Advanced Light Source Research Articles

Research advances on X-ray pixel detectors

<p indent="0mm">Advanced light sources, represented by synchrotron radiation facilities, are important platforms for multi-discipline research. Several large-scale scientific facilities are under construction or being scheduled, including the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS), Shanghai high repetition rate XFEL and extreme light facility (SHINE), Hefei Light Source, and so on. This shows that they are the strategic directions from the national demands. However, detector technologies of the light source beamlines became the bottleneck problem for a long time. Among them, the X-ray pixel detector is a typical representative. Unfortunately, systematic studies were fully blank in this field in China before, and products were totally foreign-monopolized. To break through the dilemma, Wei Wei and his team made pioneer studies in the X-ray pixel detector field in China, and achieved two stages of key results through long-term research. (1) Realized the breakthrough and filled in the blanks in the field of high-end detectors for synchrotron radiation: Brought out the first domestic silicon pixel detector prototype machine, while the performance of the full system reached the level of advanced international products; the sub-project successfully passed the national acceptance inspection of HEPS-TF (High Energy Photon Source-Test Facility); the detector has been delivered for customer applications, while customers’ achievements have already begun to emerge. During the development work, key techniques of pixel detectors have been broken through, especially the techniques of pixel IC chips, sensors, and advanced packaging. Meanwhile, key technology localization has also been achieved and various innovations have been made. This proved the work generally solved the problem of “being strangled” in the field of pixel detectors. (2) Aiming at the international frontier: Led the development of the fine pitch pixel detector. Its spatial resolution reached the same level as the state-of-the-art research of the world, and filled in the blanks in the domestic field; Wei Wei proposed a novel 4-D detection mode and implemented it in the field of synchrotron radiation for the first time; a series of prototype chips were successfully developed for large-scale scientific facilities including vertex detectors for particle physics experiments, free-electron lasers, and so on. The work preliminarily realized “paralleling” with international studies while promoted from “pursuing”. The breakthrough of those key technologies can make beamlines in future light sources capable to realize customized detector design. Therefore, the restrictions from foreign products can be freed and a large number of national funds can be saved. Moreover, it also makes it possible to promote the beamline capabilities, or even explore brand new experimental methodologies to realize original innovations.

High field hybrid photoinjector electron source for advanced light source applications

The production of high spectral brilliance radiation from electron beam sources depends critically on the electron beam qualities. One must obtain very high electron beam brightness, implying simultaneous high peak current and low emittance. These attributes are enabled through the use of very high field acceleration in a radio-frequency (rf) photoinjector source. Despite the high fields currently utilized, there is a limit on the achievable peak current in high brightness operation, in the range of tens of Ampere. This limitation can be overcome by the use of a hybrid standing wave/traveling wave structure; the standing wave portion provides acceleration at a high field from the photocathode, while the traveling wave part yields strong velocity bunching. This approach is explored here in a C-band scenario, at field strengths ($&gt;100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$) at the current state-of-the-art. It is found that one may arrive at an electron beam with many hundreds of Amperes with well-sub-micron normalized emittance. This extremely compact injector system also possesses attractive simplification of the rf distribution system by eliminating the need for an rf circulator. We explore the use of this device in a compact 400 MeV-class source, driving both inverse Compton scattering and free-electron laser radiation sources with unique, attractive properties.

Beam response to rf-generator noise in the presence of higher-harmonic passive cavities

We examine the effect of higher-harmonic passive cavities (HHCs) on the beam response to rf noise. Upon invoking certain assumptions to make the problem tractable, we employ Vlasov methods to show that when the dipole approximation applies the HHCs have a generally limited impact. Beam loading in the main cavity is included in the analysis. We illustrate our results and the limitations of our model in application to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ALS (Advanced Light Source) and the future ALS Upgrade (ALS-U) offering validation against macroparticle simulations.

Exascale image processing for next-generation beamlines in advanced light sources

Exascale image processing for next-generation beamlines in advanced light sources

Submicrometer spectromicroscopy of UO2 aged under high humidity conditions

The oxidation of uranium dioxide is a complicated process, depending on factors including humidity, temperature, and microstructure. To further determine the characteristics of this process, UO2 particles were allowed to age and agglomerate under 98% relative humidity at room temperature for 378 days. A focused ion beam (FIB) section of this agglomeration was then measured at the O K-edge, U N5-edge, and C K-edge using the scanning transmission x-ray microscope (STXM) at the Advanced Light Source. O K-edge and U N5-edge x-ray absorption measurements allowed for the elemental and chemical species mapping of the agglomerates and indicated the formation of schoepite at the submicrometer scale in specific locations. Non-negative matrix factorization was employed to elucidate the main components at the O K-edge, which were uranyl (schoepite) formed primarily at the interface of the sample with controlled atmosphere, a UO2-like bulk component present in the majority of the sample, and an oxygen species present at the surface of the FIB section, which is likely adsorbed water. STXM spectromicroscopy measurements at the U N5-edge measurements also confirmed the location of oxidized uranium. This analysis is a valuable insight into the formation of schoepite on UO2 and shows the sensitivity to and utility of STXM spectromicroscopy for uranium speciation.

Conceptual design of DALS test facility cryogenic system

Dalian advanced light source (DALS) is a new project proposed by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) aiming to produce high-quality electron beam with repetition rate up to 100 kHz and the project is subject to central government approval. The cryomodules and superconducting cavities need to be tested before assembled in the real accelerator so the test facility is necessary. The Accelerator module test facility (AMTF) project has been funded by Dalian local government and is currently under construction as the pre-research project for DALS, it consists of four testbenches, one Horizontal testbench (HTB) for cryomodule test, one Vertical testbench (VTB) for cavity test, one Cryogenic testbench (CTB) for cryogenic test and one Injector testbench (ITB) for beam test. A Test facility cryoplant (TFCP) with capacity of 370 W@2 K will be used for cooling testbenches. This paper presents the design and current progress of the TFCP system, which includes the refrigerators, helium compressors, process vacuum pump system (PVPS), gas storage system, recovery and purification system.

Development of a novel high gradient quadrupole magnet

High gradient quadrupoles are key components for advanced synchrotron radiation light sources. This paper presents the magnet design, the mechanical structure and the magnetic field measurements of a novel high gradient quadrupole magnet. This high gradient quadrupole magnet with a gradient greater than 100 T/m uses permanent magnets (PMs) on the poles to improve the excitation efficiency. The magnetic field measurement results show the feasibility of this magnetic design.

Rapid Nondestructive Detection Enabled by an Ultra‐Broadband NIR pc‐LED

AbstractThe rapid development of near‐infrared (NIR) spectroscopic techniques has greatly stimulated the discovery of novel broadband NIR‐emitting phosphors as advanced light sources. Herein, a novel double‐perovskite phosphor La2MgHfO6:Cr3+/Yb3+ that displays ultra‐broadband NIR emissions with a full‐width at half maximum (FWHM) of 333 nm is reported. The remarkable luminescence property stems from the multiple crystallographic sites, relatively weak crystal field, and efficient Cr3‐to‐Yb3+ energy transfer (ET). The site occupation of Cr3+ is elaborately verified by the Rietveld refinement and first‐principles calculation. By controlling the ET process, the internal/external quantum efficiency (IQE/EQE), bandwidth, and thermal stability of NIR emissions are substantially improved. The as‐prepared phosphors are further integrated into a miniaturized NIR light‐emitting diode (LED) package, demonstrating superior performance in rapid nondestructive detection of structural failure in thin electronic cables. The results described here provide a novel pointcut for designing broadband NIR‐emitting phosphors with desired optical properties toward applications in industrial inspection and medical diagnosis.

Broadband impedance modeling and single bunch instabilities estimations of the advanced light source upgrade project

The Advanced Light Source Upgrade (ALS-U) is a 4th generation diffraction-limited soft x-ray radiation source, consisting of a new accumulator ring (AR) and a new storage ring (SR). In both rings coupling-impedance driven instabilities need careful evaluation to ensure meeting the machine’s high-performance goals. This paper presents the workflow followed in building the impedance models and the beam-stability analysis based on those models. We follow the commonly accepted approach of separating the resistive-wall and the geometric parts of the impedance; the former is obtained by analytical formulas, the latter by numerical electro-magnetic codes (primarily CST Studio software) with perfectly-conducting boundary conditions.Impedance budgets are established and pseudo-Green functions calculated to be used in beam dynamics studies. We also present various ways to cross-check simulation results for reliable impedance modeling. Finally, the crucial single-bunch instability current thresholds for various operation modes are determined and discussed.

Magnetic field reconstruction using the pulsed wire method: An accuracy analysis

Learning how to reconstruct the magnetic field profile from the pulsed wire method (PWM) is of fundamental importance to characterize undulators with limited magnetic gap accessibility. This paper presents a new data processing approach to reconstruct undulator magnetic field profiles from the PWM. We study via numerical simulations the accuracy and precision of the novel approach to recover the local undulator parameter and the root-mean-square (RMS) phase error. Due to the wire parameters uncertainties, the PWM can, in the best case, reach an accuracy of approximately 10−3 to reconstruct the local undulator parameter, and a precision (needed to determine the magnetic field quality) of about 10−5. Furthermore, our results show that the RMS phase error can be determined with a precision better than 0.2°. This contribution opens the possibility to apply the PWM to perform magnetic field reconstruction in small-gap short-period long undulators for advanced light sources.

A Multicenter Metal–Organic Framework for Quantitative Detection of Multicomponent Organic Mixtures

A Multicenter Metal–Organic Framework for Quantitative Detection of Multicomponent Organic Mixtures

The hard x-ray nanotomography microscope at the advanced light source.

Beamline 11.3.1 at the Advanced Light Source is a tender/hard (6-17keV) x-ray bend magnet beamline recently re-purposed with a new full-field, nanoscale transmission x-ray microscope. The microscope is designed to image composite and porous materials possessing a submicrometer structure and compositional heterogeneity that determine materials' performance and geologic behavior. The theoretical and achieved resolutions are 55 and <100nm, respectively. The microscope is used in tandem with a <25nm eccentricity rotation stage for high-resolution volume imaging using nanoscale computed tomography. The system also features a novel bipolar illumination condenser for the illumination of an ∼100μm spot of interest on the sample, followed by a phase-type zone plate magnifying objective of ∼52 µm field of view and a phase detection ring. The zone plate serves as the system objective and magnifies the sample with projection onto an indirect x-ray detection system, consisting of a polished single crystal CsI(Tl) scintillator and a range of high-quality Plan Fluorite visible light objectives. The objectives project the final visible light image onto a water-cooled CMOS 2048 × 2048-pixel2 detector. Here, we will discuss the salient features of this instrument and describe early results from imaging the internal three-dimensional microstructure and nanostructure of target materials, including fiber-reinforced composites and geomaterials.

A wide-field micro-computed tomography detector: micron resolution at half-centimetre scale.

Ideal three-dimensional imaging of complex samples made up of micron-scale structures extending over mm to cm, such as biological tissues, requires both wide field of view and high resolution. For existing optics and detectors used for micro-CT (computed tomography) imaging, sub-micron pixel resolution can only be achieved for fields of view of <2 mm. This article presents a unique detector system with a 6 mm field-of-view image circle and 0.5 µm pixel size that can be used in micro-CT units utilizing both synchrotron and commercial X-ray sources. A resolution-test pattern with linear microstructures and whole adult Daphnia magna were imaged at beamline 8.3.2 of the Berkeley Advanced LightSource. Volumes of 10000 × 10000 × 7096 isotropic 0.5 µm voxels were reconstructed over a 5.0 mm × 3.5 mm field of view. Measurements in the projection domain confirmed a 0.90 µm measured spatial resolution that is largely Nyquist-limited. This unprecedented combination of field of view and resolution dramatically reduces the need for sectional scans and computational stitching for large samples, ultimately offering the means to elucidate changes in tissue and cellular morphology in the context of larger, whole, intact model organisms and specimens. This system is also anticipated to benefit micro-CT imaging in materials science, microelectronics, agricultural science and biomedical engineering.

Review of laser-plasma physics research and applications in Korea

Laser plasmas can be produced when high-power laser beams are focused in matter. A focused laser beam of TW(terawatt)-level high power has an extremely strong electric field, so neutral atoms are immediately ionized by the laser electric field, leading to a laser-produced plasma. The laser plasma can be produced by small table-top TW lasers based on the CPA (chirped-pulse amplification) technique, and now they are rather easily available even in university laboratories. In Korea, there are several CPA-based TW (or even petawatt) lasers in a few institutions, and they have been used for diverse laser plasma physics research and applications, including the laser acceleration for electrons and ions, high-power THz (tera-hertz) generation, advanced light sources, high-energy-density plasmas, plasma optics, etc. This paper reviews some of the laser plasma physics research and applications that have been performed in several universities and research institutes.

Size exclusion chromatography coupled small angle X-ray scattering with tandem multiangle light scattering at the SIBYLS beamline.

Small-angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) has been a versatile technique for studying biomolecules in solution for several decades now. Developments in SAXS techniques that integrate in situ purification with a high-throughput, multimodal design philosophy have revolutionized the reach and tempo of BioSAXS experiments. The current zenith of the field comes in the form of size exclusion chromatography coupled SAXS with in-line multiangle light scattering (SEC-SAXS-MALS). This technique has been a considerable focus at the Structurally Integrated BiologY for Life Sciences (SIBYLS) beamline at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) in Berkeley, California, over the last 5 years and continues to be a point of active development. In this chapter, we describe the design of the SEC-SAXS-MALS system and general guidelines for collecting, processing, and analyzing SEC-SAXS-MALS data at the SIBYLS beamline.

Rydberg state excitation of atoms and molecules in ultrafast intense laser field

When atoms or molecules are irradiated by a strong laser field with pulse duration of tens of femtoseconds and intensity larger than 10&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt; W/cm&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, they will generally undergo tunneling ionization, which will induce various non-perturbative and highly nonlinear phenomena. Investigations into the strong field physical processes is of significance in studying attosecond physics, molecular orbital imaging, ultrafast electron diffraction and advanced short ultraviolet light sources. While there is a relatively long history of the studies of tunneling ionization induced physics including high-order above threshold ionization (HATI), high-order harmonic generation (HHG) and non-sequential double ionization (NSDI), it is until recently to surprisedly find that in the tunneling ionization region, neutral atoms or molecules can survive in strong laser fields in highly excited Rydberg states. As a basic process of the interaction between ultrafast strong laser fields and atoms or molecules, such a Rydberg state excitation (RSE) has been viewed as an important supplement to the physical picture of the tunneling ionization. During the past several years, the extensive research attention has been paid to the RSE process in strong laser field. Various theoretical and experimental methods have been developed to investigate the strong field RSE of both atoms and molecules, to understand the underlying physical mechanism behind the recapture of the tunneling electrons and to reveal the quantum features and molecular structure effect in RSE. These advances have brought about an in-depth understanding and a systematic view of the atomic and molecular RSE in strong laser fields, as well as their relations to the other tunneling ionization induced physical processes such as ATI, HHG and NSDI. Here, we systematically review recent research progress of the atomic and molecular RSE in strong laser fields. We particularly focus on several aspects of this strong field process, i.e. the physical mechanism of the recapture, the quantum feature and the interference of different orbits, and the structure effect in molecular RSE. In addition, neutral particle acceleration and coherent radiation which can be induced by the strong field RSE, are also discussed. Finally, we provide a short summary and prospect of the future studies on the strong field RSE.

Prototype characterization of a charge-integration pixel detector readout chip with in-pixel A/D conversion

HYLITE (High dYmamic range free electron Laser Imaging deTEctor) is a hybrid pixel detector readout chip, which is designed for advanced light sources such as X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) and diffraction-limited storage rings. It is a charge-integration readout chip which has three gains for different dynamic ranges and automatic gain-switching function. The full dynamic range covered by HYLITE is 1 ∼ 104 photons with an energy of 12 keV for each pixel in every shot. In-pixel ADC is designed to achieve front-end digitization and a 10 kHz continuous frame rate. HYLITE0.1 is the first prototype chip for functional verification that was produced in CMOS 0.13 μm technology. It consists of a pixel array with 6 × 12 pixels and a periphery with full standalone operation features. The size of each pixel is 200 μm × 200 μm. Three design variations of pixels with different integrating capacitance and structures were designed to optimize between area and performance. A 10-bit Wilkinson ADC is integrated in each pixel to digitize the outputs of the pre-amplifier. Therefore, analog signal transmission of long distance is avoided and a frame rate of 10 kHz can be achieved. In this paper, we present the design of HYLITE0.1 and the test results of this prototype chip.

Promotion of particle formation by resonance-stabilized radicals during hydrocarbon pyrolysis

We measured aerosol mass spectra and mobility size distributions of particles formed during the pyrolysis of ethylene, indene, and a mixture of ethylene with a small amount of indene. Measurements were recorded with a scanning mobility particle sizer and an aerosol mass spectrometer employing vacuum ultraviolet photoionization using tunable radiation from the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The results demonstrate that particle formation occurs at a temperature of ∼1123±50 K for ethylene alone, at ∼923±50 K for indene alone, and at a comparable temperature to that of indene for ethylene seeded with a small amount of indene. Our results demonstrate that indene and indenyl, a resonance-stabilized radical (RSR) formed from indene pyrolysis, promote particle formation at lower temperatures and in the absence of acetylene, supporting the hypothesis that RSRs promote soot-particle inception. Even a small amount of indene added to ethylene promotes particle formation while circumventing the traditional pathways for mass growth by acetylene-addition reactions. Further support is provided by the appearance in the aerosol mass spectra of prominent peaks for masses corresponding to other RSRs from particles formed at lower pyrolysis temperatures. In addition, odd-numbered carbon species, associated with RSRs, appear in higher concentrations at low temperatures and are closely tied to particle inception. In indene pyrolysis, mass signals indicative of covalently bound indenyl dimers and trimers are prominent at pyrolysis temperatures near soot onset. Photoionization efficiency (PIE) curves demonstrate that, while the isomeric composition for some of these peaks may differ between ethylene and indene, the addition of indene to ethylene does not notably alter the isomers formed at these peaks between ethylene and the ethylene-indene mixture. PIE curves also show that m/z 202, which is commonly assumed to be pyrene, is composed principally of fluoranthene under these conditions.

Three-dipole kicker injection scheme for the Advanced Light Source upgrade accumulator ring

The Advanced Light Source Upgrade will implement on axis single-train swap-out injection employing an accumulator between the booster and storage rings. The accumulator ring (AR) design is a twelve period triple-bend achromat that will be installed along the inner circumference of the storage-ring tunnel. A nonconventional injection scheme will be utilized for top-off off axis injection from the booster into the AR meant to accommodate a large $\ensuremath{\sim}300\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{nm}$ emittance beam into a vacuum-chamber with a limiting horizontal aperture radius as small as 8 mm. The scheme incorporates three dipole kickers distributed over three sectors, with two kickers perturbing the stored beam and the third affecting both the stored and the injected beam trajectories. This paper describes this ``3DK'' injection scheme and how it fits the AR's particular requirements. We describe the design and optimization process, and how we evaluated its fitness as a solution for booster-to-accumulator ring injection.

Transient Valence Charge Localization in Strong-Field Dissociative Ionization of HCl Molecules.

Probing transient charge localization in the innershell orbital of atoms and molecules has been made possible by the recent progress of advanced light sources. Here, we demonstrate that the ultrafast electron tunneling ionization by an intense femtosecond laser pulse could induce an asymmetric transient charge localization in the valence shell of the HCl molecule during the dissociative ionization process. The transient charge localization is encoded in the laser impulse acquired by the outgoing ionic fragments, and the asymmetry is revealed by carefully examining the electron tunneling-site distinguished momentum angular distribution of the ejected H^{+} fragments. Our work proposes a way to visualize the transient valence charge motion and will stimulate further investigations of the tunneling-site-sensitive ultrafast dynamics of molecules in strong laser fields.