X-ray diffraction measurement of a single nanometre-sized particle levitated in air by an optical-trap sample holder.

A single-beam optical-trap sample holder for X-ray diffraction measurements with synchrotron radiation has been developed. The sample holder was used to obtain an X-ray diffraction image of a single ZnO particle levitated in air, without mechanical contact, by the optical gradient force exerted by a focused laser beam. The diffraction image showed a Debye ring pattern, which was similar to a powder diffraction pattern of an assemblage of ZnO particles. While the ZnO particle is held by the optical trap in air, it rotates irregularly. Therefore, the Debye ring pattern of the ZnO particle can be clearly obtained even if the ZnO particle is a single grain. Lattice parameters and crystallite size of the single ZnO particle were determined simultaneously. The lattice parameters were determined to be a = 3.2505 ± 0.0005 Šand c = 5.207 ± 0.006 Å, which are consistent with those of the assemblage of ZnO particles. The crystallite size determined by the Scherrer method was 193.4 ± 26.2 nm.

System of laser pump and synchrotron radiation probe microdiffraction to investigate optical recording process.

We have developed a system of laser-pump and synchrotron radiation probe microdiffraction to investigate the phase-change process on a nanosecond time scale of Ge2Sb2Te5 film embedded in multi-layer structures, which corresponds to real optical recording media. The measurements were achieved by combining (i) the pump-laser system with a pulse width of 300 ps, (ii) a highly brilliant focused microbeam with wide peak-energy width (ΔE∕E ~ 2%) made by focusing helical undulator radiation without monochromatization, and (iii) a precise sample rotation stage to make repetitive measurements. We successfully detected a very weak time-resolved diffraction signal by using this system from 100-nm-thick Ge2Sb2Te5 phase-change layers. This enabled us to find the dependence of the crystal-amorphous phase change process of the Ge2Sb2Te5 layers on laser power.

X-ray diffractometry for the structure determination of a submicrometre single powder grain.

A high-precision diffractometer has been developed for the structure analysis of a submicrometre-scale single grain of a powder sample at the SPring-8 BL40XU undulator beamline. The key design concept is the combination of a stable focused synchrotron radiation beam and the precise axis control of the diffractometer, which allows accurate diffraction intensity data of a submicrometre-scale single powder grain to be measured. The phase zone plate was designed to create a high-flux focused synchrotron radiation beam. A low-eccentric goniometer and high-precision sample positioning stages were adopted to ensure the alignment of a micrometre-scale focused synchrotron radiation beam onto the submicrometre-scale single powder grain. In order to verify the diffractometer performance, the diffraction pattern data of several powder grains of BaTiO(3), of dimensions approximately 600 x 600 x 300 nm, were measured. By identifying the diffraction data set of one single powder grain, the crystal structure was successfully determined with a reliable factor of 5.24%.

Ultra-high-precision time control system over any long time delay for laser pump and synchrotron x-ray probe experiment.

An ultra-high-precision clock system for long time delay has been developed for picosecond time-resolved x-ray diffraction measurements using synchrotron radiation (SR) pulses and synchronized femtosecond laser pulses. The time delay control between pump laser pulse and the probe SR pulse was achieved by combining an in-phase quadrature modulator and a synchronous counter. This method allowed us to change the delay time by a nearly infinite amount while maintaining the precision of +/-8.40 ps. Time-resolved diffraction measurements using the delay control system were demonstrated for precise measurement of an acoustic velocity in a single crystal of gallium arsenide.

Electron-spin polarization of photoions produced through photoionization from the laser-excited triplet state of Sr.

We report the detailed experimental study on the production of electron-spin-polarized Sr+ ions through one-photon resonant two-photon ionization via laser-excited 5s5p 3P1 (MJ = +1) of Sr atoms produced by laser-ablation. We have experimentally confirmed that the use of laser-ablation for the production of Sr atoms prior to photoionization does not affect the electron-spin polarization. We have found that the degree of electron-spin polarization is 64+/-9%, which is in good agreement with our recent theoretical prediction. As we discuss in detail, we infer, from a simple analysis, that photoelectrons, being the counterpart of electron-spin-polarized Sr+ ions, have approximately the same degree of electron-spin polarization. Our experimental results demonstrate that the combined use of laser-ablation technique and pulsed lasers for photoionization would be a compact and effective way to realize a pulsed source for spin-polarized ions and electrons for the studies of various spin-dependent dynamics in chemical physics.