To assess the feasibility of solving structures using single Laue images from multiple crystals, data were collected using a 'pink' beam at the CHESS D1 station from groups of lysozyme crystals with dimensions of the order of 20-30 microm mounted on MicroMesh grids. Single-shot Laue data were used for structure determination by molecular replacement and correct solutions were obtained even when as few as five crystals were used.

High-flux hard X-ray microbeam using a single-bounce capillary with doubly focused undulator beam.

A pre-focused X-ray beam at 12 keV and 9 keV has been used to illuminate a single-bounce capillary in order to generate a high-flux X-ray microbeam. The BioCAT undulator X-ray beamline 18ID at the Advanced Photon Source was used to generate the pre-focused beam containing 1.2 x 10(13) photons s(-1) using a sagittal-focusing double-crystal monochromator and a bimorph mirror. The capillary entrance was aligned with the focal point of the pre-focused beam in order to accept the full flux of the undulator beam. Two alignment configurations were tested: (i) where the center of the capillary was aligned with the pre-focused beam (;in-line') and (ii) where one side of the capillary was aligned with the beam (;off-line'). The latter arrangement delivered more flux (3.3 x 10(12) photons s(-1)) and smaller spot sizes (< or =10 microm FWHM in both directions) for a photon flux density of 4.2 x 10(10) photons s(-1) microm(-2). The combination of the beamline main optics with a large-working-distance (approximately 24 mm) capillary used in this experiment makes it suitable for many microprobe fluorescence applications that require a micrometer-size X-ray beam and high flux density. These features are advantageous for biological samples, where typical metal concentrations are in the range of a few ng cm(-2). Micro-XANES experiments are also feasible using this combined optical arrangement.

Silicon nitride transmission X-ray mirrors.

Transmission X-ray mirrors have been fabricated from 300-400 nm-thick low-stress silicon nitride windows of size 0.6 mm x 85 mm. The windows act as a high-pass energy filter at grazing incidence in an X-ray beam for the beam transmitted through the window. The energy cut-off can be selected by adjusting the incidence angle of the transmission mirror, because the energy cut-off is a function of the angle of the window with respect to the beam. With the transmission mirror at the target angle of 0.22 degrees , a 0.3 mm x 0.3 mm X-ray beam was allowed to pass through the mirror with a cut-off energy of 10 keV at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source. The energy cut-off can be adjusted from 8 to 12 keV at an angle of 0.26 degrees to 0.18 degrees , respectively. The observed mirror transmittance was above 80% for a 300 nm-thick film.

Multilayer X-ray optics at CHESS.

Almost half of the X-ray beamlines at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) are based on multilayer optics. ;Traditional' multilayers with an energy resolution of DeltaE/E approximately 2% are routinely used to deliver X-ray flux enhanced by a factor of 10(2) in comparison with standard Si(111) optics. Sagittal-focusing multilayers with fixed radius provide an additional factor of 10 gain in flux density. High-resolution multilayer optics with DeltaE/E approximately 0.2% are now routinely used by MacCHESS crystallographers. New wide-bandpass multilayers with DeltaE/E = 5% and 10% have been designed and tested for potential applications in macromolecular crystallography. Small d-spacing multilayers with d < or = 20 A have been successfully used to extend the energy range of multilayer optics. Analysis of the main characteristics of the Mo/B4C and W/B4C small d-spacing multilayer optics shows enhancement in their performance at higher energies. Chemical vapour deposited SiC, with a bulk thermal conductivity of a factor of two higher than that of silicon, has been successfully introduced as a substrate material for multilayer optics. Characteristics of different types of multilayer optics at CHESS beamlines and their applications in a variety of scattering, diffraction and imaging techniques are discussed.

Single-bounce monocapillaries for focusing synchrotron radiation: modeling, measurements and theoretical limits.

Single-bounce hollow glass capillaries with ellipsoidal shapes have been used at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source recently for various microbeam experiments, with focal spot sizes from 12 to 23 microm, divergences from 2 to 8 mrad, intensities up to 450 times the intensities of incident X-rays, and working distances up to 55 mm. Simple formulae are developed in this paper to explain capillary performance given the X-ray source size, capillary dimensions and slope errors. Capillary length is optimized for best focusing performance. Capillary fabrication accuracy is reported and capillary X-ray tests confirm the focusing properties expected from formulae. The application of capillaries to third-generation X-ray sources and future energy-recovery linac X-ray sources are discussed.

Energy-recovery linac project at Cornell University.

There is considerable interest in using superconducting electron linacs with energy recovery as synchrotron radiation sources. Such energy recovery linacs (ERLs) would open new regimes of X-ray science because they are capable of producing ultra-brilliant X-ray beams [>5 x 10(22) photons s(-1) (0.1% bandwidth)(-1) mm(-2) mrad(-2) at 10 keV], maintaining a very small source size ( approximately 3 micro m r.m.s.) suitable for micro X-ray beams, and making very intense fast ( approximately 100 fs) X-ray pulses. Each of these characteristics would permit the execution of experiments that are not feasible with existing synchrotron sources. Many technical issues must be satisfactorily resolved before the potential of a full-scale ERL can be realised, including the generation of high average current (10 to 100 mA), high-brightness electron beams (0.015 to 0.15 nm rad emittances, respectively); acceleration of these beams to energies of 5-7 GeV without unacceptable emittance degradation; stable and efficient operation of superconducting linear accelerators at very high gradients etc. Cornell University, in collaboration with Jefferson Laboratory, has proposed to resolve these issues by the construction of a 100 MeV, 100 mA prototype ERL. The intention is to then utilize the information that is learned from the prototype to propose the construction of a full-scale ERL light source.