A high-repetition rate scheme for synchrotron-based picosecond laser pump/x-ray probe experiments on chemical and biological systems in solution

Journal Article · Wed Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Review of Scientific Instruments

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3600616· OSTI ID:22062345

Lima, Frederico A; Milne, Christopher J; Amarasinghe, Dimali C. V.; Rittmann-Frank, Mercedes Hannelore; Veen, Renske M. van der; Reinhard, Marco; Pham, Van-Thai; Karlsson, Susanne; Mourik, Frank van; Chergui, Majed ^[1]; Johnson, Steven L; Grolimund, Daniel; Borca, Camelia; Huthwelker, Thomas; Janousch, Markus ^[2]; Abela, Rafael ^[3]

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1. Laboratoire de Spectroscopie Ultrarapide, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, ISIC, FSB, 1015 Lausanne (Switzerland)
2. Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen (Switzerland)
3. SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen (Switzerland)

We present the extension of time-resolved optical pump/x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) probe experiments towards data collection at MHz repetition rates. The use of a high-power picosecond laser operating at an integer fraction of the repetition rate of the storage ring allows exploitation of up to two orders of magnitude more x-ray photons than in previous schemes based on the use of kHz lasers. Consequently, we demonstrate an order of magnitude increase in the signal-to-noise of time-resolved XAS of molecular systems in solution. This makes it possible to investigate highly dilute samples at concentrations approaching physiological conditions for biological systems. The simplicity and compactness of the scheme allows for straightforward implementation at any synchrotron beamline and for a wide range of x-ray probe techniques, such as time-resolved diffraction or x-ray emission studies.

• OSTI ID: 22062345
• Journal Information: Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 82, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0034-6748
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
KHZ RANGE
LASERS
MHZ RANGE
OPTICAL PUMPING
PROBES
SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO
SOLUTIONS
STORAGE RINGS
SYNCHROTRONS
TIME RESOLUTION
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
X-RAY EMISSION ANALYSIS
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY