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Updated: Apr 26, 2026
11:32
High Pressure Single Crystal Diffraction at PX^2
Published on: January 16, 2017
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X-ray polarization splitting by a single crystal evaluated with synchrotron x-rays.
N R Pereira1, R Presura2, M Wallace2
1Ecopulse, Inc., 7884 Vervain Ct, Springfield, Virginia 22152, USA.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|August 3, 2014
Summary
Hexagonal crystals like quartz can split unpolarized X-rays into polarized components using asymmetric Bragg reflection. Synchrotron X-rays revealed that other crystal reflections unexpectedly alter polarized X-ray intensity, a factor not critical for plasma spectroscopy applications.
Area of Science:
- Solid-state physics
- Crystallography
- X-ray optics
Background:
- Hexagonal crystals, such as quartz, possess internal crystal planes.
- Asymmetric Bragg reflection can separate unpolarized X-rays into polarized components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the phenomenon of polarization splitting in detail using synchrotron X-rays.
- To investigate the impact of additional crystal reflections on polarized X-ray components.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing perfectly polarized and tunable synchrotron X-rays.
- Analyzing asymmetric Bragg reflection from hexagonal crystals (e.g., quartz).
Main Results:
- Confirmed that asymmetric Bragg reflection separates unpolarized X-rays into two linearly polarized components.
- Observed an unanticipated effect where additional crystal reflections influence the diffraction intensity of the polarized components.
Conclusions:
- Synchrotron X-rays are suitable for detailed evaluation of polarization splitting in hexagonal crystals.
- The observed intensity modulation by additional reflections is unlikely to affect the intended application in polarization spectroscopy of radiating plasmas.
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