Storage Ring PETRA Research Articles

Detector developments for photon science at DESY

The past, current and planned future developments of X-ray imagers in the Photon-Science Detector Group at DESY-Hamburg is presented. the X-ray imagers are custom developed and tailored to the different X-ray sources in Hamburg, including the storage ring PETRA III/IV; the VUV-soft X-ray free electron laser FLASH, and the European Free-Electron Laser. Each source puts different requirements on the X-ray detectors, which is described in detail, together with the technical solutions implemented.

The new small-angle X-ray scattering beamline for materials research at PETRA III: SAXSMAT beamline P62.

The SAXSMAT beamline P62 (Small-Angle X-ray Scattering beamline for Materials Research) is a new beamline at the high-energy storage ring PETRA III at DESY. This beamline is dedicated to combined small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) techniques for both soft and hard condensed matter systems. It works mainly in transmission geometry. The beamline covers an energy range from 3.5 keV to 35.0 keV, which fulfills the requirements of the user community to perform anomalous scattering experiments. Mirrors are used to reduce the intensity of higher harmonics. Furthermore, the mirrors and 2D compound refracting lenses can focus the beam down to a few micrometres at the sample position. This option with the high photon flux enables also SAXS/WAXS tensor tomography experiments to be performed at this new beamline in a relatively short time. The first SAXS/WAXS pattern was collected in August 2021, while the first user experiment was carried out two months later. Since January 2022 the beamline has been in regular user operation mode. In this paper the beamline optics and the SAXS/WAXS instrument are described and two examples are briefly shown.

Conceptual design of a beamline for classical XAFS spectroscopy at the future ultra low emittance storage ring PETRA IV

Conceptual design of a beamline for classical XAFS spectroscopy at the future ultra low emittance storage ring PETRA IV

Commissioning experience with two in-vacuum undulators at PETRA III

In 2018 the high energy X-ray beamlines P07[1] and P21b[2] at DESY’s storage ring PETRA III received new undulators. The two identical devices were built by an industry collaboration of Research Instruments GmbH and Kyma S.p.A. according to DESY’s specifications. They have a magnetic length of 4 m, a period length of 21.2 mm and a deflection parameter K of 1.41 at a gap of 7.0 mm. We report about experience during magnet tuning, the final acceptance measurements and the commissioning in the accelerator tunnel.

Development of cryogenic undulators and measurement equipment for PETRA IV

DESY is planning to upgrade its current storage ring PETRA III into the ultra-low emittance photon source PETRA IV. The current H6BA cell design for the PETRA IV lattice will allow for insertion devices of up to 4 m length in the standard straight sections. In order to allow some beamlines to not only benefit from the performance improvements by the machine but also from the undulators, we started looking into using advanced undulator schemes as well. We decided to start the design of cryogenically cooled permanent magnet undulators (CPMUs) based on (Nd,Pr)FeB magnets for PETRA IV, since this technique has already been proven successfully by various other facilities. We will present the planned design for the magnet keepers, the pole tuning mechanism as well as a testbed for keepers under cryogenic conditions. We will also show a preliminary design for the in-situ Hall-probe bench currently developed for the upcoming PETRA IV CPMUs.

Suppression of the vacuum space-charge effect in fs-photoemission by a retarding electrostatic front lens.

The performance of time-resolved photoemission experiments at fs-pulsed photon sources is ultimately limited by the e-e Coulomb interaction, downgrading energy and momentum resolution. Here, we present an approach to effectively suppress space-charge artifacts in momentum microscopes and photoemission microscopes. A retarding electrostatic field generated by a special objective lens repels slow electrons, retaining the k-image of the fast photoelectrons. The suppression of space-charge effects scales with the ratio of the photoelectron velocities of fast and slow electrons. Fields in the range from -20 to -1100 V/mm for Ekin = 100eV to 4 keV direct secondaries and pump-induced slow electrons back to the sample surface. Ray tracing simulations reveal that this happens within the first 40 to 3 μm above the sample surface for Ekin = 100eV to 4 keV. An optimized front-lens design allows switching between the conventional accelerating and the new retarding mode. Time-resolved experiments at Ekin = 107eV using fs extreme ultraviolet probe pulses from the free-electron laser FLASH reveal that the width of the Fermi edge increases by just 30 meV at an incident pump fluence of 22 mJ/cm2 (retarding field -21 V/mm). For an accelerating field of +2 kV/mm and a pump fluence of only 5 mJ/cm2, it increases by 0.5eV (pump wavelength 1030nm). At the given conditions, the suppression mode permits increasing the slow-electron yield by three to four orders of magnitude. The feasibility of the method at high energies is demonstrated without a pump beam at Ekin = 3830eV using hard x rays from the storage ring PETRA III. The approach opens up a previously inaccessible regime of pump fluences for photoemission experiments.

Advanced X-ray polarimeter design for nuclear resonant scattering.

This work presents the improvements in the design and testing of polarimeters based on channel-cut crystals for nuclear resonant scattering experiments at the 14.4 keV resonance of 57Fe. By using four asymmetric reflections at asymmetry angles of α1 = -28°, α2 = 28°, α3 = -28° and α4 = 28°, the degree of polarization purity could be improved to 2.2 × 10-9. For users, an advanced polarimeter without beam offset is now available at beamline P01 of the storage ring PETRAIII.

EXAFS at the future diffraction-limited storage ring PETRA IV

EXAFS at the future diffraction-limited storage ring PETRA IV

Nanotomography endstation at the P05 beamline: Status and perspectives

The Imaging Beamline IBL/P05 at the DESY storage ring PETRA III, operated by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, has two dedicated endstations optimized for micro- and nanotomography experiments [1-3]. Here we present the status of the nanotomography endstation, highlight the latest instrumentation upgrades and present first experimental results. In particular in materials science, where structures with ceramics or metallic materials are of interest, X-ray energies of 15 keV and above are required even for sample sizes of several 10 μm in diameter. The P05 imaging beamline is dedicated to materials science and is designed to allow for imaging applications with X-ray energies of 10 to 50 keV. In addition to the full field X-ray microscopy setup, the layout of the nanotomography endstation allows switching to cone-beam configuration. Kinematics for X-ray optics like compound refractive lenses (CRLs), Fresnel zone plates (FZP) or beam-shaping optics are implemented and the installation of a Kirkpatrick Baez-mirror (KB mirror) system is foreseen at a later stage of the beamline development. Altogether this leads to a high flexibility of the nanotomography setup such that the instrument can be tailored to the specific experimental requirements of a range of sample systems.

Fast X-ray microfluorescence imaging with submicrometer-resolution integrating a Maia detector at beamline P06 at PETRA III.

The high brilliance of third-generation synchrotron sources increases the demand for faster detectors to utilize the available flux. The Maia detector is an advanced imaging scheme for energy-dispersive detection realising dwell times per image-pixel as low as 50 µs and count rates higher than 10 × 106 s-1. In this article the integration of such a Maia detector in the Microprobe setup of beamline P06 at the storage ring PETRA III at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg, Germany, is described. The analytical performance of the complete system in terms of rate-dependent energy resolution, scanning-speed-dependent spatial resolution and lower limits of detection is characterized. The potential of the Maia-based setup is demonstrated by key applications from materials science and chemistry, as well as environmental science with geological applications and biological questions that have been investigated at the P06 beamline.

Beamline P02.1 at PETRA III for high-resolution and high-energy powder diffraction.

Powder X-ray diffraction techniques largely benefit from the superior beam quality provided by high-brilliance synchrotron light sources in terms of photon flux and angular resolution. The High Resolution Powder Diffraction Beamline P02.1 at the storage ring PETRA III (DESY, Hamburg, Germany) combines these strengths with the power of high-energy X-rays for materials research. The beamline is operated at a fixed photon energy of 60 keV (0.207 Å wavelength). A high-resolution monochromator generates the highly collimated X-ray beam of narrow energy bandwidth. Classic crystal structure determination in reciprocal space at standard and non-ambient conditions are an essential part of the scientific scope as well as total scattering analysis using the real space information of the pair distribution function. Both methods are complemented by in situ capabilities with time-resolution in the sub-second regime owing to the high beam intensity and the advanced detector technology for high-energy X-rays. P02.1's efficiency in solving chemical and crystallographic problems is illustrated by presenting key experiments that were carried out within these fields during the early stage of beamline operation.

Time-resolved imaging of domain pattern destruction and recovery via nonequilibrium magnetization states

The authors have built an X-ray microscope capable of taking snapshots of the domain formation process with a high spatial resolution down to a few ten nanometers. By exposing the sample to intense magnetic field pulses, they destroy the stable domain pattern and probe the rapid time-evolution of the sample magnetization stroboscopically with soft X-ray flashes created by the storage ring PETRA III at DESY in Hamburg. These flashes enable resolving very fast changes in the domain configuration occurring at a few hundred picoseconds and thus a video of the domain destruction and relaxation dynamics can be recorded in slow motion. Visualizing the process of domain formation and reorganization in real time helps developing future magnetic storage devices where digital information is contained in the alignment of nanometer sized domains.

Intensity interferometry of single x-ray pulses from a synchrotron storage ring.

We report on measurements of second-order intensity correlations at the high-brilliance storage ring PETRA III using a prototype of the newly developed adaptive gain integrating pixel detector. The detector records individual synchrotron radiation pulses with an x-ray photon energy of 14.4keV and repetition rate of about 5MHz. The second-order intensity correlation function is measured simultaneously at different spatial separations, which allows us to determine the transverse coherence length at these x-ray energies. The measured values are in a good agreement with theoretical simulations based on the Gaussian Schell model.

Pulse-resolved multi-photon X-ray detection at 31 MHz based on a quadrant avalanche photodiode.

The technical realisation and the commissioning experiments of a high-speed X-ray detector based on a quadrant avalanche silicon photodiode and high-speed digitizers are described. The development is driven by the need for X-ray detectors dedicated to time-resolved diffraction and imaging experiments, ideally requiring pulse-resolved data processing at the synchrotron bunch repetition rate. By a novel multi-photon detection scheme, the exact number of X-ray photons within each X-ray pulse can be recorded. Commissioning experiments at beamlines P08 and P10 of the storage ring PETRA III, at DESY, Hamburg, Germany, have been used to validate the pulse-wise multi-photon counting scheme at bunch frequencies ≥ 31 MHz, enabling pulse-by-pulse readout during the PETRA III 240-bunch mode with single-photon detection capability. An X-ray flux of ≥ 3.7 × 10(9) photons s(-1) can be detected while still resolving individual photons at low count rates.

Fastin situphase and stress analysis during laser surface treatment: A synchrotron x-ray diffraction approach

An in situ stress analysis by means of synchrotron x-ray diffraction was carried out during laser surface hardening of steel. A single exposure set-up that based on a special arrangement of two fast silicon strip line detectors was established, allowing for fast stress analysis according to the sin(2)ψ x-ray analysis method. For the in situ experiments a process chamber was designed and manufactured, which is described in detail. First measurements were carried out at the HZG undulator imaging beamline (IBL, beamline P05) at the synchrotron storage ring PETRA III, DESY, Hamburg (Germany). The laser processing was carried out using a 6 kW high power diode laser system. Two different laser optics were compared, a Gaussian optic with a focus spot of ø 3 mm and a homogenizing optic with a rectangular spot dimension of 8 × 8 mm(2). The laser processing was carried out using spot hardening at a heating-/cooling rate of 1000 K/s and was controlled via pyrometric temperature measurement using a control temperature of 1150 °C. The set-up being established during the measuring campaign allowed for this first realization data collection rates of 10Hz. The data evaluation procedure applied enables the separation of thermal from elastic strains and gains unprecedented insight into the laser hardening process.

Note: Comparison of grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering of a titania sponge structure at the beamlines BW4 (DORIS III) and P03 (PETRA III)

Grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS) is a powerful technique for morphology investigation of nanostructured thin films. GISAXS measurements at the newly installed P03 beamline at the storage ring PETRA III in Hamburg, Germany, are compared to the GISAXS data from the beamline BW4 at the storage ring DORIS III, which had been used extensively for GISAXS investigations in the past. As an example, a titania thin film sponge structure is investigated. Compared to BW4, at beamline P03 the resolution of larger structures is slightly improved and a higher incident flux leads to a factor of 750 in scattered intensity. Therefore, the acquisition time in GISAXS geometry is reduced significantly at beamline P03.

Magnetometry of buried layers—Linear magnetic dichroism and spin detection in angular resolved hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The electronic properties of buried magnetic nano-layers were studied using the linear magnetic dichroism in the angular distribution of photoemitted Fe, Co, and Mn 2p electrons from a CoFe–Ir78Mn22 multi-layered sample. The buried layers were probed using hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, HAXPES, at the undulator beamline P09 of the 3rd generation storage ring PETRA III. The results demonstrate that this magnetometry technique can be used as a sensitive element specific probe for magnetic properties suitable for application to buried ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic magnetic materials and multilayered spintronics devices. Using the same instrument, spin-resolved Fe 2p HAXPES spectra were obtained from the buried layer with good signal quality.

Coherence properties of hard x-ray synchrotron sources and x-ray free-electron lasers

A general theoretical approach based on the results of statistical optics is used for the analysis of the transverse coherence properties of third generation hard x-ray synchrotron sources and x-ray free-electron lasers (XFEL). Correlation properties of the wavefields are calculated at different distances from an equivalent Gaussian Schell-model source. This model is used to describe coherence properties of the 5 m undulator source at the synchrotron storage ring PETRA III. In the case of XFEL sources the decomposition of the statistical fields into a sum of independently propagating transverse modes is used for the analysis of the coherence properties of these new sources. A detailed calculation is performed for the parameters of the SASE1 undulator at the European XFEL. It is demonstrated that only a few modes contribute significantly to the total radiation field of that source.

Accelerator vacuum systems at DESY

The research center DESY in Germany is one of the leading accelerator centers worldwide. At the facilities located in Hamburg more than 3000 scientists from all over the world do research with photons and in the field of particle physics. Since 1992 the 6-km-long HERA storage ring was used for high energy collisions of electrons/positrons and protons. It consists of two rings. The one for the 27.5 GeV electrons/positrons uses normal conducting magnets. The other one bends the up to 920 GeV protons with superconducting magnets. Data taking at HERA has been terminated only recently. Synchrotron light for 36 experimental stations is generated by the 4.5 GeV storage ring DORIS. The 2.3 km long storage ring PETRA is presently rebuilt into PETRA III, one of the most brilliant X-ray sources worldwide, to start user operation in 2009. Therefore the vacuum system is completely replaced. The construction of the European X-ray Free Electron Laser XFEL, a new international research facility, just has started next to DESY. Its extremely intense X-ray laser flashes with tunable wavelengths down to 0.1 nm will open up completely new experimental possibilities for nearly all fields of natural sciences. The basic process adopted to generate the X-ray pulses is SASE (Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission). Therefore electron bunches are brought to high energy of about 20 GeV through a superconducting linear accelerator, and conveyed to up to 250 m long undulators where the X-rays are generated. The beam vacuum system of this 3.4 km long straight facility contains sections operated at room temperature as well as at 2 K in the areas of the superconducting accelerating structures. In addition to standard UHV requirements the vacuum system needs to preserve the particle cleanliness of the superconducting cavity surfaces. Further challenges are the undulator vacuum chambers filling more than 750 m with extreme requirements to the surface quality. Unique research opportunities worldwide are offered already now by the 250 m long free-electron laser FLASH, the prototype for the XFEL, which is under operation since several years as a user facility. The vacuum systems of the various DESY accelerator facilities will be discussed in this paper in more detail.

Vacuum system design of the third generation synchrotron radiation source PETRA III

Within the next two years the 2.3 km long storage ring PETRA will be rebuild into one of the most brilliant x-ray sources worldwide (PETRA III). The large bending radius and the use of damping wigglers allow to achieve small beam emittances and extremely brilliant x-ray beams. In this paper we describe the design and the expected performance of the vacuum system for the storage ring. It consists of standard arc sections, an experimental octant which is equipped with undulators and several straight sections that include the damping wigglers. Because of the long length of the storage ring a cost effective solution had to be found. Besides the requirement to quickly provide acceptable residual gas pressures the technical challenges of the system include the provision of high thermal stability with respect to magnets and BPM's, and the design of thin walled insertion device chambers as well as high power synchrotron radiation absorbers.