X-ray diffractometer combining synchrotron radiation and pulsed magnetic fields up to 40 T

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Instrumentation

Background:

• High magnetic fields are crucial for studying material properties.
• Existing equipment may have limitations in field strength or experimental integration.
• Synchrotron X-ray diffraction provides atomic-level structural information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and describe a novel synchrotron X-ray diffractometer integrated with a high-field pulsed magnet.
• To demonstrate the instrument's capability in probing field-induced structural changes.
• To investigate magnetostriction effects in materials under extreme magnetic fields.

Main Methods:

• Development of a pulsed field magnet (up to 40 T) with a 3 mm gap for X-ray passage.
• Utilizing a PILATUS 100K pixel detector for recording X-ray diffraction patterns.
• Performing X-ray diffraction measurements on a cobalt oxide (CoO) powder sample below its Néel temperature.

Main Results:

• Successful integration of a 40 T pulsed field magnet with a synchrotron X-ray diffractometer.
• Observation of field-dependent lattice distortion in CoO up to 38 T.
• Demonstration of the instrument's sensitivity to magnetostriction effects.

Conclusions:

• The developed instrument is capable of performing high-field X-ray diffraction studies.
• Significant magnetostriction effects were observed in CoO under high magnetic fields.
• This new capability opens avenues for exploring other materials under extreme conditions.