RESUMEN
We describe a laser-driven x-ray plasma source designed for ultrafast x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The source is comprised of a 1 kHz, 20 W, femtosecond pulsed infrared laser and a water target. We present the x-ray spectra as a function of laser energy and pulse duration. Additionally, we investigate the plasma temperature and photon flux as we vary the laser energy. We obtain a 75 µm FWHM x-ray spot size, containing â¼10(6) photons/s, by focusing the produced x-rays with a polycapillary optic. Since the acquisition of x-ray absorption spectra requires the averaging of measurements from >10(7) laser pulses, we also present data on the source stability, including single pulse measurements of the x-ray yield and the x-ray spectral shape. In single pulse measurements, the x-ray flux has a measured standard deviation of 8%, where the laser pointing is the main cause of variability. Further, we show that the variability in x-ray spectral shape from single pulses is low, thus justifying the combining of x-rays obtained from different laser pulses into a single spectrum. Finally, we show a static x-ray absorption spectrum of a ferrioxalate solution as detected by a microcalorimeter array. Altogether, our results demonstrate that this water-jet based plasma source is a suitable candidate for laboratory-based time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments.
RESUMEN
Microcalorimeter sensors operated near 0.1 K can measure the energy of individual x- and gamma-ray photons with significantly more precision than conventional semiconductor technologies. Both microcalorimeter arrays and higher per pixel count rates are desirable to increase the total throughput of spectrometers based on these devices. The millisecond recovery time of gamma-ray microcalorimeters and the resulting pulse pileup are significant obstacles to high per pixel count rates. Here, we demonstrate operation of a microcalorimeter detector at elevated count rates by use of convolution filters designed to be orthogonal to the exponential tail of a preceding pulse. These filters allow operation at 50% higher count rates than conventional filters while largely preserving sensor energy resolution.
RESUMEN
Improvements in superconductor device fabrication, detector hybridization techniques, and superconducting quantum interference device readout have made square-centimeter-sized arrays of gamma-ray microcalorimeters, based on transition-edge sensors (TESs), possible. At these collecting areas, gamma microcalorimeters can utilize their unprecedented energy resolution to perform spectroscopy in a number of applications that are limited by closely-spaced spectral peaks, for example, the nondestructive analysis of nuclear materials. We have built a 256 pixel spectrometer with an average full-width-at-half-maximum energy resolution of 53 eV at 97 keV, a useable dynamic range above 400 keV, and a collecting area of 5 cm(2). We have demonstrated multiplexed readout of the full 256 pixel array with 236 of the pixels (91%) giving spectroscopic data. This is the largest multiplexed array of TES microcalorimeters to date. This paper will review the spectrometer, highlighting the instrument design, detector fabrication, readout, operation of the instrument, and data processing. Further, we describe the characterization and performance of the newest 256 pixel array.
RESUMEN
We present results from Compton imaging of gamma-ray sources using an instrument constructed from thin silicon scattering detectors and CsI(Tl) absorbing detectors. We have successfully imaged single and double point sources for several common radioactive isotopes ((137)Cs, (60)Co, (22)Na, (54)Mn). The measured angular resolution is 11.6( composite function) FWHM at 662keV. In parallel with the hardware effort, a GEANT4-based simulation code was developed. Comparisons between real and simulated data are discussed.
