Characterization of the inner-shell decay processes in molecules containing heavy elements is key to understanding x-ray damage of molecules and materials and for medical applications with Auger-electron-emitting radionuclides. The 1s hole states of heavy atoms can be produced by absorption of tunable x rays and the resulting vacancy decays characterized by recording emitted photons, electrons, and ions. The 1s hole states in heavy elements have large x-ray fluorescence yields that transfer the hole to intermediate electron shells that then decay by sequential Auger-electron transitions that increase the ion's charge state until the final state is reached. In molecules, the charge is spread across the atomic sites, resulting in dissociation to energetic atomic ions. We have used x-ray/ion coincidence spectroscopy to measure charge states and energies of Iq+ and Brq'+ atomic ions following 1s ionization at the I and Br K-edges of IBr. We present the charge states and kinetic energies of the two correlated fragment ions associated with core-excited states produced during the various steps of the cascades. To understand the dynamics leading to the ion data, we develop a computational model that combines Monte-Carlo/Molecular-Dynamics (MC/MD) simulations with a classical over-the-barrier model to track inner-shell cascades and redistribution of electrons in valence orbitals and nuclear motion of fragments.

The performance of a cooled Be compound refractive lens (CRL) has been tested at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) to enable vertical focusing of the pink beam and permit the X-ray beam to spatially overlap with an 80 µm-high low-density plasma that simulates astrophysical environments. Focusing the fundamental harmonics of an insertion device white beam increases the APS power density; here, a power density as high as 500 W mm(-2) was calculated. A CRL is chromatic so it does not efficiently focus X-rays whose energies are above the fundamental. Only the fundamental of the undulator focuses at the experiment. A two-chopper system reduces the power density on the imaging system and lens by four orders of magnitude, enabling imaging of the focal plane without any X-ray filter. A method to measure such high power density as well as the performance of the lens in focusing the pink beam is reported.

X-ray spectroscopies, when combined in laser-pump, X-ray-probe measurement schemes, can be powerful tools for tracking the electronic and geometric structural changes that occur during the course of a photoinitiated chemical reaction. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is considered an established technique for such measurements, and X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) of the strongest core-to-core emission lines (Kα and Kβ) is now being utilized. Flux demanding valence-to-core XES promises to be an important addition to the time-resolved spectroscopic toolkit. In this paper we present measurements and density functional theory calculations on laser-excited, solution-phase ferrocyanide that demonstrate the feasibility of valence-to-core XES for time-resolved experiments. We discuss technical improvements that will make valence-to-core XES a practical pump-probe technique.

We report on extending hard X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) along with resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) to study ultrafast phenomena in a pump-probe scheme at MHz repetition rates. The investigated systems include low-spin (LS) Fe-II complex compounds, where optical pulses induce a spin-state transition to their (sub)nanosecond-lived high-spin (HS) state. Time-resolved XES clearly reflects the spin-state variations with very high signal-to-noise ratio, in agreement with HS-LS difference spectra measured at thermal spin crossover, and reference HS-LS systems in static experiments, next to multiplet calculations. The 1s2p RIXS, measured at the Fe Is pre-edge region, shows variations after laser excitation, which are consistent with the formation of the HS state. Our results demonstrate that X-ray spectroscopy experiments with overall rather weak signals, such as RIXS, can now be reliably exploited to study chemical and physical transformations on ultrafast time scales. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The spectrum of resonance fluorescence is calculated for a two-level system excited by an intense, ultrashort x-ray pulse made available for instance by free-electron lasers such as the Linac Coherent Light Source. We allow for inner-shell hole decay widths and destruction of the system by further photoionization. This two-level description is employed to model neon cations strongly driven by x rays tuned to the 1s 2p-1 --> 1s-1 2p transition at 848 eV; the x rays induce Rabi oscillations which are so fast that they compete with Ne 1s-hole decay. We predict resonance fluorescence spectra for two different scenarios: first, chaotic pulses based on the self-amplified spontaneous emission principle, like those presently generated at x-ray free-electron-laser facilities and, second, Gaussian pulses which will become available in the foreseeable future with self-seeding techniques. As an example of the exciting opportunities derived from the use of seeding methods, we predict, in spite of above obstacles, the possibility to distinguish at x-ray frequencies a clear signature of Rabi flopping in the spectrum of resonance fluorescence.

Sequential multiphoton L-shell ionization of hydrogen sulfide exposed to intense femtosecond pulses of 1.25-keV x rays has been observed via photoelectron, Auger electron, and ion time-of-flight spectroscopies. Monte Carlo simulations based on relativistic Dirac-Hartree-Slater calculations of Auger decay rates in sulfur with single and double L-shell vacancies accurately model the observed spectra. While single-vacancy-only calculations are surprisingly accurate even at the high x-ray intensity used in the experiment, calculations including double-vacancy states improve on yield estimates of highly charged sulfur ions. In the most intense part of the x-ray focal volume, an average molecule absorbs more than five photons, producing multiple L-shell vacancies in 17% of photoionization events according to simulation. For 280-fs pulse duration and similar to 10(17) W cm(-2) focal intensity, the yield of S13+ is similar to 1% of the S3+ yield, in good agreement with simulations. An overabundance of S12+, and S14+ observed in the experimental ion spectra is not predicted by either single-vacancy or double-vacancy calculations.

Get PDF Email Share Share with Facebook Tweet This Post on reddit Share with LinkedIn Add to CiteULike Add to Mendeley Add to BibSonomy Get Citation Copy Citation Text S. H. Southworth, A. M. March, G. Doumy, E. P. Kanter, L. Young, B. Krässig, P. J. Ho, D. Ray, R. W. Dunford, and C. Buth, "Time-Resolved X-ray Absorption, Emission, and Scattering Probes of Molecular Dynamics," in Research in Optical Sciences, OSA Technical Digest (Optica Publishing Group, 2012), paper IW1D.5. Export Citation BibTex Endnote (RIS) HTML Plain Text Citation alert Save article

We describe our implementation of a high repetition rate (54 kHz-6.5 MHz), high power (>10 W), laser system at the 7ID beamline at the Advanced Photon Source for laser pump/x-ray probe studies of optically driven molecular processes. Laser pulses at 1.06 μm wavelength and variable duration (10 or 130 ps) are synchronized to the storage ring rf signal to a precision of ~250 fs rms. Frequency doubling and tripling of the laser radiation using nonlinear optical techniques have been applied to generate 532 and 355 nm light. We demonstrate that by combining a microfocused x-ray probe with focused optical laser radiation the requisite fluence (with <10 μJ/pulse) for efficient optical excitation can be readily achieved with a compact and commercial laser system at megahertz repetition rates. We present results showing the time-evolution of near-edge x-ray spectra of a well-studied, laser-excited metalloporphyrin, Ni(II)-tetramesitylporphyrin. The use of high repetition rate, short pulse lasers as pump sources will dramatically enhance the duty cycle and efficiency in data acquisition and hence capabilities for laser-pump/x-ray probe studies of ultrafast structural dynamics at synchrotron sources.

The paradigm “structure determines function” has long been a motivation for X-ray structural studies. However, the understanding of function can go well beyond static pictures with atomic resolution, as one explores the time domain with short-pulse X-rays. The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory is home to a suite of science techniques and facilities that exploit the short-pulse nature of X-rays to probe structural dynamics in chemical, biological, condensed matter, and atomic/molecular systems.

Exploration of a new ultrafast-ultrasmall frontier in atomic and molecular physics has begun. Not only is is possible to control outer-shell electron dynamics with intense ultrafast optical lasers, but now control of inner-shell processes has become possible by combining intense infrared/optical lasers with tunable sources of x-ray radiation. This marriage of strong-field laser and x-ray physics has led to the discovery of methods to control reversibly resonant x-ray absorption in atoms and molecules on ultrafast timescales. Using a strong optical dressing field, resonant x-ray absorption in atoms can be markedly suppressed, yielding an example of electromagnetically induced transparency for x rays. Resonant x-ray absorption can also be controlled in molecules using strong non-resonant, polarized laser fields to align the framework of a molecule, and therefore its unoccupied molecular orbitals to which resonant absorption occurs. At higher laser intensities, ultrafast field ionization produces an irreversible change in x-ray absorption. Finally, the advent of x-ray free electron lasers enables first exploration of non-linear x-ray processes.

Tunable, polarized, microfocused x-ray pulses were used to record x-ray absorption spectra across the K edges of Kr{sup +} and Kr{sup 2+} produced by laser ionization of Kr. Prominent 1s {yields} 4p and 5p excitations are observed below the 1s ionization thresholds in accord with calculated transition energies and probabilities. Due to alignment of 4p hole states in the laser-ionization process, the Kr{sup +} 1s {yields} 4p cross section varies with respect to the angle between the laser and x-ray polarization vectors. This effect is used to determine the Kr{sup +} 4p{sub 3/2} and 4p{sub 1/2} quantum state populations, and these are compared with results of an adiabatic strong-field ionization theory that includes spin-orbit coupling.

We use the x-ray extended-range technique (XERT) [C. T. Chantler , Phys. Rev. A 64, 062506 (2001)] to measure the mass attenuation coefficients of tin in the x-ray energy range of 29-60 keV to 0.04-3 % accuracy, and typically in the range 0.1-0.2 %. Measurements made over an extended range of the measurement parameter space are critically examined to identify, quantify, and correct a number of potential experimental systematic errors. These results represent the most extensive experimental data set for tin and include absolute mass attenuation coefficients in the regions of x-ray absorption fine structure, extended x-ray absorption fine structure, and x-ray absorption near-edge structure. The imaginary component of the atomic form factor f(2) is derived from the photoelectric absorption after subtracting calculated Rayleigh and Compton scattering cross sections from the total attenuation. Comparison of the result with tabulations of calculated photoelectric absorption coefficients indicates that differences of 1-2 % persist between calculated and observed values.