NpSe2 : a Binary Chalcogenide Containing Modulated Selenide Chains and Ambiguous-Valent Metal.

A new binary compound, NpSe2, possesses metal-chalcogen and chalcogen-chalcogen interactions different from those reported for other metal dichalcogenides. Its structure is incommensurately modulated and features linear Se chains and valence-ambiguous Np cations.

Soft X-Ray Second Harmonic Generation as an Interfacial Probe.

Nonlinear optical processes at soft x-ray wavelengths have remained largely unexplored due to the lack of available light sources with the requisite intensity and coherence. Here we report the observation of soft x-ray second harmonic generation near the carbon K edge (∼284 eV) in graphite thin films generated by high intensity, coherent soft x-ray pulses at the FERMI free electron laser. Our experimental results and accompanying first-principles theoretical analysis highlight the effect of resonant enhancement above the carbon K edge and show the technique to be interfacially sensitive in a centrosymmetric sample with second harmonic intensity arising primarily from the first atomic layer at the open surface. This technique and the associated theoretical framework demonstrate the ability to selectively probe interfaces, including those that are buried, with elemental specificity, providing a new tool for a range of scientific problems.

Towards characterization of photo-excited electron transfer and catalysis in natural and artificial systems using XFELs.

The ultra-bright femtosecond X-ray pulses provided by X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs) open capabilities for studying the structure and dynamics of a wide variety of biological and inorganic systems beyond what is possible at synchrotron sources. Although the structure and chemistry at the catalytic sites have been studied intensively in both biological and inorganic systems, a full understanding of the atomic-scale chemistry requires new approaches beyond the steady state X-ray crystallography and X-ray spectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures. Following the dynamic changes in the geometric and electronic structure at ambient conditions, while overcoming X-ray damage to the redox active catalytic center, is key for deriving reaction mechanisms. Such studies become possible by using the intense and ultra-short femtosecond X-ray pulses from an XFEL, where sample is probed before it is damaged. We have developed methodology for simultaneously collecting X-ray diffraction data and X-ray emission spectra, using an energy dispersive spectrometer, at ambient conditions, and used this approach to study the room temperature structure and intermediate states of the photosynthetic water oxidizing metallo-protein, photosystem II. Moreover, we have also used this setup to simultaneously collect the X-ray emission spectra from multiple metals to follow the ultrafast dynamics of light-induced charge transfer between multiple metal sites. A Mn-Ti containing system was studied at an XFEL to demonstrate the efficacy and potential of this method.

Multiconfigurational nature of 5f orbitals in uranium and plutonium intermetallics.

Uranium and plutonium's 5f electrons are tenuously poised between strongly bonding with ligand spd-states and residing close to the nucleus. The unusual properties of these elements and their compounds (e.g., the six different allotropes of elemental plutonium) are widely believed to depend on the related attributes of f-orbital occupancy and delocalization for which a quantitative measure is lacking. By employing resonant X-ray emission spectroscopy (RXES) and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and making comparisons to specific heat measurements, we demonstrate the presence of multiconfigurational f-orbital states in the actinide elements U and Pu and in a wide range of uranium and plutonium intermetallic compounds. These results provide a robust experimental basis for a new framework toward understanding the strongly-correlated behavior of actinide materials.

Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA): an Apollo Participating Scientist Program to Prepare the Lunar Sample Community for Artemis.

As a first step in preparing for the return of samples from the Moon by the Artemis Program, NASA initiated the Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis Program (ANGSA). ANGSA was designed to function as a low-cost sample return mission and involved the curation and analysis of samples previously returned by the Apollo 17 mission that remained unopened or stored under unique conditions for 50 years. These samples include the lower portion of a double drive tube previously sealed on the lunar surface, the upper portion of that drive tube that had remained unopened, and a variety of Apollo 17 samples that had remained stored at -27 °C for approximately 50 years. ANGSA constitutes the first preliminary examination phase of a lunar "sample return mission" in over 50 years. It also mimics that same phase of an Artemis surface exploration mission, its design included placing samples within the context of local and regional geology through new orbital observations collected since Apollo and additional new "boots-on-the-ground" observations, data synthesis, and interpretations provided by Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt. ANGSA used new curation techniques to prepare, document, and allocate these new lunar samples, developed new tools to open and extract gases from their containers, and applied new analytical instrumentation previously unavailable during the Apollo Program to reveal new information about these samples. Most of the 90 scientists, engineers, and curators involved in this mission were not alive during the Apollo Program, and it had been 30 years since the last Apollo core sample was processed in the Apollo curation facility at NASA JSC. There are many firsts associated with ANGSA that have direct relevance to Artemis. ANGSA is the first to open a core sample previously sealed on the surface of the Moon, the first to extract and analyze lunar gases collected in situ, the first to examine a core that penetrated a lunar landslide deposit, and the first to process pristine Apollo samples in a glovebox at -20 °C. All the ANGSA activities have helped to prepare the Artemis generation for what is to come. The timing of this program, the composition of the team, and the preservation of unopened Apollo samples facilitated this generational handoff from Apollo to Artemis that sets up Artemis and the lunar sample science community for additional successes.

5f covalency from x-ray resonant Raman spectroscopy.

X-ray resonant Raman spectroscopy (XRRS), a variant of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, has been used to investigate the two prototype systems, UF4and UO2. Both are U5f2and each is an example of 5f localized, ionic behavior and 5f localized, covalent behavior, respectively. From the M5XRRS measurements, the 5f band gap in each can be directly determined and, moreover, a clear and powerful sensitivity to 5f covalency emerges.

A versatile Johansson-type tender x-ray emission spectrometer.

We present a high energy resolution x-ray spectrometer for the tender x-ray regime (1.6-5.0 keV) that was designed and operated at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource. The instrument is developed on a Rowland geometry (500 mm of radius) using cylindrically bent Johansson analyzers and a position sensitive detector. By placing the sample inside the Rowland circle, the spectrometer operates in an energy-dispersive mode with a subnatural line-width energy resolution (∼0.32 eV at 2400 eV), even when an extended incident x-ray beam is used across a wide range of diffraction angles (∼30° to 65°). The spectrometer is enclosed in a vacuum chamber, and a sample chamber with independent ambient conditions is introduced to enable a versatile and fast-access sample environment (e.g., solid/gas/liquid samples, in situ cells, and radioactive materials). The design, capabilities, and performance are presented and discussed.

Combined elemental analysis of ancient glass beads by means of ion beam, portable XRF, and EPMA techniques.

Ion beam analysis (IBA)- and X-ray fluorescence (XRF)-based techniques have been well adopted in cultural-heritage-related analytical studies covering a wide range of diagnostic role, i.e., from screening purposes up to full quantitative characterization. In this work, a systematic research was carried out towards the identification and evaluation of the advantages and the limitations of laboratory-based (IBA, electron probe microanalyzer) and portable (milli-XRF and micro-XRF) techniques. The study focused on the analysis of an Archaic glass bead collection recently excavated from the city of Thebes (mainland, Greece), in order to suggest an optimized and synergistic analytical methodology for similar studies and to assess the reliability of the quantification procedure of analyses conducted in particular by portable XRF spectrometers. All the employed analytical techniques and methodologies proved efficient to provide in a consistent way characterization of the glass bead composition, with analytical range and sensitivity depending on the particular technique. The obtained compositional data suggest a solid basis for the understanding of the main technological features related to the raw major and minor materials utilized for the manufacture of the Thebian ancient glass bead collection.

Leaf metallome preserved over 50 million years.

Large-scale Synchrotron Rapid Scanning X-ray Fluorescence (SRS-XRF) elemental mapping and X-ray absorption spectroscopy are applied here to fossil leaf material from the 50 Mya Green River Formation (USA) in order to improve our understanding of the chemistry of fossilized plant remains. SRS-XRF of fossilized animals has previously shown that bioaccumulated trace metals and sulfur compounds may be preserved in their original distributions and these elements can also act as biomarkers for specific biosynthetic pathways. Similar spatially resolved chemical data for fossilized plants is sparsely represented in the literature despite the multitude of other chemical studies performed. Here, synchrotron data from multiple specimens consistently show that fossil leaves possess chemical inventories consisting of organometallic and organosulfur compounds that: (1) map discretely within the fossils, (2) resolve fine scale biological structures, and (3) are distinct from embedding sedimentary matrices. Additionally, the chemical distributions in fossil leaves are directly comparable to those of extant leaves. This evidence strongly suggests that a significant fraction of the chemical inventory of the examined fossil leaf material is derived from the living organisms and that original bioaccumulated elements have been preserved in situ for 50 million years. Chemical information of this kind has so far been unknown for fossilized plants and could for the first time allow the metallome of extinct flora to be studied.

A seven-crystal Johann-type hard x-ray spectrometer at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource.

We present a multicrystal Johann-type hard x-ray spectrometer (~5-18 keV) recently developed, installed, and operated at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource. The instrument is set at the wiggler beamline 6-2 equipped with two liquid nitrogen cooled monochromators--Si(111) and Si(311)--as well as collimating and focusing optics. The spectrometer consists of seven spherically bent crystal analyzers placed on intersecting vertical Rowland circles of 1 m of diameter. The spectrometer is scanned vertically capturing an extended backscattering Bragg angular range (88°-74°) while maintaining all crystals on the Rowland circle trace. The instrument operates in atmospheric pressure by means of a helium bag and when all the seven crystals are used (100 mm of projected diameter each), has a solid angle of about 0.45% of 4π sr. The typical resolving power is in the order of E/ΔE ~ 10,000. The spectrometer's high detection efficiency combined with the beamline 6-2 characteristics permits routine studies of x-ray emission, high energy resolution fluorescence detected x-ray absorption and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering of very diluted samples as well as implementation of demanding in situ environments.

Proton induced quasi-monochromatic x-ray beams for soft x-ray spectroscopy studies and selective x-ray fluorescence analysis.

We present the analytical features and performance of an x-ray spectroscopy end station of moderate energy resolution operating with proton-induced quasi-monochromatic x-ray beams. The apparatus was designed, installed and operated at the 5.5 MV Tandem VdG Accelerator Laboratory of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, N.C.S.R. "Demokritos," Athens. The setup includes a two-level ultrahigh vacuum chamber that hosts in the lower level up to six primary targets in a rotatable holder; there, the irradiation of pure element materials-used as primary targets-with few-MeV high current (~µA) proton beams produces intense quasi-monochromatic x-ray beams of selectable energy. In the chamber's upper level, a six-position rotatable sample holder hosts the targets considered for x-ray spectroscopy studies. The proton-induced x-ray beam, after proper collimation, is guided to the sample position whereas various filters can be also inserted along the beam's path to eliminate the backscattered protons or/and to absorb selectively components of the x-ray beam. The apparatus incorporates an ultrathin window Si(Li) spectrometer (FWHM 136 eV at 5.89 keV) coupled with low-noise electronics capable of efficiently detecting photons down to carbon Kα. Exemplary soft x-ray spectroscopy studies and results of selective x-ray fluorescence analysis are presented.

A high resolution and large solid angle x-ray Raman spectroscopy end-station at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource.

We present a new x-ray Raman spectroscopy end-station recently developed, installed, and operated at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource. The end-station is located at wiggler beamline 6-2 equipped with two monochromators-Si(111) and Si(311) as well as collimating and focusing optics. It consists of two multi-crystal Johann type spectrometers arranged on intersecting Rowland circles of 1 m diameter. The first one, positioned at the forward scattering angles (low-q), consists of 40 spherically bent and diced Si(110) crystals with 100 mm diameters providing about 1.9% of 4π sr solid angle of detection. When operated in the (440) order in combination with the Si (311) monochromator, an overall energy resolution of 270 meV is obtained at 6462.20 eV. The second spectrometer, consisting of 14 spherically bent Si(110) crystal analyzers (not diced), is positioned at the backward scattering angles (high-q) enabling the study of non-dipole transitions. The solid angle of this spectrometer is about 0.9% of 4π sr, with a combined energy resolution of 600 meV using the Si (311) monochromator. These features exceed the specifications of currently existing relevant instrumentation, opening new opportunities for the routine application of this photon-in/photon-out hard x-ray technique to emerging research in multidisciplinary scientific fields, such as energy-related sciences, material sciences, physical chemistry, etc.