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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
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Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples
Published on: June 19, 2018
High-flux hard X-ray microbeam using a single-bounce capillary with doubly focused undulator beam.
Raul A Barrea1, Rong Huang, Sterling Cornaby
1The Biophysics Collaborative Access Team (BioCAT), CSRRI and Department of Biological, Chemical and Physical Sciences, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL 60616, USA. rbarrea@gmail.com
Journal of Synchrotron Radiation
|December 20, 2008
Summary
Researchers generated a high-flux X-ray microbeam using a capillary, achieving small spot sizes (<10 micrometers) and high flux density. This method is ideal for microprobe fluorescence applications and micro-XANES experiments on biological samples.
Area of Science:
- X-ray optics
- Materials science
- Biophysics
Background:
- Generating high-flux X-ray microbeams is crucial for advanced material and biological analyses.
- Capillary optics offer a pathway to achieving microscale X-ray beams.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a high-flux X-ray microbeam using a single-bounce capillary.
- To optimize capillary alignment for maximum flux and minimal spot size.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the BioCAT undulator beamline 18ID at the Advanced Photon Source.
- Employed a pre-focused X-ray beam (12 keV and 9 keV) and a single-bounce capillary.
- Tested two alignment configurations: 'in-line' and 'off-line' illumination of the capillary.
Main Results:
- The 'off-line' alignment yielded a flux of 3.3 x 10(12) photons s(-1).
- Achieved spot sizes of less than or equal to 10 micrometers (Full Width at Half Maximum).
- Attained a photon flux density of 4.2 x 10(10) photons s(-1) microm(-2).
Conclusions:
- The optimized capillary setup provides a suitable micrometer-size X-ray beam with high flux density for microprobe fluorescence.
- This technique is advantageous for analyzing biological samples with low metal concentrations.
- The system is also feasible for micro-X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) experiments.
