Scheme Of Monochromator Research Articles

A continuous beam monochromator for matter waves

Atom and, of late, molecule interferometers find application in both the crucible of fundamental research and industrial pursuits. A prevalent methodology in the construction of atom interferometers involves the utilisation of gratings fashioned from laser beams. While this approach imparts commendable precision, it is hampered by its incapacity to attain exceedingly short wavelengths and its dependence on intricate laser systems for operational efficacy. All applications require the control of matter waves, particularly the particle’s velocity. In this manuscript, we propose a continuous beam monochromator scheme reaching enormously high velocity purification with speed ratios in the order of 103\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$10^3$$\\end{document} based on atom-surface diffraction. Beyond these high purifications, the proposed scheme simplifies the application by reducing the degree of freedom to a single angle, selecting the wanted particle’s velocity.Graphic abstract

An efficient plane-grating monochromator based on conical diffraction for continuous tuning in the entire soft X-ray range including tender X-rays (2-8 keV).

Recently it was verified that the diffraction efficiency of reflection gratings with rectangular profile, when illuminated at grazing angles of incidence with the beam trajectory along the grooves and not perpendicular to them, remains very high for tender X-rays of several keV photon energy. This very efficient operation of a reflection grating in the extreme off-plane orientation, i.e. in conical diffraction, offers the possibility of designing a conical diffraction monochromator scheme that provides efficient continuous photon energy tuning over rather large tuning ranges. For example, the tuning could cover photon energies from below 1000 eV up to 8 keV. The expected transmission of the entire instrument is high as all components are always operated below the critical angle for total reflection. In the simplest version of the instrument a plane grating is preceded by a plane mirror rotating simultaneously with it. The photon energy selection will then be made using the combination of a focusing mirror and exit slit. As is common for grating monochromators for soft X-ray radiation, the minimum spectral bandwidth is source-size-limited, while the bandwidth can be adjusted freely to any larger value. As far as tender X-rays (2-8 keV) are concerned, the minimum bandwidth is at least one and up to two orders of magnitude larger than the bandwidth provided by Si(111) double-crystal monochromators in a collimated beam. Therefore the instrument will provide more flux, which can even be increased at the expense of a bandwidth increase. On the other hand, for softer X-rays with photon energies below 1 keV, competitive relative spectral resolving powers of the order of 10000 are possible.

Applications of VUV extra-focus mechanism: high-performance dual-mode monochromator from VUV to soft X-ray.

A new monochromator scheme is presented in which an extra-focus constant-included-angle varied-line-spacing cylindrical-grating monochromator (extra-focus CIA-VCGM) is conveniently combined with a variable-included-angle varied-line-spacing plane-grating monochromator (VIA-VPGM). This dual-mode solution delivers high performance in the energy range from vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) to soft X-ray. The resolving power and the efficiency of this dual-mode grating monochromator are analyzed in detail based on realistic parameters. Comparisons with the commonly used variable-included-angle plane-grating monochromator and normal-incidence monochromator (VIA-PGM/NIM) hybrid monochromator are made.

On easily tunable wide-bandpass X-ray monochromators based on refraction in arrays of prisms

Refractive lenses focus X-rays chromatically owing to a significant variation of the refractive index of the lens material with photon energy. Then, in combination with an exit slit in the focal plane, such lenses can be used as monochromators. The spectral resolution obtainable with refractive lenses based on prism arrays was recently systematically investigated experimentally. This contribution will show that a wide-bandpass performance can be predicted with a rather simple analytical approach. Based on the good agreement with the experimental data, one can then more rapidly and systematically optimize the lens structure for a given application. This contribution will then discuss more flexible solutions for the monochromator operation. It will be shown that a new monochromator scheme could easily provide tuning in a fixed-exit slit.

X-ray FEL with a meV bandwidth

A new design for a single pass X-ray Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE) FEL was proposed by Feldhaus et al. (Opt. Commun. 140 (1997) 341) and named “two-stage SASE FEL”. The scheme consists of two undulators and an X-ray monochromator located between them. For the Angström wavelength range the monochromator can be realized using Bragg reflections from crystals. We propose a scheme of monochromator with a bandwidth of 20meV for the 14.4keV X-ray SASE FEL being developed in the framework of the TESLA linear collider project. The spectral bandwidth of the radiation from the two-stage SASE FEL (20meV) is determined by the finite duration of the electron pulse. The shot-to-shot fluctuations of energy spectral density are dramatically reduced in comparison with the 100% fluctuations in a SASE FEL. The peak and average brilliance are three orders of magnitude higher than the values which could be reached by a conventional X-ray SASE FEL.

An autocollimating monochromator

The authors of [i, 2] have designed an autocollimating monochromator in which a plane mirror directing the light beams for repeated passage of a dispersing system is employed. The shortcoming of this optical monochromator scheme is that the plane autocollimating mirror reflects not only the light beams of wavelengths which leave the exit slit of the spectral instrument at a particular position of the dispersing system but also all the other beams which in the repeated passage through the dispersing medium could create scattered light.