Revealing Three-Dimensional Structure of an Individual Colloidal Crystal Grain by Coherent X-Ray Diffractive Imaging.

We present results of a coherent x-ray diffractive imaging experiment performed on a single colloidal crystal grain. The full three-dimensional (3D) reciprocal space map measured by an azimuthal rotational scan contained several orders of Bragg reflections together with the coherent interference signal between them. Applying the iterative phase retrieval approach, the 3D structure of the crystal grain was reconstructed and positions of individual colloidal particles were resolved. As a result, an exact stacking sequence of hexagonal close-packed layers including planar and linear defects were identified.

Spectrometer for hard X-ray free-electron laser based on diffraction focusing.

X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) generate sequences of ultra-short spatially coherent pulses of X-ray radiation. A diffraction focusing spectrometer (DFS), which is able to measure the whole energy spectrum of the radiation of a single XFEL pulse with an energy resolution of ΔE/E 2 × 10(-6), is proposed. This is much better than for most modern X-ray spectrometers. Such resolution allows one to resolve the fine spectral structure of the XFEL pulse. The effect of diffraction focusing occurs in a single-crystal plate due to dynamical scattering, and is similar to focusing in a Pendry lens made from a metamaterial with a negative refraction index. Such a spectrometer is easier to operate than those based on bent crystals. It is shown that the DFS can be used in a wide energy range from 5 keV to 20 keV.

Spatially resolved x-ray studies of liquid crystals with strongly developed bond-orientational order.

We present an x-ray study of freely suspended hexatic films of the liquid crystal 3(10)OBC. Our results reveal spatial inhomogeneities of the bond-orientational (BO) order in the vicinity of the hexatic-smectic phase transition and the formation of large-scale hexatic domains at lower temperatures. Deep in the hexatic phase up to 25 successive sixfold BO order parameters have been directly determined by means of angular x-ray cross-correlation analysis (XCCA). Such strongly developed hexatic order allowed us to determine higher order correction terms in the scaling relation predicted by the multicritical scaling theory over a full temperature range of the hexatic phase existence.

X-ray cross-correlation analysis of liquid crystal membranes in the vicinity of the hexatic-smectic phase transition.

We present an x-ray study of liquid crystal membranes in the vicinity of the hexatic-smectic phase transition by means of angular x-ray cross-correlation analysis. By applying two-point angular-intensity cross-correlation functions to the measured series of diffraction patterns the parameters of bond-orientational (BO) order in hexatic phase were directly determined. The temperature dependence of the positional correlation lengths was analyzed as well. The obtained correlation lengths show larger values for the higher-order Fourier components of BO order. These findings indicate a strong coupling between BO and positional order.