Novel experimental setup for megahertz X-ray diffraction in a diamond anvil cell at the High Energy Density (HED) instrument of the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser (EuXFEL).

The high-precision X-ray diffraction setup for work with diamond anvil cells (DACs) in interaction chamber 2 (IC2) of the High Energy Density instrument of the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser is described. This includes beamline optics, sample positioning and detector systems located in the multipurpose vacuum chamber. Concepts for pump-probe X-ray diffraction experiments in the DAC are described and their implementation demonstrated during the First User Community Assisted Commissioning experiment. X-ray heating and diffraction of Bi under pressure, obtained using 20 fs X-ray pulses at 17.8 keV and 2.2 MHz repetition, is illustrated through splitting of diffraction peaks, and interpreted employing finite element modeling of the sample chamber in the DAC.

X-ray micro-diffraction studies on biological samples at the BioCAT Beamline 18-ID at the Advanced Photon Source.

The small source sizes of third-generation synchrotron sources are ideal for the production of microbeams for diffraction studies of crystalline and non-crystalline materials. While several such facilities have been available around the world for some time now, few have been optimized for the handling of delicate soft-tissue specimens under cryogenic conditions. Here the development of a new X-ray micro-diffraction instrument at the Biophysics Collaborative Access Team beamline 18-ID at the Advanced Photon Source, and its use with newly developed cryo-diffraction techniques for soft-tissue studies, are described. The combination of the small beam sizes delivered by this instrument, the high delivered flux and successful cryo-freezing of rat-tail tendon has enabled us to record data to better than 4 Šresolution. The ability to quickly raster scan samples in the beam allows selection of ordered regions in fibrous samples for markedly improved data quality. Examples of results of experiments obtainable using this instrument are presented.

High resolution short focal distance Bent Crystal Laue Analyzer for copper K edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy.

We have developed a compact short focal distance Bent Crystal Laue Analyzer (BCLA) for Cu speciation studies of biological systems with specific applications to cancer biology. The system provides high energy resolution and high background rejection. The system is composed of an aluminum block serving as a log spiral bender for a 15 micron thick Silicon 111 crystal and a set of soller slits. The energy resolution of the BCLA-about 14 eV at the Cu Kα line- allows resolution of the Cu Kα(1) and CuKα(2) lines. The system is easily aligned by using a set of motorized XYZ linear stages. Two operation modes are available: incident energy scans (IES) and emission energy scans (EES). IES allows scanning of the incident energy while the BCLA system is maintained at a preselected fixed position--typically CuKα(1) line. EES is used when the incident energy is fixed and the analyzer is scanned to provide the peak profile of the emission lines of Cu.

Fast-scanning high-flux microprobe for biological X-ray fluorescence microscopy and microXAS.

There is a growing interest in the biomedical community in obtaining information concerning the distribution and local chemical environment of metals in tissues and cells. Recently, biological X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) has emerged as the tool of choice to address these questions. A fast-scanning high-flux X-ray microprobe, built around a recently commissioned pair of 200 mm-long Rh-coated silicon Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors, has been constructed at BioCAT beamline 18ID at the Advanced Photon Source. The new optical system delivers a flux of 1.3 x 10(12) photons s(-1) into a minimum focal spot size of approximately 3-5 microm FWHM. A set of Si drift detectors and bent Laue crystal analyzers may be used in combination with standard ionization chambers for X-ray fluorescence measurements. BioCAT's scanning software allows fast continuous scans to be performed while acquiring and storing full multichannel analyzer spectra per pixel on-the-fly with minimal overhead time (<20 ms per pixel). Together, the high-flux X-ray microbeam and the rapid-scanning capabilities of the BioCAT beamline allow the collection of XFM and micro X-ray absorption spectroscopy (microXAS) measurements from as many as 48 tissue sections per day. This paper reports the commissioning results of the new instrument with representative XFM and microXAS results from tissue samples.