Borchert, M.; Braenzel, J.; Gnewkow, R.; Lunin, L.; Sidiropoulos, T.; Tümmler, J.; Will, I.; Noll, T.; Reichel, O.; Rohloff, D.; Erko, A.; Krist, T.; von Korff Schmising, C.; Pfau, B.; Eisebitt, S.; Stiel, H.; Schick, D.: Versatile tabletop setup for picosecond time-resolved resonant soft-x-ray scattering and spectroscopy. Review of Scientific Instruments 94 (2023), p. 063102/1-12
10.1063/5.0151613
Open Access Version
Abstract:
We present a laser-driven, bright, and broadband (50 to 1500 eV) soft-x-ray plasma source with <10 ps pulse duration. This source is employed in two complementary, laboratory-scale beamlines for time-resolved, magnetic resonant scattering and spectroscopy, as well as near-edge x-ray absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. In both beamlines, dedicated reflection zone plates (RZPs) are used as single optical elements to capture, disperse, and focus the soft x rays, reaching resolving powers up to E/ΔE > 1000, with hybrid RZPs at the NEXAFS beamline retaining a consistent E/ΔE > 500 throughout the full spectral range, allowing for time-efficient data acquisition. We demonstrate the versatility and performance of our setup by a selection of soft-x-ray spectroscopy and scattering experiments, which so far have not been possible on a laboratory scale. Excellent data quality, combined with experimental flexibility, renders our approach a true alternative to large-scale facilities, such as synchrotron-radiation sources and free-electron lasers.