Sample records for diffraction methods

  1. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hayashida, Misa; Malac, Marek; Egerton, Ray F.

    Electron tomography is a method whereby a three-dimensional reconstruction of a nanoscale object is obtained from a series of projected images measured in a transmission electron microscope. We developed an electron-diffraction method to measure the tilt and azimuth angles, with Kikuchi lines used to align a series of diffraction patterns obtained with each image of the tilt series. Since it is based on electron diffraction, the method is not affected by sample drift and is not sensitive to sample thickness, whereas tilt angle measurement and alignment using fiducial-marker methods are affected by both sample drift and thickness. The accuracy ofmore » the diffraction method benefits reconstructions with a large number of voxels, where both high spatial resolution and a large field of view are desired. The diffraction method allows both the tilt and azimuth angle to be measured, while fiducial marker methods typically treat the tilt and azimuth angle as an unknown parameter. The diffraction method can be also used to estimate the accuracy of the fiducial marker method, and the sample-stage accuracy. A nano-dot fiducial marker measurement differs from a diffraction measurement by no more than ±1°.« less

  2. X-ray and neutron diffraction studies of crystallinity in hydroxyapatite coatings.

    PubMed

    Girardin, E; Millet, P; Lodini, A

    2000-02-01

    To standardize industrial implant production and make comparisons between different experimental results, we have to be able to quantify the crystallinity of hydroxyapatite. Methods of measuring crystallinity ratio were developed for various HA samples before and after plasma spraying. The first series of methods uses X-ray diffraction. The advantage of these methods is that X-ray diffraction equipment is used widely in science and industry. In the second series, a neutron diffraction method is developed and the results recorded are similar to those obtained by the modified X-ray diffraction methods. The advantage of neutron diffraction is the ability to obtain measurements deep inside a component. It is a nondestructive method, owing to the very low absorption of neutrons in most materials. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  3. Spectral methods in edge-diffraction theories

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Arnold, J.M.

    Spectral methods for the construction of uniform asymptotic representations of the field diffracted by an aperture in a plane screen are reviewed. These are separated into contrasting approaches, roughly described as physical and geometrical. It is concluded that the geometrical methods provide a direct route to the construction of uniform representations that are formally identical to the equivalent-edge-current concept. Some interpretive and analytical difficulties that complicate the physical methods of obtaining uniform representations are analyzed. Spectral synthesis proceeds directly from the ray geometry and diffraction coefficients, without any intervening current representation, and the representation is uniform at shadow boundaries andmore » caustics of the diffracted field. The physical theory of diffraction postulates currents on the diffracting screen that give rise to the diffracted field. The difficulties encountered in evaluating the current integrals are throughly examined, and it is concluded that the additional data provided by the physical theory of diffraction (diffraction coefficients off the Keller diffraction cone) are not actually required for obtaining uniform asymptotics at the leading order. A new diffraction representation that generalizes to arbitrary plane-convex apertures a formula given by Knott and Senior [Proc. IEEE 62, 1468 (1974)] for circular apertures is deduced. 34 refs., 1 fig.« less

  4. Near-field diffraction from amplitude diffraction gratings: theory, simulation and results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abedin, Kazi Monowar; Rahman, S. M. Mujibur

    2017-08-01

    We describe a computer simulation method by which the complete near-field diffract pattern of an amplitude diffraction grating can be generated. The technique uses the method of iterative Fresnel integrals to calculate and generate the diffraction images. Theoretical background as well as the techniques to perform the simulation is described. The program is written in MATLAB, and can be implemented in any ordinary PC. Examples of simulated diffraction images are presented and discussed. The generated images in the far-field where they reduce to Fraunhofer diffraction pattern are also presented for a realistic grating, and compared with the results predicted by the grating equation, which is applicable in the far-field. The method can be used as a tool to teach the complex phenomenon of diffraction in classrooms.

  5. Application of focused-beam flat-sample method to synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction with anomalous scattering effect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tanaka, M.; Katsuya, Y.; Matsushita, Y.

    2013-03-01

    The focused-beam flat-sample method (FFM), which is a method for high-resolution and rapid synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction measurements by combination of beam focusing optics, a flat shape sample and an area detector, was applied for diffraction experiments with anomalous scattering effect. The advantages of FFM for anomalous diffraction were absorption correction without approximation, rapid data collection by an area detector and good signal-to-noise ratio data by focusing optics. In the X-ray diffraction experiments of CoFe2O4 and Fe3O4 (By FFM) using X-rays near the Fe K absorption edge, the anomalous scattering effect between Fe/Co or Fe2+/Fe3+ can be clearly detected, due to the change of diffraction intensity. The change of observed diffraction intensity as the incident X-ray energy was consistent with the calculation. The FFM is expected to be a method for anomalous powder diffraction.

  6. Rietveld analysis using powder diffraction data with anomalous scattering effect obtained by focused beam flat sample method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tanaka, Masahiko, E-mail: masahiko@spring8.or.jp; Katsuya, Yoshio, E-mail: katsuya@spring8.or.jp; Sakata, Osami, E-mail: SAKATA.Osami@nims.go.jp

    2016-07-27

    Focused-beam flat-sample method (FFM) is a new trial for synchrotron powder diffraction method, which is a combination of beam focusing optics, flat shape powder sample and area detectors. The method has advantages for X-ray diffraction experiments applying anomalous scattering effect (anomalous diffraction), because of 1. Absorption correction without approximation, 2. High intensity X-rays of focused incident beams and high signal noise ratio of diffracted X-rays 3. Rapid data collection with area detectors. We applied the FFM to anomalous diffraction experiments and collected synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data of CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} (inverse spinel structure) using X-rays near Fe K absorptionmore » edge, which can distinguish Co and Fe by anomalous scattering effect. We conducted Rietveld analyses with the obtained powder diffraction data and successfully determined the distribution of Co and Fe ions in CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} crystal structure.« less

  7. Anomalous Diffraction in Crystallographic Phase Evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Hendrickson, Wayne A.

    2014-01-01

    X-ray diffraction patterns from crystals of biological macromolecules contain sufficient information to define atomic structures, but atomic positions are inextricable without having electron-density images. Diffraction measurements provide amplitudes, but the computation of electron density also requires phases for the diffracted waves. The resonance phenomenon known as anomalous scattering offers a powerful solution to this phase problem. Exploiting scattering resonances from diverse elements, the methods of multiwavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD) and single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (SAD) now predominate for de novo determinations of atomic-level biological structures. This review describes the physical underpinnings of anomalous diffraction methods, the evolution of these methods to their current maturity, the elements, procedures and instrumentation used for effective implementation, and the realm of applications. PMID:24726017

  8. Beam propagation modeling of modified volume Fresnel zone plates fabricated by femtosecond laser direct writing.

    PubMed

    Srisungsitthisunti, Pornsak; Ersoy, Okan K; Xu, Xianfan

    2009-01-01

    Light diffraction by volume Fresnel zone plates (VFZPs) is simulated by the Hankel transform beam propagation method (Hankel BPM). The method utilizes circularly symmetric geometry and small step propagation to calculate the diffracted wave fields by VFZP layers. It is shown that fast and accurate diffraction results can be obtained with the Hankel BPM. The results show an excellent agreement with the scalar diffraction theory and the experimental results. The numerical method allows more comprehensive studies of the VFZP parameters to achieve higher diffraction efficiency.

  9. Controlled dehydration improves the diffraction quality of two RNA crystals.

    PubMed

    Park, HaJeung; Tran, Tuan; Lee, Jun Hyuck; Park, Hyun; Disney, Matthew D

    2016-11-03

    Post-crystallization dehydration methods, applying either vapor diffusion or humidity control devices, have been widely used to improve the diffraction quality of protein crystals. Despite the fact that RNA crystals tend to diffract poorly, there is a dearth of reports on the application of dehydration methods to improve the diffraction quality of RNA crystals. We use dehydration techniques with a Free Mounting System (FMS, a humidity control device) to recover the poor diffraction quality of RNA crystals. These approaches were applied to RNA constructs that model various RNA-mediated repeat expansion disorders. The method we describe herein could serve as a general tool to improve diffraction quality of RNA crystals to facilitate structure determinations.

  10. Dark-field phase retrieval under the constraint of the Friedel symmetry in coherent X-ray diffraction imaging.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, Amane; Sekiguchi, Yuki; Takayama, Yuki; Oroguchi, Tomotaka; Nakasako, Masayoshi

    2014-11-17

    Coherent X-ray diffraction imaging (CXDI) is a lensless imaging technique that is suitable for visualizing the structures of non-crystalline particles with micrometer to sub-micrometer dimensions from material science and biology. One of the difficulties inherent to CXDI structural analyses is the reconstruction of electron density maps of specimen particles from diffraction patterns because saturated detector pixels and a beam stopper result in missing data in small-angle regions. To overcome this difficulty, the dark-field phase-retrieval (DFPR) method has been proposed. The DFPR method reconstructs electron density maps from diffraction data, which are modified by multiplying Gaussian masks with an observed diffraction pattern in the high-angle regions. In this paper, we incorporated Friedel centrosymmetry for diffraction patterns into the DFPR method to provide a constraint for the phase-retrieval calculation. A set of model simulations demonstrated that this constraint dramatically improved the probability of reconstructing correct electron density maps from diffraction patterns that were missing data in the small-angle region. In addition, the DFPR method with the constraint was applied successfully to experimentally obtained diffraction patterns with significant quantities of missing data. We also discuss this method's limitations with respect to the level of Poisson noise in X-ray detection.

  11. Multiple defocused coherent diffraction imaging: method for simultaneously reconstructing objects and probe using X-ray free-electron lasers.

    PubMed

    Hirose, Makoto; Shimomura, Kei; Suzuki, Akihiro; Burdet, Nicolas; Takahashi, Yukio

    2016-05-30

    The sample size must be less than the diffraction-limited focal spot size of the incident beam in single-shot coherent X-ray diffraction imaging (CXDI) based on a diffract-before-destruction scheme using X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs). This is currently a major limitation preventing its wider applications. We here propose multiple defocused CXDI, in which isolated objects are sequentially illuminated with a divergent beam larger than the objects and the coherent diffraction pattern of each object is recorded. This method can simultaneously reconstruct both objects and a probe from the coherent X-ray diffraction patterns without any a priori knowledge. We performed a computer simulation of the prposed method and then successfully demonstrated it in a proof-of-principle experiment at SPring-8. The prposed method allows us to not only observe broad samples but also characterize focused XFEL beams.

  12. Electron Diffraction Using Transmission Electron Microscopy

    PubMed Central

    Bendersky, Leonid A.; Gayle, Frank W.

    2001-01-01

    Electron diffraction via the transmission electron microscope is a powerful method for characterizing the structure of materials, including perfect crystals and defect structures. The advantages of electron diffraction over other methods, e.g., x-ray or neutron, arise from the extremely short wavelength (≈2 pm), the strong atomic scattering, and the ability to examine tiny volumes of matter (≈10 nm3). The NIST Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory has a history of discovery and characterization of new structures through electron diffraction, alone or in combination with other diffraction methods. This paper provides a survey of some of this work enabled through electron microscopy. PMID:27500060

  13. Three-dimensional electron diffraction as a complementary technique to powder X-ray diffraction for phase identification and structure solution of powders.

    PubMed

    Yun, Yifeng; Zou, Xiaodong; Hovmöller, Sven; Wan, Wei

    2015-03-01

    Phase identification and structure determination are important and widely used techniques in chemistry, physics and materials science. Recently, two methods for automated three-dimensional electron diffraction (ED) data collection, namely automated diffraction tomography (ADT) and rotation electron diffraction (RED), have been developed. Compared with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and two-dimensional zonal ED, three-dimensional ED methods have many advantages in identifying phases and determining unknown structures. Almost complete three-dimensional ED data can be collected using the ADT and RED methods. Since each ED pattern is usually measured off the zone axes by three-dimensional ED methods, dynamic effects are much reduced compared with zonal ED patterns. Data collection is easy and fast, and can start at any arbitrary orientation of the crystal, which facilitates automation. Three-dimensional ED is a powerful technique for structure identification and structure solution from individual nano- or micron-sized particles, while powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) provides information from all phases present in a sample. ED suffers from dynamic scattering, while PXRD data are kinematic. Three-dimensional ED methods and PXRD are complementary and their combinations are promising for studying multiphase samples and complicated crystal structures. Here, two three-dimensional ED methods, ADT and RED, are described. Examples are given of combinations of three-dimensional ED methods and PXRD for phase identification and structure determination over a large number of different materials, from Ni-Se-O-Cl crystals, zeolites, germanates, metal-organic frameworks and organic compounds to intermetallics with modulated structures. It is shown that three-dimensional ED is now as feasible as X-ray diffraction for phase identification and structure solution, but still needs further development in order to be as accurate as X-ray diffraction. It is expected that three-dimensional ED methods will become crucially important in the near future.

  14. Separation and imaging diffractions by a sparsity-promoting model and subspace trust-region algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Caixia; Zhao, Jingtao; Wang, Yanfei; Wang, Chengxiang; Geng, Weifeng

    2017-03-01

    The small-scale geologic inhomogeneities or discontinuities, such as tiny faults, cavities or fractures, generally have spatial scales comparable to or even smaller than the seismic wavelength. Therefore, the seismic responses of these objects are coded in diffractions and an attempt to high-resolution imaging can be made if we can appropriately image them. As the amplitudes of reflections can be several orders of magnitude larger than those of diffractions, one of the key problems of diffraction imaging is to suppress reflections and at the same time to preserve diffractions. A sparsity-promoting method for separating diffractions in the common-offset domain is proposed that uses the Kirchhoff integral formula to enforce the sparsity of diffractions and the linear Radon transform to formulate reflections. A subspace trust-region algorithm that can provide globally convergent solutions is employed for solving this large-scale computation problem. The method not only allows for separation of diffractions in the case of interfering events but also ensures a high fidelity of the separated diffractions. Numerical experiment and field application demonstrate the good performance of the proposed method in imaging the small-scale geological features related to the migration channel and storage spaces of carbonate reservoirs.

  15. Quantitative assessment of image motion blur in diffraction images of moving biological cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, He; Jin, Changrong; Feng, Yuanming; Qi, Dandan; Sa, Yu; Hu, Xin-Hua

    2016-02-01

    Motion blur (MB) presents a significant challenge for obtaining high-contrast image data from biological cells with a polarization diffraction imaging flow cytometry (p-DIFC) method. A new p-DIFC experimental system has been developed to evaluate the MB and its effect on image analysis using a time-delay-integration (TDI) CCD camera. Diffraction images of MCF-7 and K562 cells have been acquired with different speed-mismatch ratios and compared to characterize MB quantitatively. Frequency analysis of the diffraction images shows that the degree of MB can be quantified by bandwidth variations of the diffraction images along the motion direction. The analytical results were confirmed by the p-DIFC image data acquired at different speed-mismatch ratios and used to validate a method of numerical simulation of MB on blur-free diffraction images, which provides a useful tool to examine the blurring effect on diffraction images acquired from the same cell. These results provide insights on the dependence of diffraction image on MB and allow significant improvement on rapid biological cell assay with the p-DIFC method.

  16. Migration velocity analysis using residual diffraction moveout: a real-data example

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gonzalez, Jaime A. C.; de Figueiredo, José J. S.; Coimbra, Tiago A.; Schleicher, Jörg; Novais, Amélia

    2016-08-01

    Unfocused seismic diffraction events carry direct information about errors in the migration-velocity model. The residual-diffraction-moveout (RDM) migration-velocity-analysis (MVA) method is a recent technique that extracts this information by means of adjusting ellipses or hyperbolas to uncollapsed migrated diffractions. In this paper, we apply this method, which has been tested so far only on synthetic data, to a real data set from the Viking Graben. After application of a plane-wave-destruction (PWD) filter to attenuate the reflected energy, the diffractions in the real data become interpretable and can be used for the RDM method. Our analysis demonstrates that the reflections need not be completely removed for this purpose. Beyond the need to identify and select diffraction events in post-stack migrated sections in the depth domain, the method has a very low computational cost and processing time. To reach an acceptable velocity model of comparable quality as one obtained with common-midpoint (CMP) processing, only two iterations were necessary.

  17. Processes for manufacturing multifocal diffractive-refractive intraocular lenses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iskakov, I. A.

    2017-09-01

    Manufacturing methods and design features of modern diffractive-refractive intraocular lenses are discussed. The implantation of multifocal intraocular lenses is the most optimal method of restoring the accommodative ability of the eye after removal of the natural lens. Diffractive-refractive intraocular lenses are the most widely used implantable multifocal lenses worldwide. Existing methods for manufacturing such lenses implement various design solutions to provide the best vision function after surgery. The wide variety of available diffractive-refractive intraocular lens designs reflects the demand for this method of vision correction in clinical practice and the importance of further applied research and development of new technologies for designing improved lens models.

  18. Experimental method for testing diffraction properties of reflection waveguide holograms.

    PubMed

    Xie, Yi; Kang, Ming-Wu; Wang, Bao-Ping

    2014-07-01

    Waveguide holograms' diffraction properties include peak wavelength and diffraction efficiency, which play an important role in determining their display performance. Based on the record and reconstruction theory of reflection waveguide holograms, a novel experimental method for testing diffraction properties is introduced and analyzed in this paper, which uses a plano-convex lens optically contacted to the surface of the substrate plate of the waveguide hologram, so that the diffracted light beam can be easily detected. Then an experiment is implemented. The designed reconstruction wavelength of the test sample is 530 nm, and its diffraction efficiency is 100%. The experimental results are a peak wavelength of 527.7 nm and a diffraction efficiency of 94.1%. It is shown that the tested value corresponds well with the designed value.

  19. Study on High Resolution Membrane-Based Diffractive Optical Imaging on Geostationary Orbit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiao, J.; Wang, B.; Wang, C.; Zhang, Y.; Jin, J.; Liu, Z.; Su, Y.; Ruan, N.

    2017-05-01

    Diffractive optical imaging technology provides a new way to realize high resolution earth observation on geostationary orbit. There are a lot of benefits to use the membrane-based diffractive optical element in ultra-large aperture optical imaging system, including loose tolerance, light weight, easy folding and unfolding, which make it easy to realize high resolution earth observation on geostationary orbit. The implementation of this technology also faces some challenges, including the configuration of the diffractive primary lens, the development of high diffraction efficiency membrane-based diffractive optical elements, and the correction of the chromatic aberration of the diffractive optical elements. Aiming at the configuration of the diffractive primary lens, the "6+1" petal-type unfold scheme is proposed, which consider the compression ratio, the blocking rate and the development complexity. For high diffraction efficiency membrane-based diffractive optical element, a self-collimating method is proposed. The diffraction efficiency is more than 90 % of the theoretical value. For the chromatic aberration correction problem, an optimization method based on schupmann is proposed to make the imaging spectral bandwidth in visible light band reach 100 nm. The above conclusions have reference significance for the development of ultra-large aperture diffractive optical imaging system.

  20. A simple X-ray source of two orthogonal beams for small samples imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hrdý, J.

    2018-04-01

    A simple method for simultaneous imaging of small samples by two orthogonal beams is proposed. The method is based on one channel-cut crystal which is oriented such that the beam is diffracted on two crystallographic planes simultaneously. These planes are symmetrically inclined to the crystal surface. The beams are three times diffracted. After the first diffraction the beam is split. After the second diffraction the split beams become parallel. Finally, after the third diffraction the beams become convergent and may be used for imaging. The corresponding angular relations to obtain orthogonal beams are derived.

  1. Noniterative approach to the missing data problem in coherent diffraction imaging by phase retrieval.

    PubMed

    Nakajima, Nobuharu

    2010-07-20

    When a very intense beam is used for illuminating an object in coherent x-ray diffraction imaging, the intensities at the center of the diffraction pattern for the object are cut off by a beam stop that is utilized to block the intense beam. Until now, only iterative phase-retrieval methods have been applied to object reconstruction from a single diffraction pattern with a deficiency of central data due to a beam stop. As an alternative method, I present a noniterative solution in which an interpolation method based on the sampling theorem for the missing data is used for object reconstruction with our previously proposed phase-retrieval method using an aperture-array filter. Computer simulations demonstrate the reconstruction of a complex-amplitude object from a single diffraction pattern with a missing data area, which is generally difficult to treat with the iterative methods because a nonnegativity constraint cannot be used for such an object.

  2. A hybrid method combining the surface integral equation method and ray tracing for the numerical simulation of high frequency diffraction involved in ultrasonic NDT

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bonnet, M.; Collino, F.; Demaldent, E.; Imperiale, A.; Pesudo, L.

    2018-05-01

    Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing (US NDT) has become widely used in various fields of applications to probe media. Exploiting the surface measurements of the ultrasonic incident waves echoes after their propagation through the medium, it allows to detect potential defects (cracks and inhomogeneities) and characterize the medium. The understanding and interpretation of those experimental measurements is performed with the help of numerical modeling and simulations. However, classical numerical methods can become computationally very expensive for the simulation of wave propagation in the high frequency regime. On the other hand, asymptotic techniques are better suited to model high frequency scattering over large distances but nevertheless do not allow accurate simulation of complex diffraction phenomena. Thus, neither numerical nor asymptotic methods can individually solve high frequency diffraction problems in large media, as those involved in UNDT controls, both quickly and accurately, but their advantages and limitations are complementary. Here we propose a hybrid strategy coupling the surface integral equation method and the ray tracing method to simulate high frequency diffraction under speed and accuracy constraints. This strategy is general and applicable to simulate diffraction phenomena in acoustic or elastodynamic media. We provide its implementation and investigate its performances for the 2D acoustic diffraction problem. The main features of this hybrid method are described and results of 2D computational experiments discussed.

  3. Dynamical electron diffraction simulation for non-orthogonal crystal system by a revised real space method.

    PubMed

    Lv, C L; Liu, Q B; Cai, C Y; Huang, J; Zhou, G W; Wang, Y G

    2015-01-01

    In the transmission electron microscopy, a revised real space (RRS) method has been confirmed to be a more accurate dynamical electron diffraction simulation method for low-energy electron diffraction than the conventional multislice method (CMS). However, the RRS method can be only used to calculate the dynamical electron diffraction of orthogonal crystal system. In this work, the expression of the RRS method for non-orthogonal crystal system is derived. By taking Na2 Ti3 O7 and Si as examples, the correctness of the derived RRS formula for non-orthogonal crystal system is confirmed by testing the coincidence of numerical results of both sides of Schrödinger equation; moreover, the difference between the RRS method and the CMS for non-orthogonal crystal system is compared at the accelerating voltage range from 40 to 10 kV. Our results show that the CMS method is almost the same as the RRS method for the accelerating voltage above 40 kV. However, when the accelerating voltage is further lowered to 20 kV or below, the CMS method introduces significant errors, not only for the higher-order Laue zone diffractions, but also for zero-order Laue zone. These indicate that the RRS method for non-orthogonal crystal system is necessary to be used for more accurate dynamical simulation when the accelerating voltage is low. Furthermore, the reason for the increase of differences between those diffraction patterns calculated by the RRS method and the CMS method with the decrease of the accelerating voltage is discussed. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2015 Royal Microscopical Society.

  4. High Resolution X-Ray Diffraction of Macromolecules with Synchrotron Radiation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stojanoff, Vivian; Boggon, Titus; Helliwell, John R.; Judge, Russell; Olczak, Alex; Snell, Edward H.; Siddons, D. Peter; Rose, M. Franklin (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    We recently combined synchrotron-based monochromatic X-ray diffraction topography methods with triple axis diffractometry and rocking curve measurements: high resolution X-ray diffraction imaging techniques, to better understand the quality of protein crystals. We discuss these methods in the light of results obtained on crystals grown under different conditions. These non destructive techniques are powerful tools in the characterization of the protein crystals and ultimately will allow to improve, develop, and understand protein crystal growth. High resolution X-ray diffraction imaging methods will be discussed in detail in light of recent results obtained on Hen Egg White Lysozyme crystals and other proteins.

  5. Diffractive optical devices produced by light-assisted trapping of nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Muñoz-Martínez, J F; Jubera, M; Matarrubia, J; García-Cabañes, A; Agulló-López, F; Carrascosa, M

    2016-01-15

    One- and two-dimensional diffractive optical devices have been fabricated by light-assisted trapping and patterning of nanoparticles. The method is based on the dielectrophoretic forces appearing in the vicinity of a photovoltaic crystal, such as Fe:LiNbO3, during or after illumination. By illumination with the appropriate light distribution, the nanoparticles are organized along patterns designed at will. One- and two-dimensional diffractive components have been achieved on X- and Z-cut Fe:LiNbO3 crystals, with their polar axes parallel and perpendicular to the crystal surface, respectively. Diffraction gratings with periods down to around a few micrometers have been produced using metal (Al, Ag) nanoparticles with radii in the range of 70-100 nm. Moreover, several 2D devices, such as Fresnel zone plates, have been also produced showing the potential of the method. The diffractive particle patterns remain stable when light is removed. A method to transfer the diffractive patterns to other nonphotovoltaic substrates, such as silica glass, has been also reported.

  6. Application of Discrete Huygens Method for Diffraction of Transient Ultrasonic Field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alia, A.

    2018-01-01

    Several time-domain methods have been widely used to predict impulse response in acoustics. Despite its great potential, Discrete Huygens Method (DHM) has not been as widely used in the domain of ultrasonic diffraction as in other fields. In fact, little can be found in literature about the application of the DHM to diffraction phenomenon that can be described in terms of direct and edge waves, a concept suggested by Young since 1802. In this paper, a simple axisymmetric DHM-model has been used to simulate the transient ultrasonic field radiation of a baffled transducer and its diffraction by a target located on axis. The results are validated by impulse response based calculations. They indicate the capability of DHM to simulate diffraction occurring at transducer and target edges and to predict the complicated transient field in pulse mode.

  7. Common arc method for diffraction pattern orientation.

    PubMed

    Bortel, Gábor; Tegze, Miklós

    2011-11-01

    Very short pulses of X-ray free-electron lasers opened the way to obtaining diffraction signal from single particles beyond the radiation dose limit. For three-dimensional structure reconstruction many patterns are recorded in the object's unknown orientation. A method is described for the orientation of continuous diffraction patterns of non-periodic objects, utilizing intensity correlations in the curved intersections of the corresponding Ewald spheres, and hence named the common arc orientation method. The present implementation of the algorithm optionally takes into account Friedel's law, handles missing data and is capable of determining the point group of symmetric objects. Its performance is demonstrated on simulated diffraction data sets and verification of the results indicates a high orientation accuracy even at low signal levels. The common arc method fills a gap in the wide palette of orientation methods. © 2011 International Union of Crystallography

  8. Revealing small-scale diffracting discontinuities by an optimization inversion algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Caixia; Zhao, Jingtao; Wang, Yanfei

    2017-02-01

    Small-scale diffracting geologic discontinuities play a significant role in studying carbonate reservoirs. The seismic responses of them are coded in diffracted/scattered waves. However, compared with reflections, the energy of these valuable diffractions is generally one or even two orders of magnitude weaker. This means that the information of diffractions is strongly masked by reflections in the seismic images. Detecting the small-scale cavities and tiny faults from the deep carbonate reservoirs, mainly over 6 km, poses an even bigger challenge to seismic diffractions, as the signals of seismic surveyed data are weak and have a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). After analyzing the mechanism of the Kirchhoff migration method, the residual of prestack diffractions located in the neighborhood of the first Fresnel aperture is found to remain in the image space. Therefore, a strategy for extracting diffractions in the image space is proposed and a regularized L 2-norm model with a smooth constraint to the local slopes is suggested for predicting reflections. According to the focusing conditions of residual diffractions in the image space, two approaches are provided for extracting diffractions. Diffraction extraction can be directly accomplished by subtracting the predicted reflections from seismic imaging data if the residual diffractions are focused. Otherwise, a diffraction velocity analysis will be performed for refocusing residual diffractions. Two synthetic examples and one field application demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of the two proposed methods in detecting the small-scale geologic scatterers, tiny faults and cavities.

  9. X-Ray Diffraction and the Discovery of the Structure of DNA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crouse, David T.

    2007-01-01

    A method is described for teaching the analysis of X-ray diffraction of DNA through a series of steps utilizing the original methods used by James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin. The X-ray diffraction pattern led to the conclusion of the basic helical structure of DNA and its dimensions while basic chemical principles…

  10. Even Illumination from Fiber-Optic-Coupled Laser Diodes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Howard, Richard T.

    2006-01-01

    A method of equipping fiber-optic-coupled laser diodes to evenly illuminate specified fields of view has been proposed. The essence of the method is to shape the tips of the optical fibers into suitably designed diffractive optical elements. One of the main benefits afforded by the method would be more nearly complete utilization of the available light. Diffractive optics is a relatively new field of optics in which laser beams are shaped by use of diffraction instead of refraction.

  11. Electron diffraction covering a wide angular range from Bragg diffraction to small-angle diffraction.

    PubMed

    Nakajima, Hiroshi; Kotani, Atsuhiro; Harada, Ken; Mori, Shigeo

    2018-04-09

    We construct an electron optical system to investigate Bragg diffraction (the crystal lattice plane, 10-2 to 10-3 rad) with the objective lens turned off by adjusting the current in the intermediate lenses. A crossover was located on the selected-area aperture plane. Thus, the dark-field imaging can be performed by using a selected-area aperture to select Bragg diffraction spots. The camera length can be controlled in the range of 0.8-4 m without exciting the objective lens. Furthermore, we can observe the magnetic-field dependence of electron diffraction using the objective lens under weak excitation conditions. The diffraction mode for Bragg diffraction can be easily switched to a small-angle electron diffraction mode having a camera length of more than 100 m. We propose this experimental method to acquire electron diffraction patterns that depict an extensive angular range from 10-2 to 10-7 rad. This method is applied to analyze the magnetic microstructures in three distinct magnetic materials, i.e. a uniaxial magnetic structure of BaFe10.35Sc1.6Mg0.05O19, a martensite of a Ni-Mn-Ga alloy, and a helical magnetic structure of Ba0.5Sr1.5Zn2Fe12O22.

  12. Zone-boundary optimization for direct laser writing of continuous-relief diffractive optical elements.

    PubMed

    Korolkov, Victor P; Nasyrov, Ruslan K; Shimansky, Ruslan V

    2006-01-01

    Enhancing the diffraction efficiency of continuous-relief diffractive optical elements fabricated by direct laser writing is discussed. A new method of zone-boundary optimization is proposed to correct exposure data only in narrow areas along the boundaries of diffractive zones. The optimization decreases the loss of diffraction efficiency related to convolution of a desired phase profile with a writing-beam intensity distribution. A simplified stepped transition function that describes optimized exposure data near zone boundaries can be made universal for a wide range of zone periods. The approach permits a similar increase in the diffraction efficiency as an individual-pixel optimization but with fewer computation efforts. Computer simulations demonstrated that the zone-boundary optimization for a 6 microm period grating increases the efficiency by 7% and 14.5% for 0.6 microm and 1.65 microm writing-spot diameters, respectively. The diffraction efficiency of as much as 65%-90% for 4-10 microm zone periods was obtained experimentally with this method.

  13. Accurate reconstruction in digital holographic microscopy using Fresnel dual-tree complex wavelet transform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Xiaolei; Zhang, Xiangchao; Yuan, He; Zhang, Hao; Xu, Min

    2018-02-01

    Digital holography is a promising measurement method in the fields of bio-medicine and micro-electronics. But the captured images of digital holography are severely polluted by the speckle noise because of optical scattering and diffraction. Via analyzing the properties of Fresnel diffraction and the topographies of micro-structures, a novel reconstruction method based on the dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT) is proposed. This algorithm is shiftinvariant and capable of obtaining sparse representations for the diffracted signals of salient features, thus it is well suited for multiresolution processing of the interferometric holograms of directional morphologies. An explicit representation of orthogonal Fresnel DT-CWT bases and a specific filtering method are developed. This method can effectively remove the speckle noise without destroying the salient features. Finally, the proposed reconstruction method is compared with the conventional Fresnel diffraction integration and Fresnel wavelet transform with compressive sensing methods to validate its remarkable superiority on the aspects of topography reconstruction and speckle removal.

  14. Diffracted diffraction radiation and its application to beam diagnostics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goponov, Yu. A.; Shatokhin, R. A.; Sumitani, K.; Syshchenko, V. V.; Takabayashi, Y.; Vnukov, I. E.

    2018-03-01

    We present theoretical considerations for diffracted diffraction radiation and also propose an application of this process to diagnosing ultra-relativistic electron (positron) beams for the first time. Diffraction radiation is produced when relativistic particles move near a target. If the target is a crystal or X-ray mirror, diffraction radiation in the X-ray region is expected to be diffracted at the Bragg angle and therefore be detectable. We present a scheme for applying this process to measurements of the beam angular spread, and consider how to conduct a proof-of-principle experiment for the proposed method.

  15. Laser fresnel distance measuring system and method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, Jonathan W. (Inventor); Lehner, David L. (Inventor); Smalley, Larry L. (Inventor); Smith, legal representative, Molly C. (Inventor); Sanders, Alvin J. (Inventor); Earl, Dennis Duncan (Inventor); Allison, Stephen W. (Inventor); Smith, Kelly L. (Inventor)

    2008-01-01

    A method and system for determining range to a target are provided. A beam of electromagnetic energy is transmitted through an aperture in an opaque screen such that a portion of the beam passes through the aperture to generate a region of diffraction that varies as a function of distance from the aperture. An imaging system is focused on a target plane in the region of diffraction with the generated image being compared to known diffraction patterns. Each known diffraction pattern has a unique value associated therewith that is indicative of a distance from the aperture. A match between the generated image and at least one of the known diffraction patterns is indicative of a distance between the aperture and target plane.

  16. Alignment of the writing beam with the diffractive structure rotation axis in synthesis of diffractive optical elements in a polar coordinate system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shimanskii, R. V.; Poleshchuk, A. G.; Korolkov, V. P.; Cherkashin, V. V.

    2017-03-01

    A method is developed to ensure precise alignment of the origin of a polar coordinate system in which the laser beam position is defined in writing diffractive optical elements with the optical workpiece rotation axis. This method is used to improve the accuracy of a circular laser writing system in writing large-scale diffractive optical elements in a polar coordinate system. Results of studying new algorithms of detection and correction of positioning errors of the circular laser writing system in the course of writing are reported.

  17. Simulation electromagnetic scattering on bodies through integral equation and neural networks methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lvovich, I. Ya; Preobrazhenskiy, A. P.; Choporov, O. N.

    2018-05-01

    The paper deals with the issue of electromagnetic scattering on a perfectly conducting diffractive body of a complex shape. Performance calculation of the body scattering is carried out through the integral equation method. Fredholm equation of the second time was used for calculating electric current density. While solving the integral equation through the moments method, the authors have properly described the core singularity. The authors determined piecewise constant functions as basic functions. The chosen equation was solved through the moments method. Within the Kirchhoff integral approach it is possible to define the scattered electromagnetic field, in some way related to obtained electrical currents. The observation angles sector belongs to the area of the front hemisphere of the diffractive body. To improve characteristics of the diffractive body, the authors used a neural network. All the neurons contained a logsigmoid activation function and weighted sums as discriminant functions. The paper presents the matrix of weighting factors of the connectionist model, as well as the results of the optimized dimensions of the diffractive body. The paper also presents some basic steps in calculation technique of the diffractive bodies, based on the combination of integral equation and neural networks methods.

  18. Stable diffraction-management soliton in a periodic structure with alternating left-handed and right-handed media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Jinggui

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, we first derive a modified two-dimensional non-linear Schrödinger equation including high-order diffraction (HOD) suitable for the propagation of optical beam near the low-diffraction regime in Kerr non-linear media with spatial dispersion. Then, we apply our derived physical model to a designed two-dimensional configuration filled with alternate layers of a left-handed material (LHM) and a right-handed media by employing the mean-field theory. It is found that the periodic structure including LHM may experience diminished, cancelled, and even reversed diffraction behaviours through engineering the relative thickness between both media. In particular, the variational method analytically predicts that close to the zero-diffraction regime, such periodic structure can support stable diffraction-management solitons whose beamwidth and peak amplitude evolve periodically with the help of HOD effect. Numerical simulation based on the split-step Fourier method confirms the analytical results.

  19. Computer Generated Diffraction Patterns Of Rough Surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rakels, Jan H.

    1989-03-01

    It is generally accepted, that optical methods are the most promising for the in-process measurement of surface finish. These methods have the advantages of being non-contacting and fast data acquisition. In the Micro-Engineering Centre at the University of Warwick, an optical sensor has been devised which can measure the rms roughness, slope and wavelength of turned and precision ground surfaces. The operation of this device is based upon the Kirchhoff-Fresnel diffraction integral. Application of this theory to ideal turned surfaces is straightforward, and indeed the theoretically calculated diffraction patterns are in close agreement with patterns produced by an actual optical instrument. Since it is mathematically difficult to introduce real surface profiles into the diffraction integral, a computer program has been devised, which simulates the operation of the optical sensor. The program produces a diffraction pattern as a graphical output. Comparison between computer generated and actual diffraction patterns of the same surfaces show a high correlation.

  20. A Combined FEM/MoM/GTD Technique To Analyze Elliptically Polarized Cavity-Backed Antennas With Finite Ground Plane

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reddy, C. J.; Deshpande, M. D.; Fralick, D. T.; Cockrell, C. R.; Beck, F. B.

    1996-01-01

    Radiation pattern prediction analysis of elliptically polarized cavity-backed aperture antennas in a finite ground plane is performed using a combined Finite Element Method/Method of Moments/Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (FEM/MoM/GTD) technique. The magnetic current on the cavity-backed aperture in an infinite ground plane is calculated using the combined FEM/MoM analysis. GTD, including the slope diffraction contribution, is used to calculate the diffracted fields caused by both soft and hard polarizations at the edges of the finite ground plane. Explicit expressions for regular diffraction coefficients and slope diffraction coefficients are presented. The slope of the incident magnetic field at the diffraction points is derived and analytical expressions are presented. Numerical results for the radiation patterns of a cavity-backed circular spiral microstrip patch antenna excited by a coaxial probe in a finite rectangular ground plane are computed and compared with experimental results.

  1. Quasi-parallel precession diffraction: Alignment method for scanning transmission electron microscopes.

    PubMed

    Plana-Ruiz, S; Portillo, J; Estradé, S; Peiró, F; Kolb, Ute; Nicolopoulos, S

    2018-06-06

    A general method to set illuminating conditions for selectable beam convergence and probe size is presented in this work for Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM) fitted with µs/pixel fast beam scanning control, (S)TEM, and an annular dark field detector. The case of interest of beam convergence and probe size, which enables diffraction pattern indexation, is then used as a starting point in this work to add 100 Hz precession to the beam while imaging the specimen at a fast rate and keeping the projector system in diffraction mode. The described systematic alignment method for the adjustment of beam precession on the specimen plane while scanning at fast rates is mainly based on the sharpness of the precessed STEM image. The complete alignment method for parallel condition and precession, Quasi-Parallel PED-STEM, is presented in block diagram scheme, as it has been tested on a variety of instruments. The immediate application of this methodology is that it renders the TEM column ready for the acquisition of Precessed Electron Diffraction Tomographies (EDT) as well as for the acquisition of slow Precessed Scanning Nanometer Electron Diffraction (SNED). Examples of the quality of the Precessed Electron Diffraction (PED) patterns and PED-STEM alignment images are presented with corresponding probe sizes and convergence angles. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  2. Ostwald ripening and interparticle-diffraction effects for illite crystals

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eberl, D.D.; Srodon, J.

    1988-01-01

    The Warren-Averbach method, an X-ray diffraction (XRD) method used to measure mean particle thickness and particle-thickness distribution, is used to restudy sericite from the Silverton caldera. Apparent particle-thickness distributions indicate that the clays may have undergone Ostwald ripening and that this process has modified the K-Ar ages of the samples. The mechanism of Ostwald ripening can account for many of the features found for the hydrothermal alteration of illite. Expandabilities measured by the XRD peak-position method for illite/smectites (I/S) from various locations are smaller than expandabilities measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and by the Warren-Averbach (W-A) method. This disparity is interpreted as being related to the presence of nonswelling basal surfaces that form the ends of stacks of illite particles (short-stack effect), stacks that, according to the theory of interparticle diffraction, diffract as coherent X-ray scattering domains. -from Authors

  3. Diffraction leveraged modulation of X-ray pulses using MEMS-based X-ray optics

    DOEpatents

    Lopez, Daniel; Shenoy, Gopal; Wang, Jin; Walko, Donald A.; Jung, Il-Woong; Mukhopadhyay, Deepkishore

    2016-08-09

    A method and apparatus are provided for implementing Bragg-diffraction leveraged modulation of X-ray pulses using MicroElectroMechanical systems (MEMS) based diffractive optics. An oscillating crystalline MEMS device generates a controllable time-window for diffraction of the incident X-ray radiation. The Bragg-diffraction leveraged modulation of X-ray pulses includes isolating a particular pulse, spatially separating individual pulses, and spreading a single pulse from an X-ray pulse-train.

  4. Fabrication of amplitude-phase type diffractive optical elements in aluminium films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fomchenkov, S. A.; Butt, M. A.

    2017-11-01

    In the course of studies have been conducted a method of forming the phase diffractive optical elements (DOEs) by direct laser writing in thin films of aluminum. The quality of the aluminum films were investigated depending on the parameters of magnetron sputtering process. Moreover, the parameters of the laser writing process in thin films of aluminum were optimized. The structure of phase diffractive optical elements was obtained by the proposed method.

  5. High-speed autofocusing of a cell using diffraction pattern

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oku, Hiromasa; Ishikawa, Masatoshi; Theodorus; Hashimoto, Koichi

    2006-05-01

    This paper proposes a new autofocusing method for observing cells under a transmission illumination. The focusing method uses a quick and simple focus estimation technique termed “depth from diffraction,” which is based on a diffraction pattern in a defocused image of a biological specimen. Since this method can estimate the focal position of the specimen from only a single defocused image, it can easily realize high-speed autofocusing. To demonstrate the method, it was applied to continuous focus tracking of a swimming paramecium, in combination with two-dimensional position tracking. Three-dimensional tracking of the paramecium for 70 s was successfully demonstrated.

  6. Molecular structures and intramolecular dynamics of pentahalides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ischenko, A. A.

    2017-03-01

    This paper reviews advances of modern gas electron diffraction (GED) method combined with high-resolution spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations in studies of the impact of intramolecular dynamics in free molecules of pentahalides. Some recently developed approaches to the electron diffraction data interpretation, based on direct incorporation of the adiabatic potential energy surface parameters to the diffraction intensity are described. In this way, complementary data of different experimental and computational methods can be directly combined for solving problems of the molecular structure and its dynamics. The possibility to evaluate some important parameters of the adiabatic potential energy surface - barriers to pseudorotation and saddle point of intermediate configuration from diffraction intensities in solving the inverse GED problem is demonstrated on several examples. With increasing accuracy of the electron diffraction intensities and the development of the theoretical background of electron scattering and data interpretation, it has become possible to investigate complex nuclear dynamics in fluxional systems by the GED method. Results of other research groups are also included in the discussion.

  7. Collimation testing using slit Fresnel diffraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Xiaohe; Hui, Mei; Wang, Shanshan; Hou, Yinlong; Zhou, Siyu; Zhu, Qiudong

    2018-03-01

    A simple collimation testing method based on slit Fresnel diffraction is proposed. The method needs only a CMOS and a slit with no requirement in dimensional accuracy. The light beam to be tested diffracts across the slit and forms a Fresnel diffraction pattern received by CMOS. After analysis, the defocusing amount and the distance between the primary peak point and secondary peak point of diffraction pattern fulfill an expression relationship and then the defocusing amount can be deduced from the expression. The method is applied to both the coherent beam and partially coherent beam, and these two beams are emitted from a laser and light-emitting diode (LED) with a spectrum width of about 50 nm in this paper. Simulations show that the wide spectrum of LED has the effect of smooth filtering to provide higher accuracy. Experiments show that the LED with a spectrum width of about 50 nm has a lower limitation error than the laser and can achieve up to 58.1601 μm with focal length 200 mm and slit width 15 mm.

  8. Calculation of Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns from highly stressed polycrystalline materials

    DOE PAGES

    MacDonald, M. J.; Vorberger, J.; Gamboa, E. J.; ...

    2016-06-07

    Calculations of Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns from polycrystalline materials have typically been done in the limit of small deviatoric stresses. Although these methods are well suited for experiments conducted near hydrostatic conditions, more robust models are required to diagnose the large strain anisotropies present in dynamic compression experiments. A method to predict Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns for arbitrary strains has been presented in the Voigt (iso-strain) limit. Here, we present a method to calculate Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns from highly stressed polycrystalline samples in the Reuss (iso-stress) limit. This analysis uses elastic constants to calculate lattice strains for all initial crystallite orientations, enablingmore » elastic anisotropy and sample texture effects to be modeled directly. Furthermore, the effects of probing geometry, deviatoric stresses, and sample texture are demonstrated and compared to Voigt limit predictions. An example of shock-compressed polycrystalline diamond is presented to illustrate how this model can be applied and demonstrates the importance of including material strength when interpreting diffraction in dynamic compression experiments.« less

  9. Adequacy of laser diffraction for soil particle size analysis

    PubMed Central

    Fisher, Peter; Aumann, Colin; Chia, Kohleth; O'Halloran, Nick; Chandra, Subhash

    2017-01-01

    Sedimentation has been a standard methodology for particle size analysis since the early 1900s. In recent years laser diffraction is beginning to replace sedimentation as the prefered technique in some industries, such as marine sediment analysis. However, for the particle size analysis of soils, which have a diverse range of both particle size and shape, laser diffraction still requires evaluation of its reliability. In this study, the sedimentation based sieve plummet balance method and the laser diffraction method were used to measure the particle size distribution of 22 soil samples representing four contrasting Australian Soil Orders. Initially, a precise wet riffling methodology was developed capable of obtaining representative samples within the recommended obscuration range for laser diffraction. It was found that repeatable results were obtained even if measurements were made at the extreme ends of the manufacturer’s recommended obscuration range. Results from statistical analysis suggested that the use of sample pretreatment to remove soil organic carbon (and possible traces of calcium-carbonate content) made minor differences to the laser diffraction particle size distributions compared to no pretreatment. These differences were found to be marginally statistically significant in the Podosol topsoil and Vertosol subsoil. There are well known reasons why sedimentation methods may be considered to ‘overestimate’ plate-like clay particles, while laser diffraction will ‘underestimate’ the proportion of clay particles. In this study we used Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient to determine the equivalence of laser diffraction and sieve plummet balance results. The results suggested that the laser diffraction equivalent thresholds corresponding to the sieve plummet balance cumulative particle sizes of < 2 μm, < 20 μm, and < 200 μm, were < 9 μm, < 26 μm, < 275 μm respectively. The many advantages of laser diffraction for soil particle size analysis, and the empirical results of this study, suggest that deployment of laser diffraction as a standard test procedure can provide reliable results, provided consistent sample preparation is used. PMID:28472043

  10. Diffractive optics in industry and research: novel components for optical security systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laakkonen, Pasi; Turunen, Jari; Pietarinen, Juha; Siitonen, Samuli; Laukkanen, Janne; Jefimovs, Konstantins; Orava, Joni; Ritala, Mikko; Pilvi, Tero; Tuovinen, Hemmo; Ventola, Kalle; Vallius, Tuomas; Kaipiainen, Matti; Kuittinen, Markku

    2005-09-01

    Design and manufacturing of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) are presented. Mass replication methods for DOEs are explained including UV-replication, micro-injection moulding and reel-to-reel production. Novel applications of diffractive optics including spectroscopic surface relief gratings, antireflection surfaces, infrared light rejection gratings, light incoupling into thin waveguides, and additive diffractive colour mixing are presented.

  11. Amorphous Phase Characterization Through X-Ray Diffraction Profile Modeling: Implications for Amorphous Phases in Gale Crater Rocks and Soils

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Achilles, C. N.; Downs, G. W.; Downs, R. T.; Morris, R. V.; Rampe, E. B.; Ming, D. W.; Chipera, S. J.; Blake, D. F.; Vaniman, D. T.; Bristow, T. F.; hide

    2018-01-01

    The CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover has analyzed 18 rock and soil samples in Gale crater. Diffraction data allow for the identification of major crystalline phases based on the positions and intensities of well-defined peaks and also provides information regarding amorphous and poorly-ordered materials based on the shape and positions of broad scattering humps. The combination of diffraction data, elemental chemistry from APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) and evolved gas analyses (EGA) from SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) help constrain possible amorphous materials present in each sample (e.g., glass, opal, iron oxides, sulfates) but are model dependent. We present a novel method to characterize amorphous material in diffraction data and, through this approach, aim to characterize the phases collectively producing the amorphous profiles in CheMin diffraction data. This method may be applied to any diffraction data from samples containing X-ray amorphous materials, not just CheMin datasets, but we re-strict our discussion to Martian-relevant amorphous phases and diffraction data measured by CheMin or CheMin-like instruments.

  12. An integral equation method for calculating sound field diffracted by a rigid barrier on an impedance ground.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Sipei; Qiu, Xiaojun; Cheng, Jianchun

    2015-09-01

    This paper proposes a different method for calculating a sound field diffracted by a rigid barrier based on the integral equation method, where a virtual boundary is assumed above the rigid barrier to divide the whole space into two subspaces. Based on the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz equation, the sound field in each subspace is determined with the source inside and the boundary conditions on the surface, and then the diffracted sound field is obtained by using the continuation conditions on the virtual boundary. Simulations are carried out to verify the feasibility of the proposed method. Compared to the MacDonald method and other existing methods, the proposed method is a rigorous solution for whole space and is also much easier to understand.

  13. 3D Diffraction Microscope Provides a First Deep View

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miao, Jianwei

    2005-03-01

    When a coherent diffraction pattern is sampled at a spacing sufficiently finer than the Bragg peak frequency (i.e. the inverse of the sample size), the phase information is in principle encoded inside the diffraction pattern, and can be directly retrieved by using an iterative process. In combination of this oversampling phasing method with either coherent X-rays or electrons, a novel form of diffraction microscopy has recently been developed to image nanoscale materials and biological structures. In this talk, I will present the principle of the oversampling method, discuss the first experimental demonstration of this microscope, and illustrate some applications in nanoscience and biology.

  14. Ptychographic overlap constraint errors and the limits of their numerical recovery using conjugate gradient descent methods.

    PubMed

    Tripathi, Ashish; McNulty, Ian; Shpyrko, Oleg G

    2014-01-27

    Ptychographic coherent x-ray diffractive imaging is a form of scanning microscopy that does not require optics to image a sample. A series of scanned coherent diffraction patterns recorded from multiple overlapping illuminated regions on the sample are inverted numerically to retrieve its image. The technique recovers the phase lost by detecting the diffraction patterns by using experimentally known constraints, in this case the measured diffraction intensities and the assumed scan positions on the sample. The spatial resolution of the recovered image of the sample is limited by the angular extent over which the diffraction patterns are recorded and how well these constraints are known. Here, we explore how reconstruction quality degrades with uncertainties in the scan positions. We show experimentally that large errors in the assumed scan positions on the sample can be numerically determined and corrected using conjugate gradient descent methods. We also explore in simulations the limits, based on the signal to noise of the diffraction patterns and amount of overlap between adjacent scan positions, of just how large these errors can be and still be rendered tractable by this method.

  15. Image degradation characteristics and restoration based on regularization for diffractive imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhi, Xiyang; Jiang, Shikai; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Dawei; Li, Yun

    2017-11-01

    The diffractive membrane optical imaging system is an important development trend of ultra large aperture and lightweight space camera. However, related investigations on physics-based diffractive imaging degradation characteristics and corresponding image restoration methods are less studied. In this paper, the model of image quality degradation for the diffraction imaging system is first deduced mathematically based on diffraction theory and then the degradation characteristics are analyzed. On this basis, a novel regularization model of image restoration that contains multiple prior constraints is established. After that, the solving approach of the equation with the multi-norm coexistence and multi-regularization parameters (prior's parameters) is presented. Subsequently, the space-variant PSF image restoration method for large aperture diffractive imaging system is proposed combined with block idea of isoplanatic region. Experimentally, the proposed algorithm demonstrates its capacity to achieve multi-objective improvement including MTF enhancing, dispersion correcting, noise and artifact suppressing as well as image's detail preserving, and produce satisfactory visual quality. This can provide scientific basis for applications and possesses potential application prospects on future space applications of diffractive membrane imaging technology.

  16. Versatile digital micromirror device-based method for the recording of multilevel optical diffractive elements in photosensitive chalcogenide layers (AMTIR-1).

    PubMed

    Joerg, Alexandre; Vignaux, Mael; Lumeau, Julien

    2016-08-01

    A new alternative and versatile method for the production of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) with up to four phase levels in AMTIR-1 (Ge33As12Se55) layers is demonstrated. The developed method proposes the use of the photosensitive properties of the layers and a specific in situ optical monitoring coupled with a reverse engineering algorithm to control the trigger points of the writing of the different diffractive patterns. Examples of various volume DOEs are presented.

  17. Diffraction Correlation to Reconstruct Highly Strained Particles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brown, Douglas; Harder, Ross; Clark, Jesse; Kim, J. W.; Kiefer, Boris; Fullerton, Eric; Shpyrko, Oleg; Fohtung, Edwin

    2015-03-01

    Through the use of coherent x-ray diffraction a three-dimensional diffraction pattern of a highly strained nano-crystal can be recorded in reciprocal space by a detector. Only the intensities are recorded, resulting in a loss of the complex phase. The recorded diffraction pattern therefore requires computational processing to reconstruct the density and complex distribution of the diffracted nano-crystal. For highly strained crystals, standard methods using HIO and ER algorithms are no longer sufficient to reconstruct the diffraction pattern. Our solution is to correlate the symmetry in reciprocal space to generate an a priori shape constraint to guide the computational reconstruction of the diffraction pattern. This approach has improved the ability to accurately reconstruct highly strained nano-crystals.

  18. Resolution enhancement by extrapolation of coherent diffraction images: a quantitative study on the limits and a numerical study of nonbinary and phase objects.

    PubMed

    Latychevskaia, T; Chushkin, Y; Fink, H-W

    2016-10-01

    In coherent diffractive imaging, the resolution of the reconstructed object is limited by the numerical aperture of the experimental setup. We present here a theoretical and numerical study for achieving super-resolution by postextrapolation of coherent diffraction images, such as diffraction patterns or holograms. We demonstrate that a diffraction pattern can unambiguously be extrapolated from only a fraction of the entire pattern and that the ratio of the extrapolated signal to the originally available signal is linearly proportional to the oversampling ratio. Although there could be in principle other methods to achieve extrapolation, we devote our discussion to employing iterative phase retrieval methods and demonstrate their limits. We present two numerical studies; namely, the extrapolation of diffraction patterns of nonbinary and that of phase objects together with a discussion of the optimal extrapolation procedure. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2016 Royal Microscopical Society.

  19. Diffraction analysis and evaluation of several focus- and track-error detection schemes for magneto-optical disk systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bernacki, Bruce E.; Mansuripur, M.

    1992-01-01

    A commonly used tracking method on pre-grooved magneto-optical (MO) media is the push-pull technique, and the astigmatic method is a popular focus-error detection approach. These two methods are analyzed using DIFFRACT, a general-purpose scalar diffraction modeling program, to observe the effects on the error signals due to focusing lens misalignment, Seidel aberrations, and optical crosstalk (feedthrough) between the focusing and tracking servos. Using the results of the astigmatic/push-pull system as a basis for comparison, a novel focus/track-error detection technique that utilizes a ring toric lens is evaluated as well as the obscuration method (focus error detection only).

  20. Analysis of the role of diffraction in topographic site effects using boundary element techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gomez, Juan; Restrepo, Doriam; Jaramillo, Juan; Valencia, Camilo

    2013-10-01

    The role played by the diffraction field on the problem of seismic site effects is studied. For that purpose we solve and analyze simple scattering problems under P and SV in-plane wave assumptions, using two well known direct boundary-element-based numerical methods. After establishing the difference between scattered and diffracted motions, and introducing the concept of artificious and physically based incoming fields, we obtain the amplitude of the Fourier spectra for the diffracted part of the response: this is achieved after establishing the connection between the spatial distribution of the transfer function over the studied simple topographies and the diffracted field. From the numerical simulations it is observed that this diffracted part of the response is responsible for the amplification of the surface ground motions due to the geometric effect. Furthermore, it is also found that the diffraction field sets in a fingerprint of the topographic effect in the total ground motions. These conclusions are further supported by observations in the time-domain in terms of snapshots of the propagation patterns over the complete computational model. In this sense the geometric singularities are clearly identified as sources of diffraction and for the considered range of dimensionless frequencies it is evident that larger amplifications are obtained for the geometries containing a larger number of diffraction sources thus resulting in a stronger topographic effect. The need for closed-form solutions of canonical problems to construct a robust analysis method based on the diffraction field is identified.

  1. X-ray characterization of curved crystals for hard x-ray astronomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buffagni, Elisa; Bonnini, Elisa; Ferrari, Claudio; Virgilli, Enrico; Frontera, Filippo

    2015-05-01

    Among the methods to focus photons the diffraction in crystals results as one of the most effective for high energy photons. An assembling of properly oriented crystals can form a lens able to focus x-rays at high energy via Laue diffraction in transmission geometry; this is a Laue lens. The x-ray diffraction theory provides that the maximum diffraction efficiency is achieved in ideal mosaic crystals, but real mosaic crystals show diffraction efficiencies several times lower than the ideal case due to technological problems. An alternative and convenient approach is the use of curved crystals. We have recently optimized an efficient method based on the surface damage of crystals to produce self-standing uniformly curved Si, GaAs and Ge tiles of thickness up to 2-3 mm and curvature radii R down to a few meters. We show that, for curved diffracting planes, such crystals have a diffraction efficiency nearly forty times higher than the diffraction efficiency of perfect similar flat crystals, thus very close to that of ideal mosaic crystals. Moreover, in an alternative configuration where the diffracting planes are perpendicular to the curved ones, a focusing effect occurs and will be shown. These results were obtained for several energies between 17 and 120 keV with lab sources or at high energy facilities such as LARIX at Ferrara (Italy), ESRF at Grenoble (France), and ANKA at Karlsruhe (Germany).

  2. Translation position determination in ptychographic coherent diffraction imaging.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Fucai; Peterson, Isaac; Vila-Comamala, Joan; Diaz, Ana; Berenguer, Felisa; Bean, Richard; Chen, Bo; Menzel, Andreas; Robinson, Ian K; Rodenburg, John M

    2013-06-03

    Accurate knowledge of translation positions is essential in ptychography to achieve a good image quality and the diffraction limited resolution. We propose a method to retrieve and correct position errors during the image reconstruction iterations. Sub-pixel position accuracy after refinement is shown to be achievable within several tens of iterations. Simulation and experimental results for both optical and X-ray wavelengths are given. The method improves both the quality of the retrieved object image and relaxes the position accuracy requirement while acquiring the diffraction patterns.

  3. Application of Powder Diffraction Methods to the Analysis of the Atomic Structure of Nanocrystals: The Concept of the Apparent Lattice Parameter (ALP)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palosz, B.; Grzanka, E.; Gierlotka, S.; Stelmakh, S.; Pielaszek, R.; Bismayer, U.; Weber, H.-P.; Palosz, W.; Curreri, Peter A. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    The applicability of standard methods of elaboration of powder diffraction data for determination of the structure of nano-size crystallites is analysed. Based on our theoretical calculations of powder diffraction data we show, that the assumption of the infinite crystal lattice for nanocrystals smaller than 20 nm in size is not justified. Application of conventional tools developed for elaboration of powder diffraction data, like the Rietveld method, may lead to erroneous interpretation of the experimental results. An alternate evaluation of diffraction data of nanoparticles, based on the so-called 'apparent lattice parameter' (alp) is introduced. We assume a model of nanocrystal having a grain core with well-defined crystal structure, surrounded by a surface shell with the atomic structure similar to that of the core but being under a strain (compressive or tensile). The two structural components, the core and the shell, form essentially a composite crystal with interfering, inseparable diffraction properties. Because the structure of such a nanocrystal is not uniform, it defies the basic definitions of an unambiguous crystallographic phase. Consequently, a set of lattice parameters used for characterization of simple crystal phases is insufficient for a proper description of the complex structure of nanocrystals. We developed a method of evaluation of powder diffraction data of nanocrystals, which refers to a core-shell model and is based on the 'apparent lattice parameter' methodology. For a given diffraction pattem, the alp values are calculated for every individual Bragg reflection. For nanocrystals the alp values depend on the diffraction vector Q. By modeling different a0tomic structures of nanocrystals and calculating theoretically corresponding diffraction patterns using the Debye functions we showed, that alp-Q plots show characteristic shapes which can be used for evaluation of the atomic structure of the core-shell system. We show, that using a simple model of a nanocrystal with spherical shape and centro-symmetric strain at the surface shell we obtain theoretical alp-Q values which match very well the alp-Q plots determined experimentally for Sic, GaN, and diamond nanopowders. The theoretical models are defined by the lattice parameter of the grain core, thickness of the surface shell, and the magnitude and distribution of the strain field in the surface shell. According to our calculations, the part of the diffraction pattern measured at relatively low diffraction vectors Q (below 10/angstrom) provides information on the surface strain, whle determination of the lattice parameters in the grain core requires measurements at large Q-values (above 15 - 20/angstrom).

  4. Incoherent Diffractive Imaging via Intensity Correlations of Hard X Rays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Classen, Anton; Ayyer, Kartik; Chapman, Henry N.; Röhlsberger, Ralf; von Zanthier, Joachim

    2017-08-01

    Established x-ray diffraction methods allow for high-resolution structure determination of crystals, crystallized protein structures, or even single molecules. While these techniques rely on coherent scattering, incoherent processes like fluorescence emission—often the predominant scattering mechanism—are generally considered detrimental for imaging applications. Here, we show that intensity correlations of incoherently scattered x-ray radiation can be used to image the full 3D arrangement of the scattering atoms with significantly higher resolution compared to conventional coherent diffraction imaging and crystallography, including additional three-dimensional information in Fourier space for a single sample orientation. We present a number of properties of incoherent diffractive imaging that are conceptually superior to those of coherent methods.

  5. A method to correct coordinate distortion in EBSD maps

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Y.B., E-mail: yubz@dtu.dk; Elbrønd, A.; Lin, F.X.

    2014-10-15

    Drift during electron backscatter diffraction mapping leads to coordinate distortions in resulting orientation maps, which affects, in some cases significantly, the accuracy of analysis. A method, thin plate spline, is introduced and tested to correct such coordinate distortions in the maps after the electron backscatter diffraction measurements. The accuracy of the correction as well as theoretical and practical aspects of using the thin plate spline method is discussed in detail. By comparing with other correction methods, it is shown that the thin plate spline method is most efficient to correct different local distortions in the electron backscatter diffraction maps. -more » Highlights: • A new method is suggested to correct nonlinear spatial distortion in EBSD maps. • The method corrects EBSD maps more precisely than presently available methods. • Errors less than 1–2 pixels are typically obtained. • Direct quantitative analysis of dynamic data are available after this correction.« less

  6. New 2D diffraction model and its applications to terahertz parallel-plate waveguide power splitters

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Fan; Song, Kaijun; Fan, Yong

    2017-01-01

    A two-dimensional (2D) diffraction model for the calculation of the diffraction field in 2D space and its applications to terahertz parallel-plate waveguide power splitters are proposed in this paper. Compared with the Huygens-Fresnel principle in three-dimensional (3D) space, the proposed model provides an approximate analytical expression to calculate the diffraction field in 2D space. The diffraction filed is regarded as the superposition integral in 2D space. The calculated results obtained from the proposed diffraction model agree well with the ones by software HFSS based on the element method (FEM). Based on the proposed 2D diffraction model, two parallel-plate waveguide power splitters are presented. The splitters consist of a transmitting horn antenna, reflectors, and a receiving antenna array. The reflector is cylindrical parabolic with superimposed surface relief to efficiently couple the transmitted wave into the receiving antenna array. The reflector is applied as computer-generated holograms to match the transformed field to the receiving antenna aperture field. The power splitters were optimized by a modified real-coded genetic algorithm. The computed results of the splitters agreed well with the ones obtained by software HFSS verify the novel design method for power splitter, which shows good applied prospects of the proposed 2D diffraction model. PMID:28181514

  7. Diffraction based method to reconstruct the spectrum of the Thomson scattering x-ray source

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chi, Zhijun; Yan, Lixin; Zhang, Zhen; Zhou, Zheng; Zheng, Lianmin; Wang, Dong; Tian, Qili; Wang, Wei; Nie, Zan; Zhang, Jie; Du, Yingchao; Hua, Jianfei; Shi, Jiaru; Pai, Chihao; Lu, Wei; Huang, Wenhui; Chen, Huaibi; Tang, Chuanxiang

    2017-04-01

    As Thomson scattering x-ray sources based on the collision of intense laser and relativistic electrons have drawn much attention in various scientific fields, there is an increasing demand for the effective methods to reconstruct the spectrum information of the ultra-short and high-intensity x-ray pulses. In this paper, a precise spectrum measurement method for the Thomson scattering x-ray sources was proposed with the diffraction of a Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) crystal and was demonstrated at the Tsinghua Thomson scattering X-ray source. The x-ray pulse is diffracted by a 15 mm (L) ×15 mm (H)× 1 mm (D) HOPG crystal with 1° mosaic spread. By analyzing the diffraction pattern, both x-ray peak energies and energy spectral bandwidths at different polar angles can be reconstructed, which agree well with the theoretical value and simulation. The higher integral reflectivity of the HOPG crystal makes this method possible for single-shot measurement.

  8. Diffraction based method to reconstruct the spectrum of the Thomson scattering x-ray source.

    PubMed

    Chi, Zhijun; Yan, Lixin; Zhang, Zhen; Zhou, Zheng; Zheng, Lianmin; Wang, Dong; Tian, Qili; Wang, Wei; Nie, Zan; Zhang, Jie; Du, Yingchao; Hua, Jianfei; Shi, Jiaru; Pai, Chihao; Lu, Wei; Huang, Wenhui; Chen, Huaibi; Tang, Chuanxiang

    2017-04-01

    As Thomson scattering x-ray sources based on the collision of intense laser and relativistic electrons have drawn much attention in various scientific fields, there is an increasing demand for the effective methods to reconstruct the spectrum information of the ultra-short and high-intensity x-ray pulses. In this paper, a precise spectrum measurement method for the Thomson scattering x-ray sources was proposed with the diffraction of a Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) crystal and was demonstrated at the Tsinghua Thomson scattering X-ray source. The x-ray pulse is diffracted by a 15 mm (L) ×15 mm (H)× 1 mm (D) HOPG crystal with 1° mosaic spread. By analyzing the diffraction pattern, both x-ray peak energies and energy spectral bandwidths at different polar angles can be reconstructed, which agree well with the theoretical value and simulation. The higher integral reflectivity of the HOPG crystal makes this method possible for single-shot measurement.

  9. An E-plane analysis of aperture-matched horn antennas using the moment method and the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heedy, D. J.; Burnside, W. D.

    1984-01-01

    The moment method and the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction are utilized to obtain two separate solutions for the E-plane field pattern of an aperture-matched horn antenna. This particular horn antenna consists of a standard pyramidal horn with the following modifications: a rolled edge section attached to the aperture edges and a curved throat section. The resulting geometry provides significantly better performance in terms of the pattern, impedance, and frequency characteristics than normally obtainable. The moment method is used to calculate the E-plane pattern and BSWR of the antenna. However, at higher frequencies, large amounts of computation time are required. The uniform geometrical theory of diffraction provides a quick and efficient high frequency solution for the E-plane field pattern. In fact, the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction may be used to initially design the antenna; then, the moment method may be applied to fine tune the design. This procedure has been successfully applied to a compact range feed design.

  10. Analysis of Short and Long Range Atomic Order in Nanocrystalline Diamonds with Application of Powder Diffractometry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palosz, B.; Grzanka, E.; Stelmakh, S.; Pielaszek, R.; Bismayer, U.; Neuefiend, J.; Weber, H.-P.; Proffen, T.; VonDreele, R.; Palosz, W.; hide

    2002-01-01

    Fundamental limitations, with respect to nanocrystalline materials, of the traditional elaboration of powder diffraction data like the Rietveld method are discussed. A tentative method of the analysis of powder diffraction patterns of nanocrystals is introduced which is based on the examination of the variation of lattice parameters calculated from individual Bragg lines (named the "apparent lattice parameter", alp). We examine the application of our methodology using theoretical diffraction patterns computed for models of nanocrystals with a perfect crystal lattice and for grains with a two-phase, core-shell structure. We use the method for the analysis of X-ray and neutron experimental diffraction data of nanocrystalline diamond powders of 4, 6 and 12 nm in diameter. The effects of an internal pressure and strain at the grain surface is discussed. This is based on the dependence of the alp values oil the diffraction vector Q and on the PDF analysis. It is shown, that the experimental results support well the concept of the two-phase structure of nanocrystalline diamond.

  11. NMR crystallography of zeolites: How far can we go without diffraction data?

    PubMed

    Brouwer, Darren H; Van Huizen, Jared

    2018-05-10

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) crystallography-an approach to structure determination that seeks to integrate solid-state NMR spectroscopy, diffraction, and computation methods-has emerged as an effective strategy to determine structures of difficult-to-characterize materials, including zeolites and related network materials. This paper explores how far it is possible to go in determining the structure of a zeolite framework from a minimal amount of input information derived only from solid-state NMR spectroscopy. It is shown that the framework structure of the fluoride-containing and tetramethylammonium-templated octadecasil clathrasil material can be solved from the 1D 29 Si NMR spectrum and a single 2D 29 Si NMR correlation spectrum alone, without the space group and unit cell parameters normally obtained from diffraction data. The resulting NMR-solved structure is in excellent agreement with the structures determined previously by diffraction methods. It is anticipated that NMR crystallography strategies like this will be useful for structure determination of other materials, which cannot be solved from diffraction methods alone. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Indetermination of particle sizing by laser diffraction in the anomalous size ranges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pan, Linchao; Ge, Baozhen; Zhang, Fugen

    2017-09-01

    The laser diffraction method is widely used to measure particle size distributions. It is generally accepted that the scattering angle becomes smaller and the angles to the location of the main peak of scattered energy distributions in laser diffraction instruments shift to smaller values with increasing particle size. This specific principle forms the foundation of the laser diffraction method. However, this principle is not entirely correct for non-absorbing particles in certain size ranges and these particle size ranges are called anomalous size ranges. Here, we derive the analytical formulae for the bounds of the anomalous size ranges and discuss the influence of the width of the size segments on the signature of the Mie scattering kernel. This anomalous signature of the Mie scattering kernel will result in an indetermination of the particle size distribution when measured by laser diffraction instruments in the anomalous size ranges. By using the singular-value decomposition method we interpret the mechanism of occurrence of this indetermination in detail and then validate its existence by using inversion simulations.

  13. Calculation of Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns from highly stressed polycrystalline materials

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    MacDonald, M. J., E-mail: macdonm@umich.edu; SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025; Vorberger, J.

    2016-06-07

    Calculations of Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns from polycrystalline materials have typically been done in the limit of small deviatoric stresses. Although these methods are well suited for experiments conducted near hydrostatic conditions, more robust models are required to diagnose the large strain anisotropies present in dynamic compression experiments. A method to predict Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns for arbitrary strains has been presented in the Voigt (iso-strain) limit [Higginbotham, J. Appl. Phys. 115, 174906 (2014)]. Here, we present a method to calculate Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns from highly stressed polycrystalline samples in the Reuss (iso-stress) limit. This analysis uses elastic constants to calculate latticemore » strains for all initial crystallite orientations, enabling elastic anisotropy and sample texture effects to be modeled directly. The effects of probing geometry, deviatoric stresses, and sample texture are demonstrated and compared to Voigt limit predictions. An example of shock-compressed polycrystalline diamond is presented to illustrate how this model can be applied and demonstrates the importance of including material strength when interpreting diffraction in dynamic compression experiments.« less

  14. Optical-diffraction method for determining crystal orientation

    DOEpatents

    Sopori, B.L.

    1982-05-07

    Disclosed is an optical diffraction technique for characterizing the three-dimensional orientation of a crystal sample. An arbitrary surface of the crystal sample is texture etched so as to generate a pseudo-periodic diffraction grating on the surface. A laser light beam is then directed onto the etched surface, and the reflected light forms a farfield diffraction pattern in reflection. Parameters of the diffraction pattern, such as the geometry and angular dispersion of the diffracted beam are then related to grating shape of the etched surface which is in turn related to crystal orientation. This technique may be used for examining polycrystalline silicon for use in solar cells.

  15. Application of δ recycling to electron automated diffraction tomography data from inorganic crystalline nanovolumes.

    PubMed

    Rius, Jordi; Mugnaioli, Enrico; Vallcorba, Oriol; Kolb, Ute

    2013-07-01

    δ Recycling is a simple procedure for directly extracting phase information from Patterson-type functions [Rius (2012). Acta Cryst. A68, 399-400]. This new phasing method has a clear theoretical basis and was developed with ideal single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. On the other hand, introduction of the automated diffraction tomography (ADT) technique has represented a significant advance in electron diffraction data collection [Kolb et al. (2007). Ultramicroscopy, 107, 507-513]. When combined with precession electron diffraction, it delivers quasi-kinematical intensity data even for complex inorganic compounds, so that single-crystal diffraction data of nanometric volumes are now available for structure determination by direct methods. To check the tolerance of δ recycling to missing data-collection corrections and to deviations from kinematical behaviour of ADT intensities, δ recycling has been applied to differently shaped nanocrystals of various inorganic materials. The results confirm that it can phase ADT data very efficiently. In some cases even more complete structure models than those derived from conventional direct methods and least-squares refinement have been found. During this study it has been demonstrated that the Wilson-plot scaling procedure is largely insensitive to sample thickness variations and missing absorption corrections affecting electron ADT intensities.

  16. Inquiry with Laser Printer Diffraction Gratings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Hook, Stephen J.

    2007-01-01

    The pages of "The Physics Teacher" have featured several clever designs for homemade diffraction gratings using a variety of materials--cloth, lithographic film, wire, compact discs, parts of aerosol spray cans, and pseudoliquids and pseudosolids. A different and inexpensive method I use to make low-resolution diffraction gratings takes advantage…

  17. Crystallographic Determination of Molecular Parameters for K2SiF6: A Physical Chemistry Laboratory Experiment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loehlin, James H.; Norton, Alexandra P.

    1988-01-01

    Describes a crystallography experiment using both diffraction-angle and diffraction-intensity information to determine the lattice constant and a lattice independent molecular parameter, while still employing standard X-ray powder diffraction techniques. Details the method, experimental details, and analysis for this activity. (CW)

  18. TM surface wave diffraction by a truncated dielectric slab recessed in a perfectly conducting surface. [considering flush mounted space shuttle antenna

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pathak, P. H.; Kouyoumjian, R. G.

    1974-01-01

    The diffraction of a TM sub o surface wave by a terminated dielectric slab which is flush mounted in a perfectly conducting surface is studied. The incident surface wave gives rise to waves reflected and diffracted by the termination; these reflected and diffracted fields may be expressed in terms of the geometrical theory of diffraction by introducing surface wave reflection and diffraction coefficients which are associated with the termination. In this investigation, the surface wave reflection and diffraction coefficients have been deduced from a formally exact solution to this canonical problem. The solution is obtained by a combination of the generalized scattering matrix technique and function theoretic methods.

  19. Transmission Kikuchi diffraction and transmission electron forescatter imaging of electropolished and FIB manufactured TEM specimens

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zieliński, W., E-mail: wiziel@inmat.pw.edu.pl; Płociński, T.; Kurzydłowski, K.J.

    2015-06-15

    We present a study of the efficiency of the utility of scanning electron microscope (SEM)-based transmission methods for characterizing grain structure in thinned bulk metals. Foils of type 316 stainless steel were prepared by two methods commonly used for transmission electron microscopy — double-jet electropolishing and focused ion beam milling. A customized holder allowed positioning of the foils in a configuration appropriate for both transmission electron forward scatter diffraction, and for transmission imaging by the use of a forescatter detector with two diodes. We found that both crystallographic orientation maps and dark-field transmitted images could be obtained for specimens preparedmore » by either method. However, for both methods, preparation-induced artifacts may affect the quality or accuracy of transmission SEM data, especially those acquired by the use of transmission Kikuchi diffraction. Generally, the quality of orientation data was better for specimens prepared by electropolishing, due to the absence of ion-induced damage. - Highlights: • The transmission imaging and diffraction techniques are emerging in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as promising new field of materials characterization. • The manuscript titled: “Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction and Transmission Electron Forescatter Imaging of Electropolished and FIB Manufactured TEM Specimens” documents how different specimen thinning procedures can effect efficiency of transmission Kikuchi diffraction and transmission electron forescatter imaging. • The abilities to make precision crystallographic orientation maps and dark-field images in transmission was studied on electropolished versus focus ion beam manufactured TEM specimens. • Depending on the need, electropolished and focused ion beam technique may produce suitable specimens for transmission imaging and diffraction in SEM.« less

  20. Modeling laser beam diffraction and propagation by the mode-expansion method.

    PubMed

    Snyder, James J

    2007-08-01

    In the mode-expansion method for modeling propagation of a diffracted beam, the beam at the aperture can be expanded as a weighted set of orthogonal modes. The parameters of the expansion modes are chosen to maximize the weighting coefficient of the lowest-order mode. As the beam propagates, its field distribution can be reconstructed from the set of weighting coefficients and the Gouy phase of the lowest-order mode. We have developed a simple procedure to implement the mode-expansion method for propagation through an arbitrary ABCD matrix, and we have demonstrated that it is accurate in comparison with direct calculations of diffraction integrals and much faster.

  1. Absolute angular encoder based on optical diffraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Jian; Zhou, Tingting; Yuan, Bo; Wang, Liqiang

    2015-08-01

    A new encoding method for absolute angular encoder based on optical diffraction was proposed in the present study. In this method, an encoder disc is specially designed that a series of elements are uniformly spaced in one circle and each element is consisted of four diffraction gratings, which are tilted in the directions of 30°, 60°, -60° and -30°, respectively. The disc is illuminated by a coherent light and the diffractive signals are received. The positions of diffractive spots are used for absolute encoding and their intensities are for subdivision, which is different from the traditional optical encoder based on transparent/opaque binary principle. Since the track's width in the disc is not limited in the diffraction pattern, it provides a new way to solve the contradiction between the size and resolution, which is good for minimization of encoder. According to the proposed principle, the diffraction pattern disc with a diameter of 40 mm was made by lithography in the glass substrate. A prototype of absolute angular encoder with a resolution of 20" was built up. Its maximum error was tested as 78" by comparing with a small angle measuring system based on laser beam deflection.

  2. Apparatus and method for creating a photonic densely-accumulated ray-point

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor); Choi, Sang H. (Inventor); King, Glen C. (Inventor); Elliott, James R. (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    An optical apparatus includes an optical diffraction device configured for diffracting a predetermined wavelength of incident light onto adjacent optical focal points, and a photon detector for detecting a spectral characteristic of the predetermined wavelength. One of the optical focal points is a constructive interference point and the other optical focal point is a destructive interference point. The diffraction device, which may be a micro-zone plate (MZP) of micro-ring gratings or an optical lens, generates a constructive ray point using phase-contrasting of the destructive interference point. The ray point is located between adjacent optical focal points. A method of generating a densely-accumulated ray point includes directing incident light onto the optical diffraction device, diffracting the selected wavelength onto the constructive interference focal point and the destructive interference focal point, and generating the densely-accumulated ray point in a narrow region.

  3. In situ investigation of deformation mechanisms in magnesium-based metal matrix composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Farkas, Gergely; Choe, Heeman; Máthis, Kristián; Száraz, Zoltán; Noh, Yoonsook; Trojanová, Zuzanka; Minárik, Peter

    2015-07-01

    We studied the effect of short fibers on the mechanical properties of a magnesium alloy. In particular, deformation mechanisms in a Mg-Al-Sr alloy reinforced with short alumina fibers were studied in situ using neutron diffraction and acoustic emission methods. The fibers' plane orientation with respect to the loading axis was found to be a key parameter, which influences the acting deformation processes, such as twinning or dislocation slip. Furthermore, the twinning activity was much more significant in samples with parallel fiber plane orientation, which was confirmed by both acoustic emission and electron backscattering diffraction results. Neutron diffraction was also used to assist in analyzing the acoustic emission and electron backscattering diffraction results. The simultaneous application of the two in situ methods, neutron diffraction and acoustic emission, was found to be beneficial for obtaining complementary datasets about the twinning and dislocation slip in the magnesium alloys and composites used in this study.

  4. Phase retrieval by coherent modulation imaging.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Fucai; Chen, Bo; Morrison, Graeme R; Vila-Comamala, Joan; Guizar-Sicairos, Manuel; Robinson, Ian K

    2016-11-18

    Phase retrieval is a long-standing problem in imaging when only the intensity of the wavefield can be recorded. Coherent diffraction imaging is a lensless technique that uses iterative algorithms to recover amplitude and phase contrast images from diffraction intensity data. For general samples, phase retrieval from a single-diffraction pattern has been an algorithmic and experimental challenge. Here we report a method of phase retrieval that uses a known modulation of the sample exit wave. This coherent modulation imaging method removes inherent ambiguities of coherent diffraction imaging and uses a reliable, rapidly converging iterative algorithm involving three planes. It works for extended samples, does not require tight support for convergence and relaxes dynamic range requirements on the detector. Coherent modulation imaging provides a robust method for imaging in materials and biological science, while its single-shot capability will benefit the investigation of dynamical processes with pulsed sources, such as X-ray free-electron lasers.

  5. Diffraction as a Method of Critical Policy Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ulmer, Jasmine B.

    2016-01-01

    Recent developments in critical policy analysis have occurred alongside the new materialisms in qualitative research. These lines of scholarship have unfolded along two separate, but related, tracks. In particular, the new materialist method of "diffraction" aligns with many elements of critical policy analysis. Both involve critical…

  6. An X-ray diffraction method for semiquantitative mineralogical analysis of Chilean nitrate ore

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jackson, J.C.; Ericksent, G.E.

    1997-01-01

    Computer analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data provides a simple method for determining the semiquantitative mineralogical composition of naturally occurring mixtures of saline minerals. The method herein described was adapted from a computer program for the study of mixtures of naturally occurring clay minerals. The program evaluates the relative intensities of selected diagnostic peaks for the minerals in a given mixture, and then calculates the relative concentrations of these minerals. The method requires precise calibration of XRD data for the minerals to be studied and selection of diffraction peaks that minimize inter-compound interferences. The calculated relative abundances are sufficiently accurate for direct comparison with bulk chemical analyses of naturally occurring saline mineral assemblages.

  7. An x-ray diffraction method for semiquantitative mineralogical analysis of chilean nitrate ore

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    John, C.; George, J.; Ericksen, E.

    1997-01-01

    Computer analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data provides a simple method for determining the semiquantitative mineralogical composition of naturally occurring mixtures of saline minerals. The method herein described was adapted from a computer program for the study of mixtures of naturally occurring clay minerals. The program evaluates the relative intensities of selected diagnostic peaks for the minerals in a given mixture, and then calculates the relative concentrations of these minerals. The method requires precise calibration of XRD data for the minerals to be studied and selection of diffraction peaks that minimize inter-compound interferences. The calculated relative abundances are sufficiently accurate for direct comparison with bulk chemical analyses of naturally occurring saline mineral assemblages.

  8. Acoustic pressure measurement of pulsed ultrasound using acousto-optic diffraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jia, Lecheng; Chen, Shili; Xue, Bin; Wu, Hanzhong; Zhang, Kai; Yang, Xiaoxia; Zeng, Zhoumo

    2018-01-01

    Compared with continuous ultrasound wave, pulsed ultrasound has been widely used in ultrasound imaging. The aim of this work is to show the applicability of acousto-optic diffraction on pulsed ultrasound transducer. In this paper, acoustic pressure of two ultrasound transducers is measured based on Raman-Nath diffraction. The frequencies of transducers are 5MHz and 10MHz. The pulse-echo method and simulation data are used to evaluate the results. The results show that the proposed method is capable to measure the absolute sound pressure. We get a sectional view of acoustic pressure using a displacement platform as an auxiliary. Compared with the traditional sound pressure measurement methods, the proposed method is non-invasive with high sensitivity and spatial resolution.

  9. Nondestructive strain depth profiling with high energy X-ray diffraction: System capabilities and limitations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Zhan; Wendt, Scott; Cosentino, Nicholas; Bond, Leonard J.

    2018-04-01

    Limited by photon energy, and penetration capability, traditional X-ray diffraction (XRD) strain measurements are only capable of achieving a few microns depth due to the use of copper (Cu Kα1) or molybdenum (Mo Kα1) characteristic radiation. For deeper strain depth profiling, destructive methods are commonly necessary to access layers of interest by removing material. To investigate deeper depth profiles nondestructively, a laboratory bench-top high-energy X-ray diffraction (HEXRD) system was previously developed. This HEXRD method uses an industrial 320 kVp X-Ray tube and the Kα1 characteristic peak of tungsten, to produces a higher intensity X-ray beam which enables depth profiling measurement of lattice strain. An aluminum sample was investigated with deformation/load provided using a bending rig. It was shown that the HEXRD method is capable of strain depth profiling to 2.5 mm. The method was validated using an aluminum sample where both the HEXRD method and the traditional X-ray diffraction method gave data compared with that obtained using destructive etching layer removal, performed by a commercial provider. The results demonstrate comparable accuracy up to 0.8 mm depth. Nevertheless, higher attenuation capabilities in heavier metals limit the applications in other materials. Simulations predict that HEXRD works for steel and nickel in material up to 200 µm, but experiment results indicate that the HEXRD strain profile is not practical for steel and nickel material, and the measured diffraction signals are undetectable when compared to the noise.

  10. A new scheme for velocity analysis and imaging of diffractions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Peng; Peng, Suping; Zhao, Jingtao; Cui, Xiaoqin; Du, Wenfeng

    2018-06-01

    Seismic diffractions are the responses of small-scale inhomogeneities or discontinuous geological features, which play a vital role in the exploitation and development of oil and gas reservoirs. However, diffractions are generally ignored and considered as interference noise in conventional data processing. In this paper, a new scheme for velocity analysis and imaging of seismic diffractions is proposed. Two steps compose of this scheme in our application. First, the plane-wave destruction method is used to separate diffractions from specular reflections in the prestack domain. Second, in order to accurately estimate migration velocity of the diffractions, the time-domain dip-angle gathers are derived from a Kirchhoff-based angle prestack time migration using separated diffractions. Diffraction events appear flat in the dip-angle gathers when imaged above the diffraction point with selected accurate migration velocity for diffractions. The selected migration velocity helps to produce the desired prestack imaging of diffractions. Synthetic and field examples are applied to test the validity of the new scheme. The diffraction imaging results indicate that the proposed scheme for velocity analysis and imaging of diffractions can provide more detailed information about small-scale geologic features for seismic interpretation.

  11. Fast integral methods for integrated optical systems simulations: a review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kleemann, Bernd H.

    2015-09-01

    Boundary integral equation methods (BIM) or simply integral methods (IM) in the context of optical design and simulation are rigorous electromagnetic methods solving Helmholtz or Maxwell equations on the boundary (surface or interface of the structures between two materials) for scattering or/and diffraction purposes. This work is mainly restricted to integral methods for diffracting structures such as gratings, kinoforms, diffractive optical elements (DOEs), micro Fresnel lenses, computer generated holograms (CGHs), holographic or digital phase holograms, periodic lithographic structures, and the like. In most cases all of the mentioned structures have dimensions of thousands of wavelengths in diameter. Therefore, the basic methods necessary for the numerical treatment are locally applied electromagnetic grating diffraction algorithms. Interestingly, integral methods belong to the first electromagnetic methods investigated for grating diffraction. The development started in the mid 1960ies for gratings with infinite conductivity and it was mainly due to the good convergence of the integral methods especially for TM polarization. The first integral equation methods (IEM) for finite conductivity were the methods by D. Maystre at Fresnel Institute in Marseille: in 1972/74 for dielectric, and metallic gratings, and later for multiprofile, and other types of gratings and for photonic crystals. Other methods such as differential and modal methods suffered from unstable behaviour and slow convergence compared to BIMs for metallic gratings in TM polarization from the beginning to the mid 1990ies. The first BIM for gratings using a parametrization of the profile was developed at Karl-Weierstrass Institute in Berlin under a contract with Carl Zeiss Jena works in 1984-1986 by A. Pomp, J. Creutziger, and the author. Due to the parametrization, this method was able to deal with any kind of surface grating from the beginning: whether profiles with edges, overhanging non-functional profiles, very deep ones, very large ones compared to wavelength, or simple smooth profiles. This integral method with either trigonometric or spline collocation, iterative solver with O(N2) complexity, named IESMP, was significantly improved by an efficient mesh refinement, matrix preconditioning, Ewald summation method, and an exponentially convergent quadrature in 2006 by G. Schmidt and A. Rathsfeld from Weierstrass-Institute (WIAS) Berlin. The so-called modified integral method (MIM) is a modification of the IEM of D. Maystre and has been introduced by L. Goray in 1995. It has been improved for weak convergence problems in 2001 and it was the only commercial available integral method for a long time, known as PCGRATE. All referenced integral methods so far are for in-plane diffraction only, no conical diffraction was possible. The first integral method for gratings in conical mounting was developed and proven under very weak conditions by G. Schmidt (WIAS) in 2010. It works for separated interfaces and for inclusions as well as for interpenetrating interfaces and for a large number of thin and thick layers in the same stable way. This very fast method has then been implemented for parallel processing under Unix and Windows operating systems. This work gives an overview over the most important BIMs for grating diffraction. It starts by presenting the historical evolution of the methods, highlights their advantages and differences, and gives insight into new approaches and their achievements. It addresses future open challenges at the end.

  12. Combined X-ray and neutron fibre diffraction studies of biological and synthetic polymers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parrot, I. M.; Urban, V.; Gardner, K. H.; Forsyth, V. T.

    2005-08-01

    The fibrous state is a natural one for polymer molecules which tend to assume regular helical conformations rather than the globular structures characteristic of many proteins. Fibre diffraction therefore has broad application to the study of a wide range of biological and synthetic polymers. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the general scope of the method and in particular to demonstrate the impact of a combined approach involving both X-ray and neutron diffraction methods. While the flux of modern X-ray synchrotron radiation sources allows high quality datasets to be recorded with good resolution within a very short space of time, neutron studies can provide unique information through the ability to locate hydrogen or deuterium atoms that are often difficult or impossible to locate using X-ray methods. Furthermore, neutron fibre diffraction methods can, through the ability to selectively label specific parts of a structure, be used to highlight novel aspects of polymer structure that can not be studied using X-rays. Two examples are given. The first describes X-ray and neutron diffraction studies of conformational transitions in DNA. The second describes structural studies of the synthetic high-performance polymer poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA), known commercially as Kevlar® or Twaron®.

  13. Robust diffraction correction method for high-frequency ultrasonic tissue characterization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raju, Balasundar

    2004-05-01

    The computation of quantitative ultrasonic parameters such as the attenuation or backscatter coefficient requires compensation for diffraction effects. In this work a simple and accurate diffraction correction method for skin characterization requiring only a single focal zone is developed. The advantage of this method is that the transducer need not be mechanically repositioned to collect data from several focal zones, thereby reducing the time of imaging and preventing motion artifacts. Data were first collected under controlled conditions from skin of volunteers using a high-frequency system (center frequency=33 MHz, BW=28 MHz) at 19 focal zones through axial translation. Using these data, mean backscatter power spectra were computed as a function of the distance between the transducer and the tissue, which then served as empirical diffraction correction curves for subsequent data. The method was demonstrated on patients patch-tested for contact dermatitis. The computed attenuation coefficient slope was significantly (p<0.05) lower at the affected site (0.13+/-0.02 dB/mm/MHz) compared to nearby normal skin (0.2+/-0.05 dB/mm/MHz). The mean backscatter level was also significantly lower at the affected site (6.7+/-2.1 in arbitrary units) compared to normal skin (11.3+/-3.2). These results show diffraction corrected ultrasonic parameters can differentiate normal from affected skin tissues.

  14. Phase modulation due to crystal diffraction by ptychographic imaging

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Civita, M.; Diaz, A.; Bean, R. J.

    Solving the phase problem in x-ray crystallography has occupied a considerable scientific effort in the 20th century and led to great advances in structural science. Here we use x-ray ptychography to demonstrate an interference method which measures the phase of the beam transmitted through a crystal, relative to the incoming beam, when diffraction takes place. The observed phase change of the direct beam through a small gold crystal is found to agree with both a quasikinematical model and full dynamical theories of diffraction. Our discovery of a diffraction contrast mechanism will enhance the interpretation of data obtained from crystalline samplesmore » using the ptychography method, which provides some of the most accurate x-ray phase-contrast images.« less

  15. Phase modulation due to crystal diffraction by ptychographic imaging

    DOE PAGES

    Civita, M.; Diaz, A.; Bean, R. J.; ...

    2018-03-06

    Solving the phase problem in x-ray crystallography has occupied a considerable scientific effort in the 20th century and led to great advances in structural science. Here we use x-ray ptychography to demonstrate an interference method which measures the phase of the beam transmitted through a crystal, relative to the incoming beam, when diffraction takes place. The observed phase change of the direct beam through a small gold crystal is found to agree with both a quasikinematical model and full dynamical theories of diffraction. Our discovery of a diffraction contrast mechanism will enhance the interpretation of data obtained from crystalline samplesmore » using the ptychography method, which provides some of the most accurate x-ray phase-contrast images.« less

  16. Phase modulation due to crystal diffraction by ptychographic imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Civita, M.; Diaz, A.; Bean, R. J.; Shabalin, A. G.; Gorobtsov, O. Yu.; Vartanyants, I. A.; Robinson, I. K.

    2018-03-01

    Solving the phase problem in x-ray crystallography has occupied a considerable scientific effort in the 20th century and led to great advances in structural science. Here we use x-ray ptychography to demonstrate an interference method which measures the phase of the beam transmitted through a crystal, relative to the incoming beam, when diffraction takes place. The observed phase change of the direct beam through a small gold crystal is found to agree with both a quasikinematical model and full dynamical theories of diffraction. Our discovery of a diffraction contrast mechanism will enhance the interpretation of data obtained from crystalline samples using the ptychography method, which provides some of the most accurate x-ray phase-contrast images.

  17. Theoretical description and design of nanomaterial slab waveguides: application to compensation of optical diffraction.

    PubMed

    Kivijärvi, Ville; Nyman, Markus; Shevchenko, Andriy; Kaivola, Matti

    2018-04-02

    Planar optical waveguides made of designable spatially dispersive nanomaterials can offer new capabilities for nanophotonic components. As an example, a thin slab waveguide can be designed to compensate for optical diffraction and provide divergence-free propagation for strongly focused optical beams. Optical signals in such waveguides can be transferred in narrow channels formed by the light itself. We introduce here a theoretical method for characterization and design of nanostructured waveguides taking into account their inherent spatial dispersion and anisotropy. Using the method, we design a diffraction-compensating slab waveguide that contains only a single layer of silver nanorods. The waveguide shows low propagation loss and broadband diffraction compensation, potentially allowing transfer of optical information at a THz rate.

  18. Diffractive elements for generating microscale laser beam patterns: a Y2K problem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teiwes, Stephan; Krueger, Sven; Wernicke, Guenther K.; Ferstl, Margit

    2000-03-01

    Lasers are widely used in industrial fabrication for engraving, cutting and many other purposes. However, material processing at very small scales is still a matter of concern. Advances in diffractive optics could provide for laser systems that could be used for engraving or cutting of micro-scale patterns at high speeds. In our paper we focus on the design of diffractive elements which can be used for this special application. It is a common desire in material processing to apply 'discrete' as well as 'continuous' beam patterns. Especially, the latter case is difficult to handle as typical micro-scale patterns are characterized by bad band-limitation properties, and as speckles can easily occur in beam patterns. It is shown in this paper that a standard iterative design method usually fails to obtain diffractive elements that generate diffraction patterns with acceptable quality. Insights gained from an analysis of the design problems are used to optimize the iterative design method. We demonstrate applicability and success of our approach by the design of diffractive phase elements that generate a discrete and a continuous 'Y2K' pattern.

  19. Multipath analysis diffraction calculations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Statham, Richard B.

    1996-01-01

    This report describes extensions of the Kirchhoff diffraction equation to higher edge terms and discusses their suitability to model diffraction multipath effects of a small satellite structure. When receiving signals, at a satellite, from the Global Positioning System (GPS), reflected signals from the satellite structure result in multipath errors in the determination of the satellite position. Multipath error can be caused by diffraction of the reflected signals and a method of calculating this diffraction is required when using a facet model of the satellite. Several aspects of the Kirchhoff equation are discussed and numerical examples, in the near and far fields, are shown. The vector form of the extended Kirchhoff equation, by adding the Larmor-Tedone and Kottler edge terms, is given as a mathematical model in an appendix. The Kirchhoff equation was investigated as being easily implemented and of good accuracy in the basic form, especially in phase determination. The basic Kirchhoff can be extended for higher accuracy if desired. A brief discussion of the method of moments and the geometric theory of diffraction is included, but seems to offer no clear advantage in implementation over the Kirchhoff for facet models.

  20. Development and beyond: Strategy for long-term maintenance of an online laser diffraction particle size method in a spray drying manufacturing process.

    PubMed

    Medendorp, Joseph; Bric, John; Connelly, Greg; Tolton, Kelly; Warman, Martin

    2015-08-10

    The purpose of this manuscript is to present the intended use and long-term maintenance strategy of an online laser diffraction particle size method used for process control in a spray drying process. A Malvern Insitec was used for online particle size measurements and a Malvern Mastersizer was used for offline particle size measurements. The two methods were developed in parallel with the Mastersizer serving as the reference method. Despite extensive method development across a range of particle sizes, the two instruments demonstrated different sensitivities to material and process changes over the product lifecycle. This paper will describe the procedure used to ensure consistent alignment of the two methods, thus allowing for continued use of online real-time laser diffraction as a surrogate for the offline system over the product lifecycle. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Automated grain mapping using wide angle convergent beam electron diffraction in transmission electron microscope for nanomaterials.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Vineet

    2011-12-01

    The grain size statistics, commonly derived from the grain map of a material sample, are important microstructure characteristics that greatly influence its properties. The grain map for nanomaterials is usually obtained manually by visual inspection of the transmission electron microscope (TEM) micrographs because automated methods do not perform satisfactorily. While the visual inspection method provides reliable results, it is a labor intensive process and is often prone to human errors. In this article, an automated grain mapping method is developed using TEM diffraction patterns. The presented method uses wide angle convergent beam diffraction in the TEM. The automated technique was applied on a platinum thin film sample to obtain the grain map and subsequently derive grain size statistics from it. The grain size statistics obtained with the automated method were found in good agreement with the visual inspection method.

  2. Quantitative analysis of thoria phase in Th-U alloys using diffraction studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thakur, Shital; Krishna, P. S. R.; Shinde, A. B.; Kumar, Raj; Roy, S. B.

    2017-05-01

    In the present study the quantitative phase analysis of Th-U alloys in bulk form namely Th-52 wt% U and Th-3wt%U has been performed over the data obtained from both X ray diffraction and neutron diffraction technique using Rietveld method of FULLPROF software. Quantifying thoria (ThO2) phase present in bulk of the sample is limited due to surface oxidation and low penetration of x rays in high Z material. Neutron diffraction study probing bulk of the samples has been presented in comparison with x-ray diffraction study.

  3. Status of the Neutron Imaging and Diffraction Instrument IMAT

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kockelmann, Winfried; Burca, Genoveva; Kelleher, Joe F.; Kabra, Saurabh; Zhang, Shu-Yan; Rhodes, Nigel J.; Schooneveld, Erik M.; Sykora, Jeff; Pooley, Daniel E.; Nightingale, Jim B.; Aliotta, Francesco; Ponterio, Rosa C.; Salvato, Gabriele; Tresoldi, Dario; Vasi, Cirino; McPhate, Jason B.; Tremsin, Anton S.

    A cold neutron imaging and diffraction instrument, IMAT, is currently being constructed at the ISIS second target station. IMAT will capitalize on time-of-flight transmission and diffraction techniques available at a pulsed neutron source. Analytical techniques will include neutron radiography, neutron tomography, energy-selective neutron imaging, and spatially resolved diffraction scans for residual strain and texture determination. Commissioning of the instrument will start in 2015, with time-resolving imaging detectors and two diffraction detector prototype modules. IMAT will be operated as a user facility for material science applications and will be open for developments of time-of-flight imaging methods.

  4. Diffractive shear interferometry for extreme ultraviolet high-resolution lensless imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jansen, G. S. M.; de Beurs, A.; Liu, X.; Eikema, K. S. E.; Witte, S.

    2018-05-01

    We demonstrate a novel imaging approach and associated reconstruction algorithm for far-field coherent diffractive imaging, based on the measurement of a pair of laterally sheared diffraction patterns. The differential phase profile retrieved from such a measurement leads to improved reconstruction accuracy, increased robustness against noise, and faster convergence compared to traditional coherent diffractive imaging methods. We measure laterally sheared diffraction patterns using Fourier-transform spectroscopy with two phase-locked pulse pairs from a high harmonic source. Using this approach, we demonstrate spectrally resolved imaging at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths between 28 and 35 nm.

  5. Measurement of the refractive index by using a rectangular cell with a fs-laser engraved diffraction grating inner wall.

    PubMed

    Durán-Ramírez, Víctor M; Martínez-Ríos, Alejandro; Guerrero-Viramontes, J Ascención; Muñoz-Maciel, Jesús; Peña-Lecona, Francisco G; Selvas-Aguilar, Romeo; Anzueto-Sánchez, Gilberto

    2014-12-01

    A very simple method to obtain the refractive index of liquids by using a rectangular glass cell and a diffraction grating engraved by fs laser ablation on the inner face of one of the walls of the cell is presented. When a laser beam impinges normally on the diffraction grating, the diffraction orders are deviated when they pass through the cell filled with the liquid to be measured. By measuring the deviation of the diffraction orders, we can determine the refractive index of the liquid.

  6. A Numerical and Theoretical Study of Seismic Wave Diffraction in Complex Geologic Structure

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-04-14

    element methods for analyzing linear and nonlinear seismic effects in the surficial geologies relevant to several Air Force missions. The second...exact solution evaluated here indicates that edge-diffracted seismic wave fields calculated by discrete numerical methods probably exhibits significant...study is to demonstrate and validate some discrete numerical methods essential for analyzing linear and nonlinear seismic effects in the surficial

  7. Three-dimensional welding residual stresses evaluation based on the eigenstrain methodology via X-ray measurements at the surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ogawa, Masaru

    2014-12-01

    In order to assure structural integrity for operating welded structures, it is necessary to evaluate crack growth rate and crack propagation direction for each observed crack non-destructively. Here, three dimensional (3D) welding residual stresses must be evaluated to predict crack propagation. Today, X-ray diffraction is used and the ultrasonic method has been proposed as non-destructive method to measure residual stresses. However, it is impossible to determine residual stress distributions in the thickness direction. Although residual stresses through a depth of several tens of millimeters can be evaluated non-destructively by neutron diffraction, it cannot be used as an on-site measurement technique. This is because neutron diffraction is only available in special irradiation facilities. Author pays attention to the bead flush method based on the eigenstrain methodology. In this method, 3D welding residual stresses are calculated by an elastic Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis from eigenstrains which are evaluated by an inverse analysis from released strains by strain gauges in the removal of the reinforcement of the weld. Here, the removal of the excess metal can be regarded as non-destructive treatment because toe of weld which may become crack starters can be eliminated. The effectiveness of the method has been proven for welded plates and pipes even with relatively lower bead height. In actual measurements, stress evaluation accuracy becomes poorer because measured values of strain gauges are affected by processing strains on the machined surface. In the previous studies, the author has developed the bead flush method that is free from the influence of the affecting strains by using residual strains on surface by X-ray diffraction. However, stress evaluation accuracy is not good enough because of relatively poor measurement accuracy of X-ray diffraction. In this study, a method to improve the estimation accuracy of residual stresses in this method is formulated, and it is shown numerically that inner welding residual stresses can be estimated accurately from the residual strains measured by X-ray diffraction.

  8. Optical double-image cryptography based on diffractive imaging with a laterally-translated phase grating.

    PubMed

    Chen, Wen; Chen, Xudong; Sheppard, Colin J R

    2011-10-10

    In this paper, we propose a method using structured-illumination-based diffractive imaging with a laterally-translated phase grating for optical double-image cryptography. An optical cryptosystem is designed, and multiple random phase-only masks are placed in the optical path. When a phase grating is laterally translated just before the plaintexts, several diffraction intensity patterns (i.e., ciphertexts) can be correspondingly obtained. During image decryption, an iterative retrieval algorithm is developed to extract plaintexts from the ciphertexts. In addition, security and advantages of the proposed method are analyzed. Feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method are demonstrated by numerical simulation results. © 2011 Optical Society of America

  9. Crystallographic Characterization of Extraterrestrial Materials by Energy-Scanning X-ray Diffraction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hagiya, Kenji; Mikouchi, Takashi; Ohsumi, Kazumasa; Terada, Yasuko; Yagi, Naoto; Komatsu, Mutsumi; Yamaguchi, Shoki; Hirata, Arashi; Kurokawa, Ayaka; Zolensky, Michael E. (Principal Investigator)

    2016-01-01

    We have continued our long-term project using X-ray diffraction to characterize a wide range of extraterrestrial samples. The stationary sample method with polychromatic X-rays is advantageous because the irradiated area of the sample is always same and fixed, meaning that all diffraction spots occur from the same area of the sample, however, unit cell parameters cannot be directly obtained by this method though they are very important for identification of mineral and for determination of crystal structures. In order to obtain the cell parameters even in the case of the sample stationary method, we apply energy scanning of a micro-beam of monochromatic SR at SPring-8.

  10. Feasibility study of stain-free classification of cell apoptosis based on diffraction imaging flow cytometry and supervised machine learning techniques.

    PubMed

    Feng, Jingwen; Feng, Tong; Yang, Chengwen; Wang, Wei; Sa, Yu; Feng, Yuanming

    2018-06-01

    This study was to explore the feasibility of prediction and classification of cells in different stages of apoptosis with a stain-free method based on diffraction images and supervised machine learning. Apoptosis was induced in human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells by cis-platinum (DDP). A newly developed technique of polarization diffraction imaging flow cytometry (p-DIFC) was performed to acquire diffraction images of the cells in three different statuses (viable, early apoptotic and late apoptotic/necrotic) after cell separation through fluorescence activated cell sorting with Annexin V-PE and SYTOX® Green double staining. The texture features of the diffraction images were extracted with in-house software based on the Gray-level co-occurrence matrix algorithm to generate datasets for cell classification with supervised machine learning method. Therefore, this new method has been verified in hydrogen peroxide induced apoptosis model of HL-60. Results show that accuracy of higher than 90% was achieved respectively in independent test datasets from each cell type based on logistic regression with ridge estimators, which indicated that p-DIFC system has a great potential in predicting and classifying cells in different stages of apoptosis.

  11. The elimination of zero-order diffraction of 10.6 μm infrared digital holography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Ning; Yang, Chao

    2017-05-01

    A new method of eliminating the zero-order diffraction in infrared digital holography has been raised in this paper. Usually in the reconstruction of digital holography, the spatial frequency of the infrared thermal imager, such as microbolometer, cannot be compared to the common visible CCD or CMOS devices. The infrared imager suffers the problems of large pixel size and low spatial resolution, which cause the zero-order diffraction a severe influence of the reconstruction process of digital holograms. The zero-order diffraction has very large energy and occupies the central region in the spectrum domain. In this paper, we design a new filtering strategy to overcome this problem. This filtering strategy contains two kinds of filtering process which are the Gaussian low-frequency filter and the high-pass phase averaging filter. With the correct set of the calculating parameters, these filtering strategies can work effectively on the holograms and fully eliminate the zero-order diffraction, as well as the two crossover bars shown in the spectrum domain. Detailed explanation and discussion about the new method have been proposed in this paper, and the experiment results are also demonstrated to prove the performance of this method.

  12. Crystallographic Study of Itokawa Particle, RA-QD02-0127 by Using Energy-Scanning X-Ray Diffraction Method with Synchrotron Radiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hagiya, K.; Ohsumi, K.; Komatsu, M.; Mikouchi, T.; Zolensky, M. E.; Hirata, A.; Yamaguchi, S.; Kurokawa, A.

    2016-08-01

    Crystallographic study of Itokawa particle, RA-QD02-0127 by using new X-ray diffraction method was performed. The purpose of this study is to understand better the metamorphic and impact shock history of asteroid Itokawa, and other S-class asteroids.

  13. Time Domain Diffraction by Composite Structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riccio, Giovanni; Frongillo, Marcello

    2017-04-01

    Time domain (TD) diffraction problems are receiving great attention because of the widespread use of ultra wide band (UWB) communication and radar systems. It is commonly accepted that, due to the large bandwidth of the UWB signals, the analysis of the wave propagation mechanisms in the TD framework is preferable to the frequency domain (FD) data processing. Furthermore, the analysis of transient scattering phenomena is also of importance for predicting the effects of electromagnetic pulses on civil structures. Diffraction in the TD framework represents a challenging problem and numerical discretization techniques can be used to support research and industry activities. Unfortunately, these methods become rapidly intractable when considering excitation pulses with high frequency content. This contribution deals with the TD diffraction phenomenon related to composite structures containing a dielectric wedge with arbitrary apex angle when illuminated by a plane wave. The approach is the same used in [1]-[3]. The transient diffracted field originated by an arbitrary function plane wave is evaluated via a convolution integral involving the TD diffraction coefficients, which are determined in closed form starting from the knowledge of the corresponding FD counterparts. In particular, the inverse Laplace transform is applied to the FD Uniform Asymptotic Physical Optics (FD-UAPO) diffraction coefficients available for the internal region of the structure and the surrounding space. For each observation domain, the FD-UAPO expressions are obtained by considering electric and magnetic equivalent PO surface currents located on the interfaces. The surface radiation integrals using these sources is assumed as starting point and manipulated for obtaining integrals able to be solved by means of the Steepest Descent Method and the Multiplicative Method. [1] G. Gennarelli and G. Riccio, "Time domain diffraction by a right-angled penetrable wedge," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 60, 2829-2833, 2012. [2] G. Gennarelli and G. Riccio, "Obtuse-angled penetrable wedges: a time domain solution for the diffraction coefficients," J. Electromagn. Waves Appl., Vol. 27, 2020-2028, 2013. [3] M. Frongillo, G. Gennarelli and G. Riccio, "TD-UAPO diffracted field evaluation for penetrable wedges with acute apex angle," J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, Vol. 32, 1271-1275, 2015.

  14. Energy resolution of the CdTe-XPAD detector: calibration and potential for Laue diffraction measurements on protein crystals.

    PubMed

    Medjoubi, Kadda; Thompson, Andrew; Bérar, Jean-François; Clemens, Jean-Claude; Delpierre, Pierre; Da Silva, Paulo; Dinkespiler, Bernard; Fourme, Roger; Gourhant, Patrick; Guimaraes, Beatriz; Hustache, Stéphanie; Idir, Mourad; Itié, Jean-Paul; Legrand, Pierre; Menneglier, Claude; Mercere, Pascal; Picca, Frederic; Samama, Jean-Pierre

    2012-05-01

    The XPAD3S-CdTe, a CdTe photon-counting pixel array detector, has been used to measure the energy and the intensity of the white-beam diffraction from a lysozyme crystal. A method was developed to calibrate the detector in terms of energy, allowing incident photon energy measurement to high resolution (approximately 140 eV), opening up new possibilities in energy-resolved X-ray diffraction. In order to demonstrate this, Laue diffraction experiments were performed on the bending-magnet beamline METROLOGIE at Synchrotron SOLEIL. The X-ray energy spectra of diffracted spots were deduced from the indexed Laue patterns collected with an imaging-plate detector and then measured with both the XPAD3S-CdTe and the XPAD3S-Si, a silicon photon-counting pixel array detector. The predicted and measured energy of selected diffraction spots are in good agreement, demonstrating the reliability of the calibration method. These results open up the way to direct unit-cell parameter determination and the measurement of high-quality Laue data even at low resolution. Based on the success of these measurements, potential applications in X-ray diffraction opened up by this type of technology are discussed.

  15. Digital simulation of scalar optical diffraction: revisiting chirp function sampling criteria and consequences.

    PubMed

    Voelz, David G; Roggemann, Michael C

    2009-11-10

    Accurate simulation of scalar optical diffraction requires consideration of the sampling requirement for the phase chirp function that appears in the Fresnel diffraction expression. We describe three sampling regimes for FFT-based propagation approaches: ideally sampled, oversampled, and undersampled. Ideal sampling, where the chirp and its FFT both have values that match analytic chirp expressions, usually provides the most accurate results but can be difficult to realize in practical simulations. Under- or oversampling leads to a reduction in the available source plane support size, the available source bandwidth, or the available observation support size, depending on the approach and simulation scenario. We discuss three Fresnel propagation approaches: the impulse response/transfer function (angular spectrum) method, the single FFT (direct) method, and the two-step method. With illustrations and simulation examples we show the form of the sampled chirp functions and their discrete transforms, common relationships between the three methods under ideal sampling conditions, and define conditions and consequences to be considered when using nonideal sampling. The analysis is extended to describe the sampling limitations for the more exact Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction solution.

  16. Overcoming a hemihedral twinning problem in tetrahydrofolate-dependent O -demethylase crystals by the microseeding method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Harada, Ayaka; Sato, Yukari; Kamimura, Naofumi

    2016-11-30

    A tetrahydrofolate-dependentO-demethylase, LigM, from Sphingobiumsp. SYK-6 was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. However, the obtained P3 121 orP3 221 crystals, which diffracted to 2.5–3.3 Å resolution, were hemihedrally twinned. To overcome the twinning problem, microseeding using P3 121/P3 2 21 crystals as microseeds was performed with optimization of the reservoir conditions. As a result, another crystal form was obtained. The newly obtained crystal diffracted to 2.5–3.0 Å resolution and belonged to space group P2 12 12, with unit-cell parametersa= 102.0,b= 117.3,c = 128.1 Å. The P2 12 12 crystals diffracted to better than 2.0 Å resolution after optimizing themore » cryoconditions. Phasing using the single anomalous diffraction method was successful at 3.0 Å resolution with a Pt-derivative crystal. This experience suggested that microseeding is an effective method to overcome the twinning problem, even when twinned crystals are utilized as microseeds.« less

  17. Discrete wavelength-locked external cavity laser

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pilgrim, Jeffrey S. (Inventor); Silver, Joel A. (Inventor)

    2005-01-01

    An external cavity laser (and method of generating laser light) comprising: a laser light source; means for collimating light output by the laser light source; a diffraction grating receiving collimated light; a cavity feedback mirror reflecting light received from the diffraction grating back to the diffraction grating; and means for reliably tuning the external cavity laser to discrete wavelengths.

  18. A scattering approach to sea wave diffraction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Corradini, M. L., E-mail: letizia.corradini@unicam.it; Garbuglia, M., E-mail: milena.garbuglia@unicam.it; Maponi, P., E-mail: pierluigi.maponi@unicam.it

    This paper intends to show a model for the diffraction of sea waves approaching an OWC device, which converts the sea waves motion into mechanical energy and then electrical energy. This is a preliminary study to the optimisation of the device, in fact the computation of sea waves diffraction around the device allows the estimation of the sea waves energy which enters into the device. The computation of the diffraction phenomenon is the result of a sea waves scattering problem, solved with an integral equation method.

  19. The structure of aqueous sodium hydroxide solutions: a combined solution x-ray diffraction and simulation study.

    PubMed

    Megyes, Tünde; Bálint, Szabolcs; Grósz, Tamás; Radnai, Tamás; Bakó, Imre; Sipos, Pál

    2008-01-28

    To determine the structure of aqueous sodium hydroxide solutions, results obtained from x-ray diffraction and computer simulation (molecular dynamics and Car-Parrinello) have been compared. The capabilities and limitations of the methods in describing the solution structure are discussed. For the solutions studied, diffraction methods were found to perform very well in describing the hydration spheres of the sodium ion and yield structural information on the anion's hydration structure. Classical molecular dynamics simulations were not able to correctly describe the bulk structure of these solutions. However, Car-Parrinello simulation proved to be a suitable tool in the detailed interpretation of the hydration sphere of ions and bulk structure of solutions. The results of Car-Parrinello simulations were compared with the findings of diffraction experiments.

  20. Observation of coherent optical phonons excited by femtosecond laser radiation in Sb films by ultrafast electron diffraction method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mironov, B. N.; Kompanets, V. O.; Aseev, S. A., E-mail: isanfemto@yandex.ru

    2017-03-15

    The generation of coherent optical phonons in a polycrystalline antimony film sample has been investigated using femtosecond electron diffraction method. Phonon vibrations have been induced in the Sb sample by the main harmonic of a femtosecond Ti:Sa laser (λ = 800 nm) and probed by a pulsed ultrashort photoelectron beam synchronized with the pump laser. The diffraction patterns recorded at different times relative to the pump laser pulse display oscillations of electron diffraction intensity corresponding to the frequencies of vibrations of optical phonons: totally symmetric (A{sub 1g}) and twofold degenerate (E{sub g}) phonon modes. The frequencies that correspond to combinationsmore » of these phonon modes in the Sb sample have also been experimentally observed.« less

  1. Spectromicroscopy and coherent diffraction imaging: focus on energy materials applications.

    PubMed

    Hitchcock, Adam P; Toney, Michael F

    2014-09-01

    Current and future capabilities of X-ray spectromicroscopy are discussed based on coherence-limited imaging methods which will benefit from the dramatic increase in brightness expected from a diffraction-limited storage ring (DLSR). The methods discussed include advanced coherent diffraction techniques and nanoprobe-based real-space imaging using Fresnel zone plates or other diffractive optics whose performance is affected by the degree of coherence. The capabilities of current systems, improvements which can be expected, and some of the important scientific themes which will be impacted are described, with focus on energy materials applications. Potential performance improvements of these techniques based on anticipated DLSR performance are estimated. Several examples of energy sciences research problems which are out of reach of current instrumentation, but which might be solved with the enhanced DLSR performance, are discussed.

  2. Optimizing disk registration algorithms for nanobeam electron diffraction strain mapping

    DOE PAGES

    Pekin, Thomas C.; Gammer, Christoph; Ciston, Jim; ...

    2017-01-28

    Scanning nanobeam electron diffraction strain mapping is a technique by which the positions of diffracted disks sampled at the nanoscale over a crystalline sample can be used to reconstruct a strain map over a large area. However, it is important that the disk positions are measured accurately, as their positions relative to a reference are directly used to calculate strain. Here in this study, we compare several correlation methods using both simulated and experimental data in order to directly probe susceptibility to measurement error due to non-uniform diffracted disk illumination structure. We found that prefiltering the diffraction patterns with amore » Sobel filter before performing cross correlation or performing a square-root magnitude weighted phase correlation returned the best results when inner disk structure was present. Lastly, we have tested these methods both on simulated datasets, and experimental data from unstrained silicon as well as a twin grain boundary in 304 stainless steel.« less

  3. Direct single-shot phase retrieval from the diffraction pattern of separated objects

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Leshem, Ben; Xu, Rui; Dallal, Yehonatan

    The non-crystallographic phase problem arises in numerous scientific and technological fields. An important application is coherent diffractive imaging. Recent advances in X-ray free-electron lasers allow capturing of the diffraction pattern from a single nanoparticle before it disintegrates, in so-called ‘diffraction before destruction’ experiments. Presently, the phase is reconstructed by iterative algorithms, imposing a non-convex computational challenge, or by Fourier holography, requiring a well-characterized reference field. Here we present a convex scheme for single-shot phase retrieval for two (or more) sufficiently separated objects, demonstrated in two dimensions. In our approach, the objects serve as unknown references to one another, reducing themore » phase problem to a solvable set of linear equations. We establish our method numerically and experimentally in the optical domain and demonstrate a proof-of-principle single-shot coherent diffractive imaging using X-ray free-electron lasers pulses. Lastly, our scheme alleviates several limitations of current methods, offering a new pathway towards direct reconstruction of complex objects.« less

  4. Direct single-shot phase retrieval from the diffraction pattern of separated objects

    DOE PAGES

    Leshem, Ben; Xu, Rui; Dallal, Yehonatan; ...

    2016-02-22

    The non-crystallographic phase problem arises in numerous scientific and technological fields. An important application is coherent diffractive imaging. Recent advances in X-ray free-electron lasers allow capturing of the diffraction pattern from a single nanoparticle before it disintegrates, in so-called ‘diffraction before destruction’ experiments. Presently, the phase is reconstructed by iterative algorithms, imposing a non-convex computational challenge, or by Fourier holography, requiring a well-characterized reference field. Here we present a convex scheme for single-shot phase retrieval for two (or more) sufficiently separated objects, demonstrated in two dimensions. In our approach, the objects serve as unknown references to one another, reducing themore » phase problem to a solvable set of linear equations. We establish our method numerically and experimentally in the optical domain and demonstrate a proof-of-principle single-shot coherent diffractive imaging using X-ray free-electron lasers pulses. Lastly, our scheme alleviates several limitations of current methods, offering a new pathway towards direct reconstruction of complex objects.« less

  5. Profiling pleural effusion cells by a diffraction imaging method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Al-Qaysi, Safaa; Hong, Heng; Wen, Yuhua; Lu, Jun Q.; Feng, Yuanming; Hu, Xin-Hua

    2018-02-01

    Assay of cells in pleural effusion (PE) is an important means of disease diagnosis. Conventional cytology of effusion samples, however, has low sensitivity and depends heavily on the expertise of cytopathologists. We applied a polarization diffraction imaging flow cytometry method on effusion cells to investigate their features. Diffraction imaging of the PE cell samples has been performed on 6000 to 12000 cells for each effusion cell sample of three patients. After prescreening to remove images by cellular debris and aggregated non-cellular particles, the image textures were extracted with a gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) algorithm. The distribution of the imaged cells in the GLCM parameters space was analyzed by a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) to determine the number of clusters among the effusion cells. These results yield insight on textural features of diffraction images and related cellular morphology in effusion samples and can be used toward the development of a label-free method for effusion cells assay.

  6. A double-imprinted diffraction-grating sensor based on a virus-responsive super-aptamer hydrogel derived from an impure extract.

    PubMed

    Bai, Wei; Spivak, David A

    2014-02-17

    The detection of viruses is of interest for a number of fields including biomedicine, environmental science, and biosecurity. Of particular interest are methods that do not require expensive equipment or trained personnel, especially if the results can be read by the naked eye. A new "double imprinting" method was developed whereby a virus-bioimprinted hydrogel is further micromolded into a diffraction grating sensor by using imprint-lithography techniques to give a "Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Gel Laser Diffraction Sensor" (MIP-GLaDiS). A simple laser transmission apparatus was used to measure diffraction, and the system can read by the naked eye to detect the Apple Stem Pitting Virus (ASPV) at concentrations as low as 10 ng mL(-1), thus setting the limit of detection of these hydrogels as low as other antigen-binding methods such as ELISA or fluorescence-tag systems. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Diffraction and Transmission Synchrotron Imaging at the German Light Source ANKA--Potential Industrial Applications

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rack, Alexander; Weitkamp, Timm; European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, F-38043 Grenoble Cedex

    2009-03-10

    Diffraction and transmission synchrotron imaging methods have proven to be highly suitable for investigations in materials research and non-destructive evaluation. The high flux and spatial coherence of X-rays from modern synchrotron light sources allows one to work using high resolution and different contrast modalities. This article gives a short overview of different transmission and diffraction imaging methods with high potential for industrial applications, now available for commercial access via the German light source ANKA (Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe) and its new department ANKA Commercial Service (ANKA COS, http://www.anka-cos.de)

  8. Fourier optics of constant-thickness three-dimensional objects on the basis of diffraction models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chugui, Yu. V.

    2017-09-01

    Results of investigations of diffraction phenomena on constant-thickness three-dimensional objects with flat inner surfaces (thick plates) are summarized on the basis of our constructive theory of their calculation as applied to dimensional inspection. It is based on diffraction models of 3D objects with the use of equivalent diaphragms (distributions), which allow the Kirchhoff-Fresnel approximation to be effectively used. In contrast to available rigorous and approximate methods, the present approach does not require cumbersome calculations; it is a clearly arranged method, which ensures sufficient accuracy for engineering applications. It is found that the fundamental diffraction parameter for 3D objects of constant thickness d is the critical diffraction angle {θ _{cr}} = √ {λ /d} at which the effect of three-dimensionality on the spectrum of the 3D object becomes appreciable. Calculated Fraunhofer diffraction patterns (spectra) and images of constant-thickness 3D objects with absolutely absorbing, absolutely reflecting, and gray internal faces are presented. It is demonstrated that selection of 3D object fragments can be performed by choosing an appropriate configuration of the wave illuminating the object (plane normal or inclined waves, spherical waves).

  9. Coherent gradient sensing method and system for measuring surface curvature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rosakis, Ares J. (Inventor); Moore, Jr., Nicholas R. (Inventor); Singh, Ramen P. (Inventor); Kolawa, Elizabeth (Inventor)

    2000-01-01

    A system and method for determining a curvature of a specularly reflective surface based on optical interference. Two optical gratings are used to produce a spatial displacement in an interference field of two different diffraction components produced by one grating from different diffraction components produced by another grating. Thus, the curvature of the surface can be determined.

  10. X-Ray Diffraction Wafer Mapping Method for Rhombohedral Super-Hetero-Epitaxy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Park, Yoonjoon; Choi, Sang Hyouk; King, Glen C.; Elliott, James R.; Dimarcantonio, Albert L.

    2010-01-01

    A new X-ray diffraction (XRD) method is provided to acquire XY mapping of the distribution of single crystals, poly-crystals, and twin defects across an entire wafer of rhombohedral super-hetero-epitaxial semiconductor material. In one embodiment, the method is performed with a point or line X-ray source with an X-ray incidence angle approximating a normal angle close to 90 deg, and in which the beam mask is preferably replaced with a crossed slit. While the wafer moves in the X and Y direction, a narrowly defined X-ray source illuminates the sample and the diffracted X-ray beam is monitored by the detector at a predefined angle. Preferably, the untilted, asymmetric scans are of {440} peaks, for twin defect characterization.

  11. Method to mosaic gratings that relies on analysis of far-field intensity patterns in two wavelengths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Yao; Zeng, Lijiang; Li, Lifeng

    2007-01-01

    We propose an experimental method to coherently mosaic two planar diffraction gratings. The method uses a Twyman-Green interferometer to guarantee the planar parallelism of the two sub-aperture gratings, and obtains the in-plane rotational error and the two translational errors from analysis of the far-field diffraction intensity patterns in two alignment wavelengths. We adjust the relative attitude and position of the two sub-aperture gratings to produce Airy disk diffraction patterns in both wavelengths. In our experiment, the repeatability of in-plane rotation adjustment was 2.35 μrad and that of longitudinal adjustment was 0.11 μm. The accuracy of lateral adjustment was about 2.9% of the grating period.

  12. PVA/NaCl/MgO nanocomposites-microstructural analysis by whole pattern fitting method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prashanth, K. S.; Mahesh, S. S.; Prakash, M. B. Nanda; Somashekar, R.; Nagabhushana, B. M.

    2018-04-01

    The nanofillers in the macromolecular matrix have displayed noteworthy changes in the structure and reactivity of the polymer nanocomposites. Novel functional materials usually consist of defects and are largely disordered. The intriguing properties of these materials are often attributed to defects. X-ray line profiles from powder diffraction reveal the quantitative information about size distribution and shape of diffracting domains which governs the contribution from small conventional X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques to enumerate the microstructural information. In this study the MgO nanoparticles were prepared by solution combustion method and PVA/NaCl/MgO nanocomposite films were synthesized by the solvent cast method. Microstructural parameters viz crystal defects like stacking faults and twin faults, compositional inhomogeneity, crystallite size and lattice strain (g in %), were extracted using whole pattern fitting method.

  13. Final Report for X-ray Diffraction Sample Preparation Method Development

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ely, T. M.; Meznarich, H. K.; Valero, T.

    WRPS-1500790, “X-ray Diffraction Saltcake Sample Preparation Method Development Plan/Procedure,” was originally prepared with the intent of improving the specimen preparation methodology used to generate saltcake specimens suitable for XRD-based solid phase characterization. At the time that this test plan document was originally developed, packed powder in cavity supports with collodion binder was the established XRD specimen preparation method. An alternate specimen preparation method less vulnerable, if not completely invulnerable to preferred orientation effects, was desired as a replacement for the method.

  14. Generation of a sub-diffraction hollow ring by shaping an azimuthally polarized wave

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Gang; Wu, Zhi-xiang; Yu, An-ping; Zhang, Zhi-hai; Wen, Zhong-quan; Zhang, Kun; Dai, Lu-ru; Jiang, Sen-lin; Li, Yu-yan; Chen, Li; Wang, Chang-tao; Luo, Xian-gang

    2016-01-01

    The generation of a sub-diffraction optical hollow ring is of great interest in various applications, such as optical microscopy, optical tweezers, and nanolithography. Azimuthally polarized light is a good candidate for creating an optical hollow ring structure. Various of methods have been proposed theoretically for generation of sub-wavelength hollow ring by focusing azimuthally polarized light, but without experimental demonstrations, especially for sub-diffraction focusing. Super-oscillation is a promising approach for shaping sub-diffraction optical focusing. In this paper, a planar sub-diffraction diffractive lens is proposed, which has an ultra-long focal length of 600 λ and small numerical aperture of 0.64. A sub-diffraction hollow ring is experimentally created by shaping an azimuthally polarized wave. The full-width-at-half-maximum of the hollow ring is 0.61 λ, which is smaller than the lens diffraction limit 0.78 λ, and the observed largest sidelobe intensity is only 10% of the peak intensity. PMID:27876885

  15. Preliminary crystallographic analysis of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cupp-Vickery, Jill R., E-mail: jvickery@uci.edu; Igarashi, Robert Y.; Meyer, Christopher R.

    2005-03-01

    Crystallization and X-ray diffraction methods for native A. tumefaciens ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and its selenomethionyl derivative are described. Two crystal forms are identified, both of which diffract to 2 Å.

  16. A high-transparency, micro-patternable chip for X-ray diffraction analysis of microcrystals under native growth conditions

    DOE PAGES

    Murray, Thomas D.; Lyubimov, Artem Y.; Ogata, Craig M.; ...

    2015-08-11

    Microcrystals present a significant impediment to the determination of macromolecular structures by X-ray diffraction methods. Although microfocus synchrotron beamlines and X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) can enable the collection of interpretable diffraction data from microcrystals, there is a need for efficient methods of harvesting small volumes (<2 µl) of microcrystals grown under common laboratory formats and delivering them to an X-ray beam source under native growth conditions. One approach that shows promise in overcoming the challenges intrinsic to microcrystal analysis is to pair so-called `fixed-target' sample-delivery devices with microbeam-based X-ray diffraction methods. However, to record weak diffraction patterns it is necessarymore » to fabricate devices from X-ray-transparent materials that minimize background scattering. Presented here is the design of a new micro-diffraction device consisting of three layers fabricated from silicon nitride, photoresist and polyimide film. The chip features low X-ray scattering and X-ray absorption properties, and uses a customizable blend of hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface patterns to help localize microcrystals to defined regions. Microcrystals in their native growth conditions can be loaded into the chips with a standard pipette, allowing data collection at room temperature. Diffraction data collected from hen egg-white lysozyme microcrystals (10–15 µm) loaded into the chips yielded a complete, high-resolution (<1.6 Å) data set sufficient to determine a high-quality structure by molecular replacement. In addition, the features of the chip allow the rapid and user-friendly analysis of microcrystals grown under virtually any laboratory format at microfocus synchrotron beamlines and XFELs.« less

  17. A high-transparency, micro-patternable chip for X-ray diffraction analysis of microcrystals under native growth conditions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Murray, Thomas D.; Lyubimov, Artem Y.; Ogata, Craig M.

    Microcrystals present a significant impediment to the determination of macromolecular structures by X-ray diffraction methods. Although microfocus synchrotron beamlines and X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) can enable the collection of interpretable diffraction data from microcrystals, there is a need for efficient methods of harvesting small volumes (<2 µl) of microcrystals grown under common laboratory formats and delivering them to an X-ray beam source under native growth conditions. One approach that shows promise in overcoming the challenges intrinsic to microcrystal analysis is to pair so-called `fixed-target' sample-delivery devices with microbeam-based X-ray diffraction methods. However, to record weak diffraction patterns it is necessarymore » to fabricate devices from X-ray-transparent materials that minimize background scattering. Presented here is the design of a new micro-diffraction device consisting of three layers fabricated from silicon nitride, photoresist and polyimide film. The chip features low X-ray scattering and X-ray absorption properties, and uses a customizable blend of hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface patterns to help localize microcrystals to defined regions. Microcrystals in their native growth conditions can be loaded into the chips with a standard pipette, allowing data collection at room temperature. Diffraction data collected from hen egg-white lysozyme microcrystals (10–15 µm) loaded into the chips yielded a complete, high-resolution (<1.6 Å) data set sufficient to determine a high-quality structure by molecular replacement. In addition, the features of the chip allow the rapid and user-friendly analysis of microcrystals grown under virtually any laboratory format at microfocus synchrotron beamlines and XFELs.« less

  18. A high-transparency, micro-patternable chip for X-ray diffraction analysis of microcrystals under native growth conditions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Murray, Thomas D.; Lyubimov, Artem Y.; Ogata, Craig M.

    Microcrystals present a significant impediment to the determination of macromolecular structures by X-ray diffraction methods. Although microfocus synchrotron beamlines and X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) can enable the collection of interpretable diffraction data from microcrystals, there is a need for efficient methods of harvesting small volumes (<2µl) of microcrystals grown under common laboratory formats and delivering them to an X-ray beam source under native growth conditions. One approach that shows promise in overcoming the challenges intrinsic to microcrystal analysis is to pair so-called `fixed-target' sample-delivery devices with microbeam-based X-ray diffraction methods. However, to record weak diffraction patterns it is necessary tomore » fabricate devices from X-ray-transparent materials that minimize background scattering. Presented here is the design of a new micro-diffraction device consisting of three layers fabricated from silicon nitride, photoresist and polyimide film. The chip features low X-ray scattering and X-ray absorption properties, and uses a customizable blend of hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface patterns to help localize microcrystals to defined regions. Microcrystals in their native growth conditions can be loaded into the chips with a standard pipette, allowing data collection at room temperature. Diffraction data collected from hen egg-white lysozyme microcrystals (10–15µm) loaded into the chips yielded a complete, high-resolution (<1.6Å) data set sufficient to determine a high-quality structure by molecular replacement. The features of the chip allow the rapid and user-friendly analysis of microcrystals grown under virtually any laboratory format at microfocus synchrotron beamlines and XFELs.« less

  19. A high-transparency, micro-patternable chip for X-ray diffraction analysis of microcrystals under native growth conditions

    PubMed Central

    Murray, Thomas D.; Lyubimov, Artem Y.; Ogata, Craig M.; Vo, Huy; Uervirojnangkoorn, Monarin; Brunger, Axel T.; Berger, James M.

    2015-01-01

    Microcrystals present a significant impediment to the determination of macromolecular structures by X-ray diffraction methods. Although microfocus synchrotron beamlines and X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) can enable the collection of interpretable diffraction data from microcrystals, there is a need for efficient methods of harvesting small volumes (<2 µl) of microcrystals grown under common laboratory formats and delivering them to an X-ray beam source under native growth conditions. One approach that shows promise in overcoming the challenges intrinsic to microcrystal analysis is to pair so-called ‘fixed-target’ sample-delivery devices with microbeam-based X-ray diffraction methods. However, to record weak diffraction patterns it is necessary to fabricate devices from X-ray-transparent materials that minimize background scattering. Presented here is the design of a new micro-diffraction device consisting of three layers fabricated from silicon nitride, photoresist and polyimide film. The chip features low X-ray scattering and X-ray absorption properties, and uses a customizable blend of hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface patterns to help localize microcrystals to defined regions. Microcrystals in their native growth conditions can be loaded into the chips with a standard pipette, allowing data collection at room temperature. Diffraction data collected from hen egg-white lysozyme microcrystals (10–15 µm) loaded into the chips yielded a complete, high-resolution (<1.6 Å) data set sufficient to determine a high-quality structure by molecular replacement. The features of the chip allow the rapid and user-friendly analysis of microcrystals grown under virtually any laboratory format at microfocus synchrotron beamlines and XFELs. PMID:26457423

  20. Digital Image Correlation of 2D X-ray Powder Diffraction Data for Lattice Strain Evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Hongjia; Sui, Tan; Daisenberger, Dominik; Fong, Kai Soon

    2018-01-01

    High energy 2D X-ray powder diffraction experiments are widely used for lattice strain measurement. The 2D to 1D conversion of diffraction patterns is a necessary step used to prepare the data for full pattern refinement, but is inefficient when only peak centre position information is required for lattice strain evaluation. The multi-step conversion process is likely to lead to increased errors associated with the ‘caking’ (radial binning) or fitting procedures. A new method is proposed here that relies on direct Digital Image Correlation analysis of 2D X-ray powder diffraction patterns (XRD-DIC, for short). As an example of using XRD-DIC, residual strain values along the central line in a Mg AZ31B alloy bar after 3-point bending are calculated by using both XRD-DIC and the conventional ‘caking’ with fitting procedures. Comparison of the results for strain values in different azimuthal angles demonstrates excellent agreement between the two methods. The principal strains and directions are calculated using multiple direction strain data, leading to full in-plane strain evaluation. It is therefore concluded that XRD-DIC provides a reliable and robust method for strain evaluation from 2D powder diffraction data. The XRD-DIC approach simplifies the analysis process by skipping 2D to 1D conversion, and opens new possibilities for robust 2D powder diffraction data analysis for full in-plane strain evaluation. PMID:29543728

  1. Resolution enhancement in coherent x-ray diffraction imaging by overcoming instrumental noise.

    PubMed

    Kim, Chan; Kim, Yoonhee; Song, Changyong; Kim, Sang Soo; Kim, Sunam; Kang, Hyon Chol; Hwu, Yeukuang; Tsuei, Ku-Ding; Liang, Keng San; Noh, Do Young

    2014-11-17

    We report that reference objects, strong scatterers neighboring weak phase objects, enhance the phase retrieval and spatial resolution in coherent x-ray diffraction imaging (CDI). A CDI experiment with Au nano-particles exhibited that the reference objects amplified the signal-to-noise ratio in the diffraction intensity at large diffraction angles, which significantly enhanced the image resolution. The interference between the diffracted x-ray from reference objects and a specimen also improved the retrieval of the phase of the diffraction signal. The enhancement was applied to image NiO nano-particles and a mitochondrion and confirmed in a simulation with a bacteria phantom. We expect that the proposed method will be of great help in imaging weakly scattering soft matters using coherent x-ray sources including x-ray free electron lasers.

  2. A high-transparency, micro-patternable chip for X-ray diffraction analysis of microcrystals under native growth conditions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Murray, Thomas D.; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205; Lyubimov, Artem Y.

    A highly X-ray-transparent, silicon nitride-based device has been designed and fabricated to harvest protein microcrystals for high-resolution X-ray diffraction data collection using microfocus beamlines and XFELs. Microcrystals present a significant impediment to the determination of macromolecular structures by X-ray diffraction methods. Although microfocus synchrotron beamlines and X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) can enable the collection of interpretable diffraction data from microcrystals, there is a need for efficient methods of harvesting small volumes (<2 µl) of microcrystals grown under common laboratory formats and delivering them to an X-ray beam source under native growth conditions. One approach that shows promise in overcoming themore » challenges intrinsic to microcrystal analysis is to pair so-called ‘fixed-target’ sample-delivery devices with microbeam-based X-ray diffraction methods. However, to record weak diffraction patterns it is necessary to fabricate devices from X-ray-transparent materials that minimize background scattering. Presented here is the design of a new micro-diffraction device consisting of three layers fabricated from silicon nitride, photoresist and polyimide film. The chip features low X-ray scattering and X-ray absorption properties, and uses a customizable blend of hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface patterns to help localize microcrystals to defined regions. Microcrystals in their native growth conditions can be loaded into the chips with a standard pipette, allowing data collection at room temperature. Diffraction data collected from hen egg-white lysozyme microcrystals (10–15 µm) loaded into the chips yielded a complete, high-resolution (<1.6 Å) data set sufficient to determine a high-quality structure by molecular replacement. The features of the chip allow the rapid and user-friendly analysis of microcrystals grown under virtually any laboratory format at microfocus synchrotron beamlines and XFELs.« less

  3. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Latychevskaia, Tatiana, E-mail: tatiana@physik.uzh.ch; Fink, Hans-Werner; Chushkin, Yuriy

    Coherent diffraction imaging is a high-resolution imaging technique whose potential can be greatly enhanced by applying the extrapolation method presented here. We demonstrate the enhancement in resolution of a non-periodical object reconstructed from an experimental X-ray diffraction record which contains about 10% missing information, including the pixels in the center of the diffraction pattern. A diffraction pattern is extrapolated beyond the detector area and as a result, the object is reconstructed at an enhanced resolution and better agreement with experimental amplitudes is achieved. The optimal parameters for the iterative routine and the limits of the extrapolation procedure are discussed.

  4. Ionospheric irregularity characteristics from quasiperiodic structure in the radio wave scintillation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, K. Y.; Su, S. Y.; Liu, C. H.; Basu, S.

    2005-06-01

    Quasiperiodic (QP) diffraction pattern in scintillation patches has been known to highly correlate with the edge structures of a plasma bubble (Franke et al., 1984). A new time-frequency analysis method of Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) has been applied to analyze the scintillation data taken at Ascension Island to understand the characteristics of corresponding ionosphere irregularities. The HHT method enables us to extract the quasiperiodic diffraction signals embedded inside the scintillation data and to obtain the characteristics of such diffraction signals. The cross correlation of the two sets of diffraction signals received by two stations at each end of Ascension Island indicates that the density irregularity pattern that causes the diffraction pattern should have an eastward drift velocity of ˜130 m/s. The HHT analysis of the instantaneous frequency in the QP diffraction patterns also reveals some frequency shifts in their peak frequencies. For the QP diffraction pattern caused by the leading edge of the large density gradient at the east wall of a structured bubble, an ascending note in the peak frequency is observed, and for the trailing edge a descending note is observed. The linear change in the transient of the peak frequency in the QP diffraction pattern is consistent with the theory and the simulation result of Franke et al. Estimate of the slope in the transient frequency provides us the information that allows us to identify the locations of plasma walls, and the east-west scale of the irregularity can be estimated. In our case we obtain about 24 km in the east-west scale. Furthermore, the height location of density irregularities that cause the diffraction pattern is estimated to be between 310 and 330 km, that is, around the F peak during observation.

  5. Ab initio structure determination from prion nanocrystals at atomic resolution by MicroED

    PubMed Central

    Sawaya, Michael R.; Rodriguez, Jose; Cascio, Duilio; Collazo, Michael J.; Shi, Dan; Reyes, Francis E.; Gonen, Tamir; Eisenberg, David S.

    2016-01-01

    Electrons, because of their strong interaction with matter, produce high-resolution diffraction patterns from tiny 3D crystals only a few hundred nanometers thick in a frozen-hydrated state. This discovery offers the prospect of facile structure determination of complex biological macromolecules, which cannot be coaxed to form crystals large enough for conventional crystallography or cannot easily be produced in sufficient quantities. Two potential obstacles stand in the way. The first is a phenomenon known as dynamical scattering, in which multiple scattering events scramble the recorded electron diffraction intensities so that they are no longer informative of the crystallized molecule. The second obstacle is the lack of a proven means of de novo phase determination, as is required if the molecule crystallized is insufficiently similar to one that has been previously determined. We show with four structures of the amyloid core of the Sup35 prion protein that, if the diffraction resolution is high enough, sufficiently accurate phases can be obtained by direct methods with the cryo-EM method microelectron diffraction (MicroED), just as in X-ray diffraction. The success of these four experiments dispels the concern that dynamical scattering is an obstacle to ab initio phasing by MicroED and suggests that structures of novel macromolecules can also be determined by direct methods. PMID:27647903

  6. Accounting for partiality in serial crystallography using ray-tracing principles.

    PubMed

    Kroon-Batenburg, Loes M J; Schreurs, Antoine M M; Ravelli, Raimond B G; Gros, Piet

    2015-09-01

    Serial crystallography generates `still' diffraction data sets that are composed of single diffraction images obtained from a large number of crystals arbitrarily oriented in the X-ray beam. Estimation of the reflection partialities, which accounts for the expected observed fractions of diffraction intensities, has so far been problematic. In this paper, a method is derived for modelling the partialities by making use of the ray-tracing diffraction-integration method EVAL. The method estimates partialities based on crystal mosaicity, beam divergence, wavelength dispersion, crystal size and the interference function, accounting for crystallite size. It is shown that modelling of each reflection by a distribution of interference-function weighted rays yields a `still' Lorentz factor. Still data are compared with a conventional rotation data set collected from a single lysozyme crystal. Overall, the presented still integration method improves the data quality markedly. The R factor of the still data compared with the rotation data decreases from 26% using a Monte Carlo approach to 12% after applying the Lorentz correction, to 5.3% when estimating partialities by EVAL and finally to 4.7% after post-refinement. The merging R(int) factor of the still data improves from 105 to 56% but remains high. This suggests that the accuracy of the model parameters could be further improved. However, with a multiplicity of around 40 and an R(int) of ∼50% the merged still data approximate the quality of the rotation data. The presented integration method suitably accounts for the partiality of the observed intensities in still diffraction data, which is a critical step to improve data quality in serial crystallography.

  7. An image focusing means by using an opaque object to diffract x-rays

    DOEpatents

    Sommargren, Gary E.; Weaver, H. Joseph

    1991-01-01

    The invention provides a method and apparatus for focusing and imaging x-rays. An opaque sphere is used as a diffractive imaging element to diffract x-rays from an object so that the divergent x-ray wavefronts are transformed into convergent wavefronts and are brought to focus to form an image of the object with a large depth of field.

  8. Data collection strategies for time-resolved X-ray free-electron laser diffraction, and 2-color methods

    PubMed Central

    Li, Chufeng; Schmidt, Kevin; Spence, John C.

    2015-01-01

    We compare three schemes for time-resolved X-ray diffraction from protein nanocrystals using an X-ray free-electron laser. We find expressions for the errors in structure factor measurement using the Monte Carlo pump-probe method of data analysis with a liquid jet, the fixed sample pump-probe (goniometer) method (both diffract-and-destroy, and below the safe damage dose), and a proposed two-color method. Here, an optical pump pulse arrives between X-ray pulses of slightly different energies which hit the same nanocrystal, using a weak first X-ray pulse which does not damage the sample. (Radiation damage is outrun in the other cases.) This two-color method, in which separated Bragg spots are impressed on the same detector readout, eliminates stochastic fluctuations in crystal size, shape, and orientation and is found to require two orders of magnitude fewer diffraction patterns than the currently used Monte Carlo liquid jet method, for 1% accuracy. Expressions are given for errors in structure factor measurement for the four approaches, and detailed simulations provided for cathepsin B and IC3 crystals. While the error is independent of the number of shots for the dose-limited goniometer method, it falls off inversely as the square root of the number of shots for the two-color and Monte Carlo methods, with a much smaller pre-factor for the two-color mode, when the first shot is below the damage threshold. PMID:26798813

  9. Density of bunched threading dislocations in epitaxial GaN layers as determined using X-ray diffraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barchuk, M.; Holý, V.; Rafaja, D.

    2018-04-01

    X-ray diffraction is one of the most popular experimental methods employed for determination of dislocation densities, as it can recognize both the strain fields and the local lattice rotations produced by dislocations. The main challenge of the quantitative analysis of the dislocation density is the formulation of a suitable microstructure model, which describes the dislocation arrangement and the effect of the interactions between the strain fields from neighboring dislocations reliably in order to be able to determine the dislocation densities precisely. The aim of this study is to prove the capability of X-ray diffraction and two computational methods, which are frequently used for quantification of the threading dislocation densities from X-ray diffraction measurements, in the special case of partially bunched threading dislocations. The first method is based on the analysis of the dislocation-controlled crystal mosaicity, and the other one on the analysis of diffuse X-ray scattering from threading dislocations. The complementarity of both methods is discussed. Furthermore, it is shown how the complementarity of these methods can be used to improve the results of the quantitative analysis of bunched and thus inhomogeneously distributed threading dislocations and to get a better insight into the dislocation arrangement.

  10. Method for Measurement of Multi-Degrees-of-Freedom Motion Parameters Based on Polydimethylsiloxane Cross-Coupling Diffraction Gratings.

    PubMed

    Duan, Junping; Zhu, Qiang; Qian, Kun; Guo, Hao; Zhang, Binzhen

    2017-08-30

    This work presents a multi-degrees-of-freedom motion parameter measurement method based on the use of cross-coupling diffraction gratings that were prepared on the two sides of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate using oxygen plasma processing technology. The laser beam that travels pass the cross-coupling optical grating would be diffracted into a two-dimensional spot array. The displacement and the gap size of the spot-array were functions of the movement of the laser source, as explained by the Fraunhofer diffraction effect. A 480 × 640 pixel charge-coupled device (CCD) was used to acquire images of the two-dimensional spot-array in real time. A proposed algorithm was then used to obtain the motion parameters. Using this method and the CCD described above, the resolutions of the displacement and the deflection angle were 0.18 μm and 0.0075 rad, respectively. Additionally, a CCD with a higher pixel count could improve the resolutions of the displacement and the deflection angle to sub-nanometer and micro-radian scales, respectively. Finally, the dynamic positions of hovering rotorcraft have been tracked and checked using the proposed method, which can be used to correct the craft's position and provide a method for aircraft stabilization in the sky.

  11. Method for Measurement of Multi-Degrees-of-Freedom Motion Parameters Based on Polydimethylsiloxane Cross-Coupling Diffraction Gratings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duan, Junping; Zhu, Qiang; Qian, Kun; Guo, Hao; Zhang, Binzhen

    2017-08-01

    This work presents a multi-degrees-of-freedom motion parameter measurement method based on the use of cross-coupling diffraction gratings that were prepared on the two sides of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate using oxygen plasma processing technology. The laser beam that travels pass the cross-coupling optical grating would be diffracted into a two-dimensional spot array. The displacement and the gap size of the spot-array were functions of the movement of the laser source, as explained by the Fraunhofer diffraction effect. A 480 × 640 pixel charge-coupled device (CCD) was used to acquire images of the two-dimensional spot-array in real time. A proposed algorithm was then used to obtain the motion parameters. Using this method and the CCD described above, the resolutions of the displacement and the deflection angle were 0.18 μm and 0.0075 rad, respectively. Additionally, a CCD with a higher pixel count could improve the resolutions of the displacement and the deflection angle to sub-nanometer and micro-radian scales, respectively. Finally, the dynamic positions of hovering rotorcraft have been tracked and checked using the proposed method, which can be used to correct the craft's position and provide a method for aircraft stabilization in the sky.

  12. Gaussian Finite Element Method for Description of Underwater Sound Diffraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Dehua

    A new method for solving diffraction problems is presented in this dissertation. It is based on the use of Gaussian diffraction theory. The Rayleigh integral is used to prove the core of Gaussian theory: the diffraction field of a Gaussian is described by a Gaussian function. The parabolic approximation used by previous authors is not necessary to this proof. Comparison of the Gaussian beam expansion and Fourier series expansion reveals that the Gaussian expansion is a more general and more powerful technique. The method combines the Gaussian beam superposition technique (Wen and Breazeale, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 83, 1752-1756 (1988)) and the Finite element solution to the parabolic equation (Huang, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 84, 1405-1413 (1988)). Computer modeling shows that the new method is capable of solving for the sound field even in an inhomogeneous medium, whether the source is a Gaussian source or a distributed source. It can be used for horizontally layered interfaces or irregular interfaces. Calculated results are compared with experimental results by use of a recently designed and improved Gaussian transducer in a laboratory water tank. In addition, the power of the Gaussian Finite element method is demonstrated by comparing numerical results with experimental results from use of a piston transducer in a water tank.

  13. [Testing method research for key performance indicator of imaging acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF)].

    PubMed

    Hu, Shan-Zhou; Chen, Fen-Fei; Zeng, Li-Bo; Wu, Qiong-Shui

    2013-01-01

    Imaging AOTF is an important optical filter component for new spectral imaging instruments developed in recent years. The principle of imaging AOTF component was demonstrated, and a set of testing methods for some key performances were studied, such as diffraction efficiency, wavelength shift with temperature, homogeneity in space for diffraction efficiency, imaging shift, etc.

  14. Efficient modeling of Bragg coherent x-ray nanobeam diffraction

    DOE PAGES

    Hruszkewycz, S. O.; Holt, M. V.; Allain, M.; ...

    2015-07-02

    X-ray Bragg diffraction experiments that utilize tightly focused coherent beams produce complicated Bragg diffraction patterns that depend on scattering geometry, characteristics of the sample, and properties of the x-ray focusing optic. In this paper, we use a Fourier-transform-based method of modeling the 2D intensity distribution of a Bragg peak and apply it to the case of thin films illuminated with a Fresnel zone plate in three different Bragg scattering geometries. Finally, the calculations agree well with experimental coherent diffraction patterns, demonstrating that nanodiffraction patterns can be modeled at nonsymmetric Bragg conditions with this approach—a capability critical for advancing nanofocused x-raymore » diffraction microscopy.« less

  15. Resolving power of diffraction imaging with an objective: a numerical study.

    PubMed

    Wang, Wenjin; Liu, Jing; Lu, Jun Qing; Ding, Junhua; Hu, Xin-Hua

    2017-05-01

    Diffraction imaging in the far-field can detect 3D morphological features of an object for its coherent nature. We describe methods for accurate calculation and analysis of diffraction images of scatterers of single and double spheres by an imaging unit based on microscope objective at non-conjugate positions. A quantitative study of the calculated diffraction imaging in spectral domain has been performed to assess the resolving power of diffraction imaging. It has been shown numerically that with coherent illumination of 532 nm in wavelength the imaging unit can resolve single spheres of 2 μm or larger in diameters and double spheres separated by less than 300 nm between their centers.

  16. Fast and accurate focusing analysis of large photon sieve using pinhole ring diffraction model.

    PubMed

    Liu, Tao; Zhang, Xin; Wang, Lingjie; Wu, Yanxiong; Zhang, Jizhen; Qu, Hemeng

    2015-06-10

    In this paper, we developed a pinhole ring diffraction model for the focusing analysis of a large photon sieve. Instead of analyzing individual pinholes, we discuss the focusing of all of the pinholes in a single ring. An explicit equation for the diffracted field of individual pinhole ring has been proposed. We investigated the validity range of this generalized model and analytically describe the sufficient conditions for the validity of this pinhole ring diffraction model. A practical example and investigation reveals the high accuracy of the pinhole ring diffraction model. This simulation method could be used for fast and accurate focusing analysis of a large photon sieve.

  17. Diffraction-Based Optical Switch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sperno, Stevan M. (Inventor); Fuhr, Peter L. (Inventor); Schipper, John F. (Inventor)

    2005-01-01

    Method and system for controllably redirecting a light beam, having a central wavelength lambda, from a first light-receiving site to a second light-receiving site. A diffraction grating is attached to or part of a piezoelectric substrate, which is connected to one or two controllable voltage difference sources. When a substrate voltage difference is changed and the diffraction grating length in each of one or two directions is thereby changed, at least one of the diffraction angle, the diffraction order and the central wavelength is controllably changed. A diffracted light beam component, having a given wavelength, diffraction angle and diffraction order, that is initially received at a first light receiving site (e.g., a detector or optical fiber) is thereby controllably shifted or altered and can be received at a second light receiving site. A polynomially stepped, chirped grating is used in one embodiment. In another embodiment, an incident light beam, having at least one of first and second wavelengths, lambda1 and lambda2, is received and diffracted at a first diffraction grating to provide a first diffracted beam. The first diffracted beam is received and diffracted at a second diffraction grating to produce a second diffracted beam. The second diffracted beam is received at a light-sensitive transducer, having at least first and second spaced apart light detector elements that are positioned so that, when the incident light beam has wavelength lambda1 or lambda2 (lambda1 not equal to lambda2), the second diffracted beam is received at the first element or at the second element, respectively; change in a selected physical parameter at the second grating can also be sensed or measured. A sequence of spaced apart light detector elements can be positioned along a linear or curvilinear segment with equal or unequal spacing.

  18. Accounting for partiality in serial crystallography using ray-tracing principles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kroon-Batenburg, Loes M. J., E-mail: l.m.j.kroon-batenburg@uu.nl; Schreurs, Antoine M. M.; Ravelli, Raimond B. G.

    Serial crystallography generates partial reflections from still diffraction images. Partialities are estimated with EVAL ray-tracing simulations, thereby improving merged reflection data to a similar quality as conventional rotation data. Serial crystallography generates ‘still’ diffraction data sets that are composed of single diffraction images obtained from a large number of crystals arbitrarily oriented in the X-ray beam. Estimation of the reflection partialities, which accounts for the expected observed fractions of diffraction intensities, has so far been problematic. In this paper, a method is derived for modelling the partialities by making use of the ray-tracing diffraction-integration method EVAL. The method estimates partialitiesmore » based on crystal mosaicity, beam divergence, wavelength dispersion, crystal size and the interference function, accounting for crystallite size. It is shown that modelling of each reflection by a distribution of interference-function weighted rays yields a ‘still’ Lorentz factor. Still data are compared with a conventional rotation data set collected from a single lysozyme crystal. Overall, the presented still integration method improves the data quality markedly. The R factor of the still data compared with the rotation data decreases from 26% using a Monte Carlo approach to 12% after applying the Lorentz correction, to 5.3% when estimating partialities by EVAL and finally to 4.7% after post-refinement. The merging R{sub int} factor of the still data improves from 105 to 56% but remains high. This suggests that the accuracy of the model parameters could be further improved. However, with a multiplicity of around 40 and an R{sub int} of ∼50% the merged still data approximate the quality of the rotation data. The presented integration method suitably accounts for the partiality of the observed intensities in still diffraction data, which is a critical step to improve data quality in serial crystallography.« less

  19. Super-resolution biomolecular crystallography with low-resolution data.

    PubMed

    Schröder, Gunnar F; Levitt, Michael; Brunger, Axel T

    2010-04-22

    X-ray diffraction plays a pivotal role in the understanding of biological systems by revealing atomic structures of proteins, nucleic acids and their complexes, with much recent interest in very large assemblies like the ribosome. As crystals of such large assemblies often diffract weakly (resolution worse than 4 A), we need methods that work at such low resolution. In macromolecular assemblies, some of the components may be known at high resolution, whereas others are unknown: current refinement methods fail as they require a high-resolution starting structure for the entire complex. Determining the structure of such complexes, which are often of key biological importance, should be possible in principle as the number of independent diffraction intensities at a resolution better than 5 A generally exceeds the number of degrees of freedom. Here we introduce a method that adds specific information from known homologous structures but allows global and local deformations of these homology models. Our approach uses the observation that local protein structure tends to be conserved as sequence and function evolve. Cross-validation with R(free) (the free R-factor) determines the optimum deformation and influence of the homology model. For test cases at 3.5-5 A resolution with known structures at high resolution, our method gives significant improvements over conventional refinement in the model as monitored by coordinate accuracy, the definition of secondary structure and the quality of electron density maps. For re-refinements of a representative set of 19 low-resolution crystal structures from the Protein Data Bank, we find similar improvements. Thus, a structure derived from low-resolution diffraction data can have quality similar to a high-resolution structure. Our method is applicable to the study of weakly diffracting crystals using X-ray micro-diffraction as well as data from new X-ray light sources. Use of homology information is not restricted to X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy: as optical imaging advances to subnanometre resolution, it can use similar tools.

  20. Diffraction-based optical correlator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spremo, Stevan M. (Inventor); Fuhr, Peter L. (Inventor); Schipper, John F. (Inventor)

    2005-01-01

    Method and system for wavelength-based processing of a light beam. A light beam, produced at a chemical or physical reaction site and having at least first and second wavelengths, ?1 and ?2, is received and diffracted at a first diffraction grating to provide first and second diffracted beams, which are received and analyzed in terms of wavelength and/or time at two spaced apart light detectors. In a second embodiment, light from first and second sources is diffracted and compared in terms of wavelength and/or time to determine if the two beams arise from the same source. In a third embodiment, a light beam is split and diffracted and passed through first and second environments to study differential effects. In a fourth embodiment, diffracted light beam components, having first and second wavelengths, are received sequentially at a reaction site to determine whether a specified reaction is promoted, based on order of receipt of the beams. In a fifth embodiment, a cylindrically shaped diffraction grating (uniform or chirped) is rotated and translated to provide a sequence of diffracted beams with different wavelengths. In a sixth embodiment, incident light, representing one or more symbols, is successively diffracted from first and second diffraction gratings and is received at different light detectors, depending upon the wavelengths present in the incident light.

  1. Discrimination of orbital angular momentum modes of the terahertz vortex beam using a diffractive mode transformer.

    PubMed

    Liu, Changming; Wei, Xuli; Niu, Liting; Wang, Kejia; Yang, Zhengang; Liu, Jinsong

    2016-06-13

    We present an efficient method to discriminate orbital angular momentum (OAM) of the terahertz (THz) vortex beam using a diffractive mode transformer. The mode transformer performs a log-polar coordinate transformation of the input THz vortex beam, which consists of two 3D-printed diffractive elements. A following lens separates each transformed OAM mode to a different lateral position in its focal plane. This method enables a simultaneous measurement over multiple OAM modes of the THz vortex beam. We experimentally demonstrate the measurement of seven individual OAM modes and two multiplexed OAM modes, which is in good agreement with simulations.

  2. Stratified Diffractive Optic Approach for Creating High Efficiency Gratings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chambers, Diana M.; Nordin, Gregory P.

    1998-01-01

    Gratings with high efficiency in a single diffracted order can be realized with both volume holographic and diffractive optical elements. However, each method has limitations that restrict the applications in which they can be used. For example, high efficiency volume holographic gratings require an appropriate combination of thickness and permittivity modulation throughout the bulk of the material. Possible combinations of those two characteristics are limited by properties of currently available materials, thus restricting the range of applications for volume holographic gratings. Efficiency of a diffractive optic grating is dependent on its approximation of an ideal analog profile using discrete features. The size of constituent features and, consequently, the number that can be used within a required grating period restricts the applications in which diffractive optic gratings can be used. These limitations imply that there are applications which cannot be addressed by either technology. In this paper we propose to address a number of applications in this category with a new method of creating high efficiency gratings which we call stratified diffractive optic gratings. In this approach diffractive optic techniques are used to create an optical structure that emulates volume grating behavior. To illustrate the stratified diffractive optic grating concept we consider a specific application, a scanner for a space-based coherent wind lidar, with requirements that would be difficult to meet by either volume holographic or diffractive optic methods. The lidar instrument design specifies a transmissive scanner element with the input beam normally incident and the exiting beam deflected at a fixed angle from the optical axis. The element will be rotated about the optical axis to produce a conical scan pattern. The wavelength of the incident beam is 2.06 microns and the required deflection angle is 30 degrees, implying a grating period of approximately 4 microns. Creating a high efficiency volume grating with these parameters would require a grating thickness that cannot be attained with current photosensitive materials. For a diffractive optic grating, the number of binary steps necessary to produce high efficiency combined with the grating period requires feature sizes and alignment tolerances that are also unattainable with current techniques. Rotation of the grating and integration into a space-based lidar system impose the additional requirements that it be insensitive to polarization orientation, that its mass be minimized and that it be able to withstand launch and space environments.

  3. A method for the monitoring of metal recrystallization based on the in-situ measurement of the elastic energy release using neutron diffraction.

    PubMed

    Christien, F; Telling, M T F; Knight, K S; Le Gall, R

    2015-05-01

    A method is proposed for the monitoring of metal recrystallization using neutron diffraction that is based on the measurement of stored energy. Experiments were performed using deformed metal specimens heated in-situ while mounted at the sample position of the High Resolution Powder Diffractometer, HRPD (ISIS Facility), UK. Monitoring the breadth of the resulting Bragg lines during heating not only allows the time-dependence (or temperature-dependence) of the stored energy to be determined but also the recrystallized fraction. The analysis method presented here was developed using pure nickel (Ni270) specimens with different deformation levels from 0.29 to 0.94. In situ temperature ramping as well as isothermal annealing was undertaken. The method developed in this work allows accurate and quantitative monitoring of the recrystallization process. The results from neutron diffraction are satisfactorily compared to data obtained from calorimetry and hardness measurements.

  4. Structure resolution by electron diffraction tomography of the complex layered iron-rich Fe-2234-type Sr{sub 5}Fe{sub 6}O{sub 15.4}

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lepoittevin, Christophe, E-mail: christophe.lepoittevin@neel.cnrs.fr

    2016-10-15

    The crystal structure of the strontium ferrite Sr{sub 5}Fe{sub 6}O{sub 15.4}, was solved by direct methods on electron diffraction tomography data acquired on a transmission electron microscope. The refined cell parameters are a=27.4047(3) Å, b=5.48590(7) Å and c=42.7442(4) Å in Fm2m symmetry. Its structure is built up from the intergrowth sequence between a quadruple perovskite-type layer with a complex rock-salt (RS)-type block. In the latter iron atoms are found in two different environments : tetragonal pyramid and tetrahedron. The structural model was refined by Rietveld method based on the powder X-ray diffraction pattern. - Highlights: • Complex structure of Sr{submore » 5}Fe{sub 6}O{sub 15.4} solved by electron diffraction tomography. • Observed Fourier maps allow determining missing oxygen atoms in the structure. • Structural model refined from powder X-ray diffraction data. • Intergrowth between quadruple perovskite layer with double rock-salt-type layer.« less

  5. Single-pulse enhanced coherent diffraction imaging of bacteria with an X-ray free-electron laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, Jiadong; Sun, Zhibin; Wang, Yaling; Park, Jaehyun; Kim, Sunam; Gallagher-Jones, Marcus; Kim, Yoonhee; Song, Changyong; Yao, Shengkun; Zhang, Jian; Zhang, Jianhua; Duan, Xiulan; Tono, Kensuke; Yabashi, Makina; Ishikawa, Tetsuya; Fan, Chunhai; Zhao, Yuliang; Chai, Zhifang; Gao, Xueyun; Earnest, Thomas; Jiang, Huaidong

    2016-09-01

    High-resolution imaging offers one of the most promising approaches for exploring and understanding the structure and function of biomaterials and biological systems. X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) combined with coherent diffraction imaging can theoretically provide high-resolution spatial information regarding biological materials using a single XFEL pulse. Currently, the application of this method suffers from the low scattering cross-section of biomaterials and X-ray damage to the sample. However, XFELs can provide pulses of such short duration that the data can be collected using the “diffract and destroy” approach before the effects of radiation damage on the data become significant. These experiments combine the use of enhanced coherent diffraction imaging with single-shot XFEL radiation to investigate the cellular architecture of Staphylococcus aureus with and without labeling by gold (Au) nanoclusters. The resolution of the images reconstructed from these diffraction patterns were twice as high or more for gold-labeled samples, demonstrating that this enhancement method provides a promising approach for the high-resolution imaging of biomaterials and biological systems.

  6. Single beam write and/or replay of spatial heterodyne holograms

    DOEpatents

    Thomas, Clarence E.; Hanson, Gregory R.

    2007-11-20

    A method of writing a spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes includes: passing a single write beam through a spatial light modulator that digitally modulates said single write beam; and focusing the single write beam at a focal plane of a lens to impose a holographic diffraction grating pattern on the photorefractive crystal, the holographic diffraction grating pattern including the spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes, wherein only said single write beam is incident on said photorefractive crystal without a reference beam. A method of replaying a spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes at a replay angle includes: illuminating a photorefractive crystal having a holographic diffraction grating with a beam from a laser at an illumination angle, the holographic diffraction grating pattern including the spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes, wherein a difference between said illumination angle and said replay angle defines a diffraction angle .alpha. that is a function of a plane wave mathematically added to original object wave phase and amplitude data of said spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes.

  7. Single-pulse enhanced coherent diffraction imaging of bacteria with an X-ray free-electron laser

    PubMed Central

    Fan, Jiadong; Sun, Zhibin; Wang, Yaling; Park, Jaehyun; Kim, Sunam; Gallagher-Jones, Marcus; Kim, Yoonhee; Song, Changyong; Yao, Shengkun; Zhang, Jian; Zhang, Jianhua; Duan, Xiulan; Tono, Kensuke; Yabashi, Makina; Ishikawa, Tetsuya; Fan, Chunhai; Zhao, Yuliang; Chai, Zhifang; Gao, Xueyun; Earnest, Thomas; Jiang, Huaidong

    2016-01-01

    High-resolution imaging offers one of the most promising approaches for exploring and understanding the structure and function of biomaterials and biological systems. X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) combined with coherent diffraction imaging can theoretically provide high-resolution spatial information regarding biological materials using a single XFEL pulse. Currently, the application of this method suffers from the low scattering cross-section of biomaterials and X-ray damage to the sample. However, XFELs can provide pulses of such short duration that the data can be collected using the “diffract and destroy” approach before the effects of radiation damage on the data become significant. These experiments combine the use of enhanced coherent diffraction imaging with single-shot XFEL radiation to investigate the cellular architecture of Staphylococcus aureus with and without labeling by gold (Au) nanoclusters. The resolution of the images reconstructed from these diffraction patterns were twice as high or more for gold-labeled samples, demonstrating that this enhancement method provides a promising approach for the high-resolution imaging of biomaterials and biological systems. PMID:27659203

  8. Single-pulse enhanced coherent diffraction imaging of bacteria with an X-ray free-electron laser.

    PubMed

    Fan, Jiadong; Sun, Zhibin; Wang, Yaling; Park, Jaehyun; Kim, Sunam; Gallagher-Jones, Marcus; Kim, Yoonhee; Song, Changyong; Yao, Shengkun; Zhang, Jian; Zhang, Jianhua; Duan, Xiulan; Tono, Kensuke; Yabashi, Makina; Ishikawa, Tetsuya; Fan, Chunhai; Zhao, Yuliang; Chai, Zhifang; Gao, Xueyun; Earnest, Thomas; Jiang, Huaidong

    2016-09-23

    High-resolution imaging offers one of the most promising approaches for exploring and understanding the structure and function of biomaterials and biological systems. X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) combined with coherent diffraction imaging can theoretically provide high-resolution spatial information regarding biological materials using a single XFEL pulse. Currently, the application of this method suffers from the low scattering cross-section of biomaterials and X-ray damage to the sample. However, XFELs can provide pulses of such short duration that the data can be collected using the "diffract and destroy" approach before the effects of radiation damage on the data become significant. These experiments combine the use of enhanced coherent diffraction imaging with single-shot XFEL radiation to investigate the cellular architecture of Staphylococcus aureus with and without labeling by gold (Au) nanoclusters. The resolution of the images reconstructed from these diffraction patterns were twice as high or more for gold-labeled samples, demonstrating that this enhancement method provides a promising approach for the high-resolution imaging of biomaterials and biological systems.

  9. Femtosecond X-ray Diffraction From Two-Dimensional Protein Crystals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Frank, Matthias; Carlson, David B.; Hunter, Mark

    2014-02-28

    Here we present femtosecond x-ray diffraction patterns from two-dimensional (2-D) protein crystals using an x-ray free electron laser (XFEL). To date it has not been possible to acquire x-ray diffraction from individual 2-D protein crystals due to radiation damage. However, the intense and ultrafast pulses generated by an XFEL permits a new method of collecting diffraction data before the sample is destroyed. Utilizing a diffract-before-destroy methodology at the Linac Coherent Light Source, we observed Bragg diffraction to better than 8.5 Å resolution for two different 2-D protein crystal samples that were maintained at room temperature. These proof-of-principle results show promisemore » for structural analysis of both soluble and membrane proteins arranged as 2-D crystals without requiring cryogenic conditions or the formation of three-dimensional crystals.« less

  10. Opto-mechanical design and development of a 460mm diffractive transmissive telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qi, Bo; Wang, Lihua; Cui, Zhangang; Bian, Jiang; Xiang, Sihua; Ma, Haotong; Fan, Bin

    2018-01-01

    Using lightweight, replicated diffractive optics, we can construct extremely large aperture telescopes in space.The transmissive primary significantly reduces the sensitivities to out of plane motion as compared to reflective systems while reducing the manufacturing time and costs. This paper focuses on the design, fabrication and ground demonstration of a 460mm diffractive transmissive telescope the primary F/# is 6, optical field of view is 0.2° imagine bandwidth is 486nm 656nm.The design method of diffractive optical system was verified, the ability to capture a high-quality image using diffractive telescope collection optics was tested.The results show that the limit resolution is 94lp/mm, the diffractive system has a good imagine performance with broad bandwidths. This technology is particularly promising as a means to achieve extremely large optical primaries from compact, lightweight packages.

  11. Large angle solid state position sensitive x-ray detector system

    DOEpatents

    Kurtz, David S.; Ruud, Clay O.

    1998-01-01

    A method and apparatus for x-ray measurement of certain properties of a solid material. In distinction to known methods and apparatus, this invention employs a specific fiber-optic bundle configuration, termed a reorganizer, itself known for other uses, for coherently transmitting visible light originating from the scintillation of diffracted x-radiation from the solid material gathered along a substantially one dimensional linear arc, to a two-dimensional photo-sensor array. The two-dimensional photodetector array, with its many closely packed light sensitive pixels, is employed to process the information contained in the diffracted radiation and present the information in the form of a conventional x-ray diffraction spectrum. By this arrangement, the angular range of the combined detector faces may be increased without loss of angular resolution. Further, the prohibitively expensive coupling together of a large number of individual linear diode photodetectors, which would be required to process signals generated by the diffracted radiation, is avoided.

  12. X-ray diffraction and X-ray standing-wave study of the lead stearate film structure

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Blagov, A. E.; Dyakova, Yu. A.; Kovalchuk, M. V.

    2016-05-15

    A new approach to the study of the structural quality of crystals is proposed. It is based on the use of X-ray standing-wave method without measuring secondary processes and considers the multiwave interaction of diffraction reflections corresponding to different harmonics of the same crystallographic reflection. A theory of multiwave X-ray diffraction is developed to calculate the rocking curves in the X-ray diffraction scheme under consideration for a long-period quasi-one-dimensional crystal. This phase-sensitive method is used to study the structure of a multilayer lead stearate film on a silicon substrate. Some specific structural features are revealed for the surface layer ofmore » the thin film, which are most likely due to the tilt of the upper layer molecules with respect to the external normal to the film surface.« less

  13. Examination of Short- and Long-Range Atomic Order Nanocrystalline SiC and Diamond by Powder Diffraction Methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palosz, B.; Grzanka, E.; Stelmakh, S.; Gierlotka, S.; Weber, H.-P.; Proffen, T.; Palosz, W.

    2002-01-01

    The real atomic structure of nanocrystals determines unique, key properties of the materials. Determination of the structure presents a challenge due to inherent limitations of standard powder diffraction techniques when applied to nanocrystals. Alternate methodology of the structural analysis of nanocrystals (several nanometers in size) based on Bragg-like scattering and called the "apparent lattice parameter" (alp) is proposed. Application of the alp methodology to examination of the core-shell model of nanocrystals will be presented. The results of application of the alp method to structural analysis of several nanopowders were complemented by those obtained by determination of the Atomic Pair Distribution Function, PDF. Based on synchrotron and neutron diffraction data measured in a large diffraction vector of up to Q = 25 Angstroms(exp -1), the surface stresses in nanocrystalline diamond and SiC were evaluated.

  14. Material characterization using ultrasound tomography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Falardeau, Timothe; Belanger, Pierre

    2018-04-01

    Characterization of material properties can be performed using a wide array of methods e.g. X-ray diffraction or tensile testing. Each method leads to a limited set of material properties. This paper is interested in using ultrasound tomography to map speed of sound inside a material sample. The velocity inside the sample is directly related to its elastic properties. Recent develop-ments in ultrasound diffraction tomography have enabled velocity mapping of high velocity contrast objects using a combination of bent-ray time-of-flight tomography and diffraction tomography. In this study, ultrasound diffraction tomography was investigated using simulations in human bone phantoms. A finite element model was developed to assess the influence of the frequency, the number of transduction positions and the distance from the sample as well as to adapt the imaging algorithm. The average velocity in both regions of the bone phantoms were within 5% of the true value.

  15. High resolution neutron Larmor diffraction using superconducting magnetic Wollaston prisms

    DOE PAGES

    Li, Fankang; Feng, Hao; Thaler, Alexander N.; ...

    2017-04-13

    The neutron Larmor diffraction technique has been implemented using superconducting magnetic Wollaston prisms in both single-arm and double-arm configurations. Successful measurements of the coefficient of thermal expansion of a single-crystal copper sample demonstrates that the method works as expected. Our experiment involves a new method of tuning by varying the magnetic field configurations in the device and the tuning results agree well with previous measurements. The difference between single-arm and double-arm configurations has been investigated experimentally. Here, we conclude that this measurement benchmarks the applications of magnetic Wollaston prisms in Larmor diffraction and shows in principle that the setup canmore » be used for inelastic phonon line-width measurements. The achievable resolution for Larmor diffraction is comparable to that using Neutron Resonance Spin Echo (NRSE) coils. Furthermore, the use of superconducting materials in the prisms allows high neutron polarization and transmission efficiency to be achieved.« less

  16. High-resolution ab initio three-dimensional x-ray diffraction microscopy

    DOE PAGES

    Chapman, Henry N.; Barty, Anton; Marchesini, Stefano; ...

    2006-01-01

    Coherent x-ray diffraction microscopy is a method of imaging nonperiodic isolated objects at resolutions limited, in principle, by only the wavelength and largest scattering angles recorded. We demonstrate x-ray diffraction imaging with high resolution in all three dimensions, as determined by a quantitative analysis of the reconstructed volume images. These images are retrieved from the three-dimensional diffraction data using no a priori knowledge about the shape or composition of the object, which has never before been demonstrated on a nonperiodic object. We also construct two-dimensional images of thick objects with greatly increased depth of focus (without loss of transverse spatialmore » resolution). These methods can be used to image biological and materials science samples at high resolution with x-ray undulator radiation and establishes the techniques to be used in atomic-resolution ultrafast imaging at x-ray free-electron laser sources.« less

  17. In situ high-pressure measurement of crystal solubility by using neutron diffraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Ji; Hu, Qiwei; Fang, Leiming; He, Duanwei; Chen, Xiping; Xie, Lei; Chen, Bo; Li, Xin; Ni, Xiaolin; Fan, Cong; Liang, Akun

    2018-05-01

    Crystal solubility is one of the most important thermo-physical properties and plays a key role in industrial applications, fundamental science, and geoscientific research. However, high-pressure in situ measurements of crystal solubility remain very challenging. Here, we present a method involving high-pressure neutron diffraction for making high-precision in situ measurements of crystal solubility as a function of pressure over a wide range of pressures. For these experiments, we designed a piston-cylinder cell with a large chamber volume for high-pressure neutron diffraction. The solution pressures are continuously monitored in situ based on the equation of state of the sample crystal. The solubility at a high pressure can be obtained by applying a Rietveld quantitative multiphase analysis. To evaluate the proposed method, we measured the high-pressure solubility of NaCl in water up to 610 MPa. At a low pressure, the results are consistent with the previous results measured ex situ. At a higher pressure, more reliable data could be provided by using an in situ high-pressure neutron diffraction method.

  18. Ab initio structure determination of nanocrystals of organic pharmaceutical compounds by electron diffraction at room temperature using a Timepix quantum area direct electron detector

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Genderen, E. van; Clabbers, M. T. B.; Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics

    A specialized quantum area detector for electron diffraction studies makes it possible to solve the structure of small organic compound nanocrystals in non-cryo conditions by direct methods. Until recently, structure determination by transmission electron microscopy of beam-sensitive three-dimensional nanocrystals required electron diffraction tomography data collection at liquid-nitrogen temperature, in order to reduce radiation damage. Here it is shown that the novel Timepix detector combines a high dynamic range with a very high signal-to-noise ratio and single-electron sensitivity, enabling ab initio phasing of beam-sensitive organic compounds. Low-dose electron diffraction data (∼0.013 e{sup −} Å{sup −2} s{sup −1}) were collected at roommore » temperature with the rotation method. It was ascertained that the data were of sufficient quality for structure solution using direct methods using software developed for X-ray crystallography (XDS, SHELX) and for electron crystallography (ADT3D/PETS, SIR2014)« less

  19. Exploration of New Principles in Spintronics Based on Topological Insulators (Option 1)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-05-14

    on the surface and found that our crystals are exceedingly homogeneous (Supplementary Information). The persistently narrow X - ray diffraction peaks...modified Bridgman method (see Supplementary Information for details). X - ray diffraction measurements indicated the monotonic shrinkage of a and c axis...and annealing at that temperature for 4 days. X - ray diffraction analyses confirmed that all the samples have the same crystal structure (R 3m

  20. Computer-based classification of bacteria species by analysis of their colonies Fresnel diffraction patterns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suchwalko, Agnieszka; Buzalewicz, Igor; Podbielska, Halina

    2012-01-01

    In the presented paper the optical system with converging spherical wave illumination for classification of bacteria species, is proposed. It allows for compression of the observation space, observation of Fresnel patterns, diffraction pattern scaling and low level of optical aberrations, which are not possessed by other optical configurations. Obtained experimental results have shown that colonies of specific bacteria species generate unique diffraction signatures. Analysis of Fresnel diffraction patterns of bacteria colonies can be fast and reliable method for classification and recognition of bacteria species. To determine the unique features of bacteria colonies diffraction patterns the image processing analysis was proposed. Classification can be performed by analyzing the spatial structure of diffraction patterns, which can be characterized by set of concentric rings. The characteristics of such rings depends on the bacteria species. In the paper, the influence of basic features and ring partitioning number on the bacteria classification, is analyzed. It is demonstrated that Fresnel patterns can be used for classification of following species: Salmonella enteritidis, Staplyococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis and Citrobacter freundii. Image processing is performed by free ImageJ software, for which a special macro with human interaction, was written. LDA classification, CV method, ANOVA and PCA visualizations preceded by image data extraction were conducted using the free software R.

  1. K-means clustering for support construction in diffractive imaging.

    PubMed

    Hattanda, Shunsuke; Shioya, Hiroyuki; Maehara, Yosuke; Gohara, Kazutoshi

    2014-03-01

    A method for constructing an object support based on K-means clustering of the object-intensity distribution is newly presented in diffractive imaging. This releases the adjustment of unknown parameters in the support construction, and it is well incorporated with the Gerchberg and Saxton diagram. A simple numerical simulation reveals that the proposed method is effective for dynamically constructing the support without an initial prior support.

  2. Multilayer dielectric diffraction gratings

    DOEpatents

    Perry, Michael D.; Britten, Jerald A.; Nguyen, Hoang T.; Boyd, Robert; Shore, Bruce W.

    1999-01-01

    The design and fabrication of dielectric grating structures with high diffraction efficiency used in reflection or transmission is described. By forming a multilayer structure of alternating index dielectric materials and placing a grating structure on top of the multilayer, a diffraction grating of adjustable efficiency, and variable optical bandwidth can be obtained. Diffraction efficiency into the first order in reflection varying between 1 and 98 percent has been achieved by controlling the design of the multilayer and the depth, shape, and material comprising the grooves of the grating structure. Methods for fabricating these gratings without the use of ion etching techniques are described.

  3. Multilayer dielectric diffraction gratings

    DOEpatents

    Perry, M.D.; Britten, J.A.; Nguyen, H.T.; Boyd, R.; Shore, B.W.

    1999-05-25

    The design and fabrication of dielectric grating structures with high diffraction efficiency used in reflection or transmission is described. By forming a multilayer structure of alternating index dielectric materials and placing a grating structure on top of the multilayer, a diffraction grating of adjustable efficiency, and variable optical bandwidth can be obtained. Diffraction efficiency into the first order in reflection varying between 1 and 98 percent has been achieved by controlling the design of the multilayer and the depth, shape, and material comprising the grooves of the grating structure. Methods for fabricating these gratings without the use of ion etching techniques are described. 7 figs.

  4. Complex space monofilar approximation of diffraction currents on a conducting half plane

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lindell, I. V.

    1987-01-01

    Simple approximation of diffraction surface currents on a conducting half plane, due to an incoming plane wave, is obtained with a line current (monofile) in complex space. When compared to an approximating current at the edge, the diffraction pattern is seen to improve by an order of magnitude for a minimal increase of computation effort. Thus, the inconvient Fresnel integral functions can be avoided for quick calculations of diffracted fields and the accuracy is good in other directions than along the half plane. The method can be applied to general problems involving planar metal edges.

  5. Ultra-fast switching blue phase liquid crystals diffraction grating stabilized by chiral monomer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manda, Ramesh; Pagidi, Srinivas; Sarathi Bhattacharya, Surjya; Yoo, Hyesun; T, Arun Kumar; Lim, Young Jin; Lee, Seung Hee

    2018-05-01

    We have demonstrated an ultra-fast switching and efficient polymer stabilized blue phase liquid crystal (PS-BPLC) diffraction grating utilizing a chiral monomer. We have obtained a 0.5 ms response time by a novel polymer stabilization method which is three times faster than conventional PS-BPLC. In addition, the diffraction efficiency was improved 2% with a much wider phase range and the driving voltage to switch the device is reduced. The polarization properties of the diffracted beam are unaffected by this novel polymer stabilization. This device can be useful for future photonic applications.

  6. Angle-resolved diffraction grating biosensor based on porous silicon

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lv, Changwu; Li, Peng; Jia, Zhenhong, E-mail: jzhh@xju.edu.cn

    2016-03-07

    In this study, an optical biosensor based on a porous silicon composite structure was fabricated using a simple method. This structure consists of a thin, porous silicon surface diffraction grating and a one-dimensional porous silicon photonic crystal. An angle-resolved diffraction efficiency spectrum was obtained by measuring the diffraction efficiency at a range of incident angles. The angle-resolved diffraction efficiency of the 2nd and 3rd orders was studied experimentally and theoretically. The device was sensitive to the change of refractive index in the presence of a biomolecule indicated by the shift of the diffraction efficiency spectrum. The sensitivity of this sensormore » was investigated through use of an 8 base pair antifreeze protein DNA hybridization. The shifts of the angle-resolved diffraction efficiency spectrum showed a relationship with the change of the refractive index, and the detection limit of the biosensor reached 41.7 nM. This optical device is highly sensitive, inexpensive, and simple to fabricate. Using shifts in diffraction efficiency spectrum to detect biological molecules has not yet been explored, so this study establishes a foundation for future work.« less

  7. Talbot effect of the defective grating in deep Fresnel region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teng, Shuyun; Wang, Junhong; Zhang, Wei; Cui, Yuwei

    2015-02-01

    Talbot effect of the grating with different defect is studied theoretically and experimentally in this paper. The defects of grating include the loss of the diffraction unit, the dislocation of the diffraction unit and the modulation of the unit separation. The exact diffraction distributions of three kinds of defective gratings are obtained according to the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The calculation results show the image of the missing or dislocating unit appears at the Talbot distance (as mentioned in K. Patorski Prog. Opt., 27, 1989, pp.1-108). This is the so-called self-repair ability of grating imaging. In addition, some more phenomena are discovered. The loss or the dislocation of diffraction unit causes the diffraction distortion within a certain radial angle. The regular modulation of unit separation changes the original diffraction, but the new periodicity of the diffraction distribution rebuilds. The self-imaging of grating with smaller random modulation still keeps the partial self-repair ability, and yet this characteristic depends on the modulation degree of defective grating. These diffraction phenomena of the defective gratings are explained by use of the diffraction theory of grating. The practical experiment is also performed and the experimental results confirm the theoretic predictions.

  8. Instrument and method for focusing X-rays, gamma rays and neutrons

    DOEpatents

    Smither, Robert K.

    1984-01-01

    A crystal diffraction instrument or diffraction grating instrument with an improved crystalline structure or grating spacing structure having a face for receiving a beam of photons or neutrons and diffraction planar spacing or grating spacing along that face with the spacing increasing progressively along the face to provide a decreasing Bragg diffraction angle for a monochromatic radiation and thereby increasing the usable area and acceptance angle. The increased planar spacing for the diffraction crystal is provided by the use of a temperature differential across the crystalline structure, by assembling a plurality of crystalline structures with different compositions, by an individual crystalline structure with a varying composition and thereby a changing planar spacing along its face, and by combinations of these techniques. The increased diffraction grating element spacing is generated during the fabrication of the diffraction grating by controlling the cutting tool that is cutting the grooves or controlling the laser beam, electron beam or ion beam that is exposing the resist layer, etc. It is also possible to vary this variation in grating spacing by applying a thermal gradient to the diffraction grating in much the same manner as is done in the crystal diffraction case.

  9. Diffractive optics fabricated by direct write methods with an electron beam

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kress, Bernard; Zaleta, David; Daschner, Walter; Urquhart, Kris; Stein, Robert; Lee, Sing H.

    1993-01-01

    State-of-the-art diffractive optics are fabricated using e-beam lithography and dry etching techniques to achieve multilevel phase elements with very high diffraction efficiencies. One of the major challenges encountered in fabricating diffractive optics is the small feature size (e.g. for diffractive lenses with small f-number). It is not only the e-beam system which dictates the feature size limitations, but also the alignment systems (mask aligner) and the materials (e-beam and photo resists). In order to allow diffractive optics to be used in new optoelectronic systems, it is necessary not only to fabricate elements with small feature sizes but also to do so in an economical fashion. Since price of a multilevel diffractive optical element is closely related to the e-beam writing time and the number of etching steps, we need to decrease the writing time and etching steps without affecting the quality of the element. To do this one has to utilize the full potentials of the e-beam writing system. In this paper, we will present three diffractive optics fabrication techniques which will reduce the number of process steps, the writing time, and the overall fabrication time for multilevel phase diffractive optics.

  10. Phononic crystal diffraction gratings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moiseyenko, Rayisa P.; Herbison, Sarah; Declercq, Nico F.; Laude, Vincent

    2012-02-01

    When a phononic crystal is interrogated by an external source of acoustic waves, there is necessarily a phenomenon of diffraction occurring on the external enclosing surfaces. Indeed, these external surfaces are periodic and the resulting acoustic diffraction grating has a periodicity that depends on the orientation of the phononic crystal. This work presents a combined experimental and theoretical study on the diffraction of bulk ultrasonic waves on the external surfaces of a 2D phononic crystal that consists of a triangular lattice of steel rods in a water matrix. The results of transmission experiments are compared with theoretical band structures obtained with the finite-element method. Angular spectrograms (showing frequency as a function of angle) determined from diffraction experiments are then compared with finite-element simulations of diffraction occurring on the surfaces of the crystal. The experimental results show that the diffraction that occurs on its external surfaces is highly frequency-dependent and has a definite relation with the Bloch modes of the phononic crystal. In particular, a strong influence of the presence of bandgaps and deaf bands on the diffraction efficiency is found. This observation opens perspectives for the design of efficient phononic crystal diffraction gratings.

  11. Instrument and method for focusing x rays, gamma rays, and neutrons

    DOEpatents

    Smither, R.K.

    1982-03-25

    A crystal-diffraction instrument or diffraction-grating instrument is described with an improved crystalline structure or grating spacing structure having a face for receiving a beam of photons or neutrons and diffraction planar spacing or grating spacing along that face with the spacing increasing progressively along the face to provide a decreasing Bragg diffraction angle for a monochromatic radiation and thereby increasing the usable area and acceptance angle. The increased planar spacing for the diffraction crystal is provided by the use of a temperature differential across the line structures with different compositions, by an individual crystalline structure with a varying composition and thereby a changing planar spacing along its face, and by combinations of these techniques. The increased diffraction grating element spacing is generated during the fabrication of the diffraction grating by controlling the cutting tool that is cutting the grooves or controlling the laser beam, electron beam, or ion beam that is exposing the resist layer, etc. It is also possible to vary this variation in grating spacing by applying a thermal gradient to the diffraction grating in much the same manner as is done in the crystal-diffraction case.

  12. Chemistry Notes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    School Science Review, 1972

    1972-01-01

    Short articles describe preparation of clean iron sheet for corrosion experiments, models of crystalline structures using glass marbles, photographic production of diffraction grids for producing analogies of X-ray diffraction patterns, and a simple method of determining a reactivity series for the common metals. (AL)

  13. Quantitative analysis of crystalline pharmaceuticals in tablets by pattern-fitting procedure using X-ray diffraction pattern.

    PubMed

    Takehira, Rieko; Momose, Yasunori; Yamamura, Shigeo

    2010-10-15

    A pattern-fitting procedure using an X-ray diffraction pattern was applied to the quantitative analysis of binary system of crystalline pharmaceuticals in tablets. Orthorhombic crystals of isoniazid (INH) and mannitol (MAN) were used for the analysis. Tablets were prepared under various compression pressures using a direct compression method with various compositions of INH and MAN. Assuming that X-ray diffraction pattern of INH-MAN system consists of diffraction intensities from respective crystals, observed diffraction intensities were fitted to analytic expression based on X-ray diffraction theory and separated into two intensities from INH and MAN crystals by a nonlinear least-squares procedure. After separation, the contents of INH were determined by using the optimized normalization constants for INH and MAN. The correction parameter including all the factors that are beyond experimental control was required for quantitative analysis without calibration curve. The pattern-fitting procedure made it possible to determine crystalline phases in the range of 10-90% (w/w) of the INH contents. Further, certain characteristics of the crystals in the tablets, such as the preferred orientation, size of crystallite, and lattice disorder were determined simultaneously. This method can be adopted to analyze compounds whose crystal structures are known. It is a potentially powerful tool for the quantitative phase analysis and characterization of crystals in tablets and powders using X-ray diffraction patterns. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Influence of seismic diffraction for high-resolution imaging: applications in offshore Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bashir, Yasir; Ghosh, Deva Prasad; Sum, Chow Weng

    2018-04-01

    Small-scale geological discontinuities are not easy to detect and image in seismic data, as these features represent themselves as diffracted rather than reflected waves. However, the combined reflected and diffracted image contains full wave information and is of great value to an interpreter, for instance enabling the identification of faults, fractures, and surfaces in built-up carbonate. Although diffraction imaging has a resolution below the typical seismic wavelength, if the wavelength is much smaller than the width of the discontinuity then interference effects can be ignored, as they would not play a role in generating the seismic diffractions. In this paper, by means of synthetic examples and real data, the potential of diffraction separation for high-resolution seismic imaging is revealed and choosing the best method for preserving diffraction are discussed. We illustrate the accuracy of separating diffractions using the plane-wave destruction (PWD) and dip frequency filtering (DFF) techniques on data from the Sarawak Basin, a carbonate field. PWD is able to preserve the diffraction more intelligently than DFF, which is proven in the results by the model and real data. The final results illustrate the effectiveness of diffraction separation and possible imaging for high-resolution seismic data of small but significant geological features.

  15. Edge Diffraction Coefficients around Critical Rays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fradkin, L.; Harmer, M.; Darmon, M.

    2014-04-01

    The classical GTD (Geometrical Theory of Diffraction) gives a recipe, based on high-frequency asymptotics, for calculating edge diffraction coefficients in the geometrical regions where only diffracted waves propagate. The Uniform GTD extends this recipe to transition zones between irradiated and silent regions, known as penumbra. For many industrial materials, e.g. steels, and frequencies utlized in industrial ultrasonic transducers, that is, around 5 MHz, asymptotics suggested for description of geometrical regions supporting the head waves or transition regions surrounding their boundaries, known as critical rays, prove unsatisfactory. We present a numerical extension of GTD, which is based on a regularized, variable step Simpson's method for evaluating the edge diffraction coefficients in the regions of interference between head waves, diffracted waves and/or reflected waves. In mathematical terms, these are the regions of coalescence of three critical points - a branch point, stationary point and/or pole, respectively. We show that away from the shadow boundaries, near the critical rays the GTD still produces correct values of the edge diffraction coefficients.

  16. Accounting for partiality in serial crystallography using ray-tracing principles

    PubMed Central

    Kroon-Batenburg, Loes M. J.; Schreurs, Antoine M. M.; Ravelli, Raimond B. G.; Gros, Piet

    2015-01-01

    Serial crystallography generates ‘still’ diffraction data sets that are composed of single diffraction images obtained from a large number of crystals arbitrarily oriented in the X-ray beam. Estimation of the reflection partialities, which accounts for the expected observed fractions of diffraction intensities, has so far been problematic. In this paper, a method is derived for modelling the partialities by making use of the ray-tracing diffraction-integration method EVAL. The method estimates partialities based on crystal mosaicity, beam divergence, wavelength dispersion, crystal size and the interference function, accounting for crystallite size. It is shown that modelling of each reflection by a distribution of interference-function weighted rays yields a ‘still’ Lorentz factor. Still data are compared with a conventional rotation data set collected from a single lysozyme crystal. Overall, the presented still integration method improves the data quality markedly. The R factor of the still data compared with the rotation data decreases from 26% using a Monte Carlo approach to 12% after applying the Lorentz correction, to 5.3% when estimating partialities by EVAL and finally to 4.7% after post-refinement. The merging R int factor of the still data improves from 105 to 56% but remains high. This suggests that the accuracy of the model parameters could be further improved. However, with a multiplicity of around 40 and an R int of ∼50% the merged still data approximate the quality of the rotation data. The presented integration method suitably accounts for the partiality of the observed intensities in still diffraction data, which is a critical step to improve data quality in serial crystallography. PMID:26327370

  17. Diffraction enhanced kinetic depth X-ray imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dicken, A.

    An increasing number of fields would benefit from a single analytical probe that can characterise bulk objects that vary in morphology and/or material composition. These fields include security screening, medicine and material science. In this study the X-ray region is shown to be an effective probe for the characterisation of materials. The most prominent analytical techniques that utilise X-radiation are reviewed. The study then focuses on methods of amalgamating the three dimensional power of kinetic depth X-ray (KDFX) imaging with the materials discrimination of angular dispersive X-ray diffraction (ADXRD), thus providing KDEX with a much needed material specific counterpart. A knowledge of the sample position is essential for the correct interpretation of diffraction signatures. Two different sensor geometries (i.e. circumferential and linear) that are able to collect end interpret multiple unknown material diffraction patterns and attribute them to their respective loci within an inspection volume are investigated. The circumferential and linear detector geometries are hypothesised, simulated and then tested in an experimental setting with the later demonstrating a greater ability at discerning between mixed diffraction patterns produced by differing materials. Factors known to confound the linear diffraction method such as sample thickness and radiation energy have been explored and quantified with a possible means of mitigation being identified (i.e. via increasing the sample to detector distance). A series of diffraction patterns (following the linear diffraction approach) were obtained from a single phantom object that was simultaneously interrogated via KDEX imaging. Areas containing diffraction signatures matched from a threat library have been highlighted in the KDEX imagery via colour encoding and match index is inferred by intensity. This union is the first example of its kind and is called diffraction enhanced KDEX imagery. Finally an additional source of information obtained from object disparity is explored as an alternative means of calculating sample loci. This offers a greater level of integration between these two complimentary techniques as object disparity could be used to reinforce the results produced by the linear diffraction geometry.

  18. Ab initio structure determination from prion nanocrystals at atomic resolution by MicroED

    DOE PAGES

    Sawaya, Michael R.; Rodriguez, Jose; Cascio, Duilio; ...

    2016-09-19

    Electrons, because of their strong interaction with matter, produce high-resolution diffraction patterns from tiny 3D crystals only a few hundred nanometers thick in a frozen-hydrated state. This discovery offers the prospect of facile structure determination of complex biological macromolecules, which cannot be coaxed to form crystals large enough for conventional crystallography or cannot easily be produced in sufficient quantities. Two potential obstacles stand in the way. The first is a phenomenon known as dynamical scattering, in which multiple scattering events scramble the recorded electron diffraction intensities so that they are no longer informative of the crystallized molecule. The second obstaclemore » is the lack of a proven means of de novo phase determination, as is required if the molecule crystallized is insufficiently similar to one that has been previously determined.We showwith four structures of the amyloid core of the Sup35 prion protein that, if the diffraction resolution is high enough, sufficiently accurate phases can be obtained by direct methods with the cryo-EM method microelectron diffraction (MicroED), just as in X-ray diffraction. The success of these four experiments dispels the concern that dynamical scattering is an obstacle to ab initio phasing by MicroED and suggests that structures of novel macromolecules can also be determined by direct methods.« less

  19. Ab initio structure determination from prion nanocrystals at atomic resolution by MicroED

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sawaya, Michael R.; Rodriguez, Jose; Cascio, Duilio

    Electrons, because of their strong interaction with matter, produce high-resolution diffraction patterns from tiny 3D crystals only a few hundred nanometers thick in a frozen-hydrated state. This discovery offers the prospect of facile structure determination of complex biological macromolecules, which cannot be coaxed to form crystals large enough for conventional crystallography or cannot easily be produced in sufficient quantities. Two potential obstacles stand in the way. The first is a phenomenon known as dynamical scattering, in which multiple scattering events scramble the recorded electron diffraction intensities so that they are no longer informative of the crystallized molecule. The second obstaclemore » is the lack of a proven means of de novo phase determination, as is required if the molecule crystallized is insufficiently similar to one that has been previously determined.We showwith four structures of the amyloid core of the Sup35 prion protein that, if the diffraction resolution is high enough, sufficiently accurate phases can be obtained by direct methods with the cryo-EM method microelectron diffraction (MicroED), just as in X-ray diffraction. The success of these four experiments dispels the concern that dynamical scattering is an obstacle to ab initio phasing by MicroED and suggests that structures of novel macromolecules can also be determined by direct methods.« less

  20. Modified Linnik microscopic interferometry for quantitative depth evaluation of diffraction-limited microgroove

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ye, Shiwei; Takahashi, Satoru; Michihata, Masaki; Takamasu, Kiyoshi

    2018-05-01

    The quality control of microgrooves is extremely crucial to ensure the performance and stability of microstructures and improve their fabrication efficiency. This paper introduces a novel optical inspection method and a modified Linnik microscopic interferometer measurement system to detect the depth of microgrooves with a width less than the diffraction limit. Using this optical method, the depth of diffraction-limited microgrooves can be related to the near-field optical phase difference, which cannot be practically observed but can be computed from practical far-field observations. Thus, a modified Linnik microscopic interferometer system based on three identical objective lenses and an optical path reversibility principle were developed. In addition, experiments for standard grating microgrooves on the silicon surface were carried out to demonstrate the feasibility and repeatability of the proposed method and developed measurement system.

  1. Spectrally-Narrowed Emissions from Organic Crystals Having a One-Dimensional Grating on Their Surface.

    PubMed

    Yamamoto, Hiroyuki; Obara, Keiji; Higashihara, Shohei; Obama, Yuki; Yamao, Takeshi; Hotta, Shu

    2016-04-01

    We have succeeded in directly engraving one-dimensional diffraction gratings on the surface of organic semiconducting oligomer crystals by using focused ion beam (FIB) lithography and laser ablation (LA) methods. The FIB method enabled us to shape the gratings with varying periods down to ~150 nm. With the LA method a large-area grating with a ~500-nm period was readily accessible. All the above crystals indicated spectrally-narrowed emission (SNE) lines even in the case of shallow groove depths ~2-4 nm. In particular, we definitively observed the SNE pertinent to the first-order diffraction with the crystal having the diffraction grating of a 148.3-nm average period. The present results indicate utility of the built-in gratings that can directly be fabricated on the surface of the crystals.

  2. Analysis and Correction of Diffraction Effect on the B/A Measurement at High Frequencies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Dong; Gong, Xiu-Fen; Liu, Xiao-Zhou; Kushibiki, Jun-ichi; Nishino, Hideo

    2004-01-01

    A numerical method is developed to analyse and to correct the diffraction effect in the measurement of acoustic nonlinearity parameter B/A at high frequencies. By using the KZK nonlinear equation and the superposition approach of Gaussian beams, an analytical model is derived to describe the second harmonic generation through multi-layer medium SiO2/liquid specimen/SiO2. Frequency dependence of the nonlinear characterization curve for water in 110-155 MHz is numerically and experimentally investigated. With the measured dip position and the new model, values of B/A for water are evaluated. The results show that the present method can effectively correct the diffraction effect in the measurement.

  3. Nanoscale Fresnel coherent diffraction imaging tomography using ptychography.

    PubMed

    Peterson, I; Abbey, B; Putkunz, C T; Vine, D J; van Riessen, G A; Cadenazzi, G A; Balaur, E; Ryan, R; Quiney, H M; McNulty, I; Peele, A G; Nugent, K A

    2012-10-22

    We demonstrate Fresnel Coherent Diffractive Imaging (FCDI) tomography in the X-ray regime. The method uses an incident X-ray illumination with known curvature in combination with ptychography to overcome existing problems in diffraction imaging. The resulting tomographic reconstruction represents a 3D map of the specimen's complex refractive index at nano-scale resolution. We use this technique to image a lithographically fabricated glass capillary, in which features down to 70nm are clearly resolved.

  4. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Paranin, V. D.

    In work we investigated yttrium iron garnet epitaxial films with a thickness of 10 µm and 55 µm which were grown on the surface of garnet substrate. Using the polarizing microscopy method the branching domain structure of films was shown with the period of domains 21.5 µm and 42.5 µm. Disappearance of domains at presence of an external magnetic field up to 100 Oe was noted. The optical transmission of films for the polarized beam of HeNe laser is investigated and zero diffraction order and odd diffraction rings orders were shown. Interconnection of the period of chaotically oriented domains with angles of axially symmetricmore » diffraction rings orders was shown. Diffraction patterns at various longitudinal magnetic fields are investigated. Disappearance of odd diffraction orders and increasing in intensity of zero diffraction order were fixed. Optical transmission of epitaxial films was measured in range of 500 - 900 nm.« less

  5. [Integration design and diffraction characteristics analysis of prism-grating-prism].

    PubMed

    He, Tian-Bo; Bayanheshig; Li, Wen-Hao; Kong, Peng; Tang, Yu-Guo

    2014-01-01

    Prism-grating-prism (PGP) module is the important dispersing component in the hyper spectral imager. In order to effectively predict the distribution of diffraction efficiency of the whole PGP component and its diffraction characteristics before fabrication, a method of the PGP integration design is proposed. From the point of view of the volume phase holographic grating (VPHG) design, combined with the restrictive correlation between the various parameters of prisms and grating, we compiled the analysis software for calculating the whole PGP's diffraction efficiency. Furthermore, the effects of the structure parameters of prisms and grating on the PGP's diffraction characteristics were researched in detail. In particular we discussed the Bragg wavelength shift behaviour of the grating and a broadband PGP spectral component with high diffraction efficiency was designed for the imaging spectrometers. The result of simulation indicated that the spectral bandwidth of the PGP becomes narrower with the dispersion coefficient of prism 1 material decreasing; Bragg wavelength shift characteristics broaden the bandwidth of VPHG both spectrally and angularly, higher angular selectivity is desirable for selection requirements of the prism 1 material, and it can be easily tuned to achieve spectral bandwidth suitable for imaging PGP spectrograph; the vertex angle of prism 1, the film thickness and relative permittivity modulation of the grating have a significant impact on the distribution of PGP's diffraction efficiency, so precision control is necessary when fabrication. The diffraction efficiency of the whole PGP component designed by this method is no less than 50% in the wavelength range from 400 to 1000 nm, the specific design parameters have been given in this paper that have a certain reference value for PGP fabrication.

  6. Acoustic radiosity for computation of sound fields in diffuse environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muehleisen, Ralph T.; Beamer, C. Walter

    2002-05-01

    The use of image and ray tracing methods (and variations thereof) for the computation of sound fields in rooms is relatively well developed. In their regime of validity, both methods work well for prediction in rooms with small amounts of diffraction and mostly specular reflection at the walls. While extensions to the method to include diffuse reflections and diffraction have been made, they are limited at best. In the fields of illumination and computer graphics the ray tracing and image methods are joined by another method called luminous radiative transfer or radiosity. In radiosity, an energy balance between surfaces is computed assuming diffuse reflection at the reflective surfaces. Because the interaction between surfaces is constant, much of the computation required for sound field prediction with multiple or moving source and receiver positions can be reduced. In acoustics the radiosity method has had little attention because of the problems of diffraction and specular reflection. The utility of radiosity in acoustics and an approach to a useful development of the method for acoustics will be presented. The method looks especially useful for sound level prediction in industrial and office environments. [Work supported by NSF.

  7. LASER APPLICATIONS AND OTHER ASPECTS OF QUANTUM ELECTRONICS Measurement of angular parameters of divergent optical radiation by light diffraction on sound

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kotov, V. M.; Averin, S. V.; Shkerdin, G. N.

    2010-12-01

    A method is proposed to measure the scattering angle of optical radiation, the method employing two Bragg diffraction processes in which divergent optical radiation propagates close to the optical axis of a uniaxial crystal, while the acoustic wave — orthogonally to this axis. The method does not require additional angular tuning of the acousto-optic cell. We suggest using a mask to measure the light divergence that is larger than the angle of Bragg scattering. The method can be used to measure the size of the polished glass plate inhomogeneities.

  8. Profilometric characterization of DOEs with continuous microrelief

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Korolkov, V. P.; Ostapenko, S. V.; Shimansky, R. V.

    2008-09-01

    Methodology of local characterization of continuous-relief diffractive optical elements has been discussed. The local profile depth can be evaluated using "approximated depth" defined without taking a profile near diffractive zone boundaries into account. Several methods to estimate the approximated depth have been offered.

  9. Three-dimensionally modulated anisotropic structure for diffractive optical elements created by one-step three-beam polarization holographic photoalignment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kawai, Kotaro, E-mail: s135016@stn.nagaokaut.ac.jp; Sakamoto, Moritsugu; Noda, Kohei

    2016-03-28

    A diffractive optical element with a three-dimensional liquid crystal (LC) alignment structure for advanced control of polarized beams was fabricated by a highly efficient one-step photoalignment method. This study is of great significance because different two-dimensional continuous and complex alignment patterns can be produced on two alignment films by simultaneously irradiating an empty glass cell composed of two unaligned photocrosslinkable polymer LC films with three-beam polarized interference beam. The polarization azimuth, ellipticity, and rotation direction of the diffracted beams from the resultant LC grating widely varied depending on the two-dimensional diffracted position and the polarization states of the incident beams.more » These polarization diffraction properties are well explained by theoretical analysis based on Jones calculus.« less

  10. Nanomodulated electron beams via electron diffraction and emittance exchange for coherent x-ray generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nanni, E. A.; Graves, W. S.; Moncton, D. E.

    2018-01-01

    We present a new method for generation of relativistic electron beams with current modulation on the nanometer scale and below. The current modulation is produced by diffracting relativistic electrons in single crystal Si, accelerating the diffracted beam and imaging the crystal structure, then transferring the image into the temporal dimension via emittance exchange. The modulation period can be tuned by adjusting electron optics after diffraction. This tunable longitudinal modulation can have a period as short as a few angstroms, enabling production of coherent hard x-rays from a source based on inverse Compton scattering with total accelerator length of approximately ten meters. Electron beam simulations from cathode emission through diffraction, acceleration, and image formation with variable magnification are presented along with estimates of the coherent x-ray output properties.

  11. Continuous motion scan ptychography: Characterization for increased speed in coherent x-ray imaging

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Deng, Junjing; Nashed, Youssef S. G.; Chen, Si

    Ptychography is a coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) method for extended objects in which diffraction patterns are acquired sequentially from overlapping coherent illumination spots. The object’s complex transmission function can be reconstructed from those diffraction patterns at a spatial resolution limited only by the scattering strength of the object and the detector geometry. Most experiments to date have positioned the illumination spots on the sample using a move-settle-measure sequence in which the move and settle steps can take longer to complete than the measure step. We describe here the use of a continuous “fly-scan” mode for ptychographic data collection in whichmore » the sample is moved continuously, so that the experiment resembles one of integrating the diffraction patterns from multiple probe positions. This allows one to use multiple probe mode reconstruction methods to obtain an image of the object and also of the illumination function. We show in simulations, and in x-ray imaging experiments, some of the characteristics of fly-scan ptychography, including a factor of 25 reduction in the data acquisition time. This approach will become increasingly important as brighter x-ray sources are developed, such as diffraction limited storage rings.« less

  12. Continuous motion scan ptychography: Characterization for increased speed in coherent x-ray imaging

    DOE PAGES

    Deng, Junjing; Nashed, Youssef S. G.; Chen, Si; ...

    2015-02-23

    Ptychography is a coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) method for extended objects in which diffraction patterns are acquired sequentially from overlapping coherent illumination spots. The object’s complex transmission function can be reconstructed from those diffraction patterns at a spatial resolution limited only by the scattering strength of the object and the detector geometry. Most experiments to date have positioned the illumination spots on the sample using a move-settle-measure sequence in which the move and settle steps can take longer to complete than the measure step. We describe here the use of a continuous “fly-scan” mode for ptychographic data collection in whichmore » the sample is moved continuously, so that the experiment resembles one of integrating the diffraction patterns from multiple probe positions. This allows one to use multiple probe mode reconstruction methods to obtain an image of the object and also of the illumination function. We show in simulations, and in x-ray imaging experiments, some of the characteristics of fly-scan ptychography, including a factor of 25 reduction in the data acquisition time. This approach will become increasingly important as brighter x-ray sources are developed, such as diffraction limited storage rings.« less

  13. Improved crystal orientation and physical properties from single-shot XFEL stills

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sauter, Nicholas K., E-mail: nksauter@lbl.gov; Hattne, Johan; Brewster, Aaron S.

    X-ray free-electron laser crystallography relies on the collection of still-shot diffraction patterns. New methods are developed for optimal modeling of the crystals’ orientations and mosaic block properties. X-ray diffraction patterns from still crystals are inherently difficult to process because the crystal orientation is not uniquely determined by measuring the Bragg spot positions. Only one of the three rotational degrees of freedom is directly coupled to spot positions; the other two rotations move Bragg spots in and out of the reflecting condition but do not change the direction of the diffracted rays. This hinders the ability to recover accurate structure factorsmore » from experiments that are dependent on single-shot exposures, such as femtosecond diffract-and-destroy protocols at X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs). Here, additional methods are introduced to optimally model the diffraction. The best orientation is obtained by requiring, for the brightest observed spots, that each reciprocal-lattice point be placed into the exact reflecting condition implied by Bragg’s law with a minimal rotation. This approach reduces the experimental uncertainties in noisy XFEL data, improving the crystallographic R factors and sharpening anomalous differences that are near the level of the noise.« less

  14. Continuous motion scan ptychography: characterization for increased speed in coherent x-ray imaging

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Deng, Junjing; Nashed, Youssef S. G.; Chen, Si

    2015-01-01

    Ptychography is a coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) method for extended objects in which diffraction patterns are acquired sequentially from overlapping coherent illumination spots. The object's complex transmission function can be reconstructed from those diffraction patterns at a spatial resolution limited only by the scattering strength of the object and the detector geometry. Most experiments to date have positioned the illumination spots on the sample using a move-settle-measure sequence in which the move and settle steps can take longer to complete than the measure step. We describe here the use of a continuous "fly-scan" mode for ptychographic data collection in whichmore » the sample is moved continuously, so that the experiment resembles one of integrating the diffraction patterns from multiple probe positions. This allows one to use multiple probe mode reconstruction methods to obtain an image of the object and also of the illumination function. We show in simulations, and in x-ray imaging experiments, some of the characteristics of fly-scan ptychography, including a factor of 25 reduction in the data acquisition time. This approach will become increasingly important as brighter x-ray sources are developed, such as diffraction limited storage rings.« less

  15. Continuous motion scan ptychography: characterization for increased speed in coherent x-ray imaging.

    PubMed

    Deng, Junjing; Nashed, Youssef S G; Chen, Si; Phillips, Nicholas W; Peterka, Tom; Ross, Rob; Vogt, Stefan; Jacobsen, Chris; Vine, David J

    2015-03-09

    Ptychography is a coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) method for extended objects in which diffraction patterns are acquired sequentially from overlapping coherent illumination spots. The object's complex transmission function can be reconstructed from those diffraction patterns at a spatial resolution limited only by the scattering strength of the object and the detector geometry. Most experiments to date have positioned the illumination spots on the sample using a move-settle-measure sequence in which the move and settle steps can take longer to complete than the measure step. We describe here the use of a continuous "fly-scan" mode for ptychographic data collection in which the sample is moved continuously, so that the experiment resembles one of integrating the diffraction patterns from multiple probe positions. This allows one to use multiple probe mode reconstruction methods to obtain an image of the object and also of the illumination function. We show in simulations, and in x-ray imaging experiments, some of the characteristics of fly-scan ptychography, including a factor of 25 reduction in the data acquisition time. This approach will become increasingly important as brighter x-ray sources are developed, such as diffraction limited storage rings.

  16. In Situ 3D Coherent X-ray Diffraction Imaging of Shock Experiments: Possible?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barber, John

    2011-03-01

    In traditional coherent X-ray diffraction imaging (CXDI), a 2D or quasi-2D object is illuminated by a beam of coherent X-rays to produce a diffraction pattern, which is then manipulated via a process known as iterative phase retrieval to reconstruct an image of the original 2D sample. Recently, there have been dramatic advances in methods for performing fully 3D CXDI of a sample from a single diffraction pattern [Raines et al, Nature 463 214-7 (2010)], and these methods have been used to image samples tens of microns in size using soft X-rays. In this work, I explore the theoretical possibility of applying 3D CXDI techniques to the in situ imaging of the interaction between a shock front and a polycrystal, a far more stringent problem. A delicate trade-off is required between photon energy, spot size, imaging resolution, and the dimensions of the experimental setup. In this talk, I will outline the experimental and computational requirements for performing such an experiment, and I will present images and movies from simulations of one such hypothetical experiment, including both the time-resolved X-ray diffraction patterns and the time-resolved sample imagery.

  17. Photonic crystal borax competitive binding carbohydrate sensing motif†

    PubMed Central

    Cui, Qingzhou; Muscatello, Michelle M. Ward; Asher, Sanford A.

    2009-01-01

    We developed a photonic crystal sensing method for diol containing species such as carbohydrates based on a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel containing an embedded crystalline colloidal array (CCA). The polymerized CCA (PCCA) diffracts visible light. We show that in the presence of borax the diffraction wavelength shifts as the concentration of glucose changes. The diffraction shifts result from the competitive binding of glucose to borate, which reduces the concentration of borate bound to the PVA diols. PMID:19381378

  18. Computer Simulation Of An In-Process Surface Finish Sensor.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rakels, Jan H.

    1987-01-01

    It is generally accepted, that optical methods are the most promising for the in-process measurement of surface finish. These methods have the advantages of being non-contacting and fast data acquisition. Furthermore, these optical instruments can be easily retrofitted on existing machine-tools. In the Micro-Engineering Centre at the University of Warwick, an optical sensor has been developed which can measure the rms roughness, slope and wavelength of turned and precision ground surfaces during machining. The operation of this device is based upon the Kirchhoff-Fresnel diffraction integral. Application of this theory to ideal turned and ground surfaces is straightforward, and indeed the calculated diffraction patterns are in close agreement with patterns produced by an actual optical instrument. Since it is mathematically difficult to introduce real machine-tool behaviour into the diffraction integral, a computer program has been devised, which simulates the operation of the optical sensor. The program produces a diffraction pattern as a graphical output. Comparison between computer generated and actual diffraction patterns of the same surfaces show a high correlation. The main aim of this program is to construct an atlas, which maps known machine-tool errors versus optical diffraction patterns. This atlas can then be used for machine-tool condition diagnostics. It has been found that optical monitoring is very sensitive to minor defects. Therefore machine-tool detoriation can be detected before it is detrimental.

  19. Acoustic plane wave diffraction from a truncated semi-infinite cone in axial irradiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuryliak, Dozyslav; Lysechko, Victor

    2017-11-01

    The diffraction problem of the plane acoustic wave on the semi-infinite truncated soft and rigid cones in the case of axial incidence is solved. The problem is formulated as a boundary-value problem in terms of Helmholtz equation, with Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions, for scattered velocity potential. The incident field is taken to be the total field of semi-infinite cone, the expression of which is obtained by solving the auxiliary diffraction problem by the use of Kontorovich-Lebedev integral transformation. The diffracted field is sought via the expansion in series of the eigenfunctions for subdomains of the Helmholtz equation taking into account the edge condition. The corresponding diffraction problem is reduced to infinite system of linear algebraic equations (ISLAE) making use of mode matching technique and orthogonality properties of the Legendre functions. The method of analytical regularization is applied in order to extract the singular part in ISLAE, invert it exactly and reduce the problem to ISLAE of the second kind, which is readily amenable to calculation. The numerical solution of this system relies on the reduction method; and its accuracy depends on the truncation order. The case of degeneration of the truncated semi-infinite cone into an aperture in infinite plane is considered. Characteristic features of diffracted field in near and far fields as functions of cone's parameters are examined.

  20. In situ X-ray powder diffraction studies of the synthesis of graphene oxide and formation of reduced graphene oxide

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Storm, Mie Møller, E-mail: mmst@dtu.dk; Johnsen, Rune E.; Norby, Poul

    2016-08-15

    Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are important materials in a wide range of fields. The modified Hummers methods, for synthesizing GO, and subsequent thermal reduction to rGO, are often employed for production of rGO. However, the mechanism behinds these syntheses methods are still unclear. We present an in situ X-ray diffraction study of the synthesis of GO and thermal reduction of GO. The X-ray diffraction revealed that the Hummers method includes an intercalation state and finally formation of additional crystalline material. The formation of GO is observed during both the intercalation and the crystallization stage. During thermalmore » reduction of GO three stages were observed: GO, a disordered stage, and the rGO stage. The appearance of these stages depends on the heating ramp. The aim of this study is to provide deeper insight into the chemical and physical processes during the syntheses. - Graphical abstract: In situ X-ray diffraction results for of the modified Hummers synthesis and the thermal reduction of graphene oxide, revealing three stages for both syntheses as well as new GO diffraction peaks and unidentified crystalline material for the Hummers synthesis and a disordered stage for the thermal reduction of graphene oxide. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Hummers synthesis consists of three stages: dissolution, intercalation and crystal. • GO is produced early on during the synthesis and display new diffraction peaks. • An unidentified triclinic phase is observed for the Hummers synthesis. • Thermal reduction of GO display three stages: GO, a disordered stage and rGO. • In situ XRD indicate reformation of rGO even for fast heated thermal reduction.« less

  1. A method for the monitoring of metal recrystallization based on the in-situ measurement of the elastic energy release using neutron diffraction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Christien, F., E-mail: frederic.christien@univ-nantes.fr; Le Gall, R.; Telling, M. T. F.

    2015-05-15

    A method is proposed for the monitoring of metal recrystallization using neutron diffraction that is based on the measurement of stored energy. Experiments were performed using deformed metal specimens heated in-situ while mounted at the sample position of the High Resolution Powder Diffractometer, HRPD (ISIS Facility), UK. Monitoring the breadth of the resulting Bragg lines during heating not only allows the time-dependence (or temperature-dependence) of the stored energy to be determined but also the recrystallized fraction. The analysis method presented here was developed using pure nickel (Ni270) specimens with different deformation levels from 0.29 to 0.94. In situ temperature rampingmore » as well as isothermal annealing was undertaken. The method developed in this work allows accurate and quantitative monitoring of the recrystallization process. The results from neutron diffraction are satisfactorily compared to data obtained from calorimetry and hardness measurements.« less

  2. Application of a real-space three-dimensional image reconstruction method in the structural analysis of noncrystalline biological macromolecules enveloped by water in coherent x-ray diffraction microscopy.

    PubMed

    Kodama, Wataru; Nakasako, Masayoshi

    2011-08-01

    Coherent x-ray diffraction microscopy is a novel technique in the structural analyses of particles that are difficult to crystallize, such as the biological particles composing living cells. As water is indispensable for maintaining particles in functional structures, sufficient hydration of targeted particles is required during sample preparation for diffraction microscopy experiments. However, the water enveloping particles also contributes significantly to the diffraction patterns and reduces the electron-density contrast of the sample particles. In this study, we propose a protocol for the structural analyses of particles in water by applying a three-dimensional reconstruction method in real space for the projection images phase-retrieved from diffraction patterns, together with a developed density modification technique. We examined the feasibility of the protocol through three simulations involving a protein molecule in a vacuum, and enveloped in either a droplet or a cube-shaped water. The simulations were carried out for the diffraction patterns in the reciprocal planes normal to the incident x-ray beam. This assumption and the simulation conditions corresponded to experiments using x-ray wavelengths of shorter than 0.03 Å. The analyses demonstrated that our protocol provided an interpretable electron-density map. Based on the results, we discuss the advantages and limitations of the proposed protocol and its practical application for experimental data. In particular, we examined the influence of Poisson noise in diffraction patterns on the reconstructed three-dimensional electron density in the proposed protocol.

  3. A Wigner-based ray-tracing method for imaging simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mout, B. M.; Wick, M.; Bociort, F.; Urbach, H. P.

    2015-09-01

    The Wigner Distribution Function (WDF) forms an alternative representation of the optical field. It can be a valuable tool for understanding and classifying optical systems. Furthermore, it possesses properties that make it suitable for optical simulations: both the intensity and the angular spectrum can be easily obtained from the WDF and the WDF remains constant along the paths of paraxial geometrical rays. In this study we use these properties by implementing a numerical Wigner-Based Ray-Tracing method (WBRT) to simulate diffraction effects at apertures in free-space and in imaging systems. Both paraxial and non-paraxial systems are considered and the results are compared with numerical implementations of the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld and Fresnel diffraction integrals to investigate the limits of the applicability of this approach. The results of the different methods are in good agreement when simulating free-space diffraction or calculating point spread functions (PSFs) for aberration-free imaging systems, even at numerical apertures exceeding the paraxial regime. For imaging systems with aberrations, the PSFs of WBRT diverge from the results using diffraction integrals. For larger aberrations WBRT predicts negative intensities, suggesting that this model is unable to deal with aberrations.

  4. Finite element area and line integral transforms for generalization of aperture function and geometry in Kirchhoff scalar diffraction theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kraus, Hal G.

    1993-02-01

    Two finite element-based methods for calculating Fresnel region and near-field region intensities resulting from diffraction of light by two-dimensional apertures are presented. The first is derived using the Kirchhoff area diffraction integral and the second is derived using a displaced vector potential to achieve a line integral transformation. The specific form of each of these formulations is presented for incident spherical waves and for Gaussian laser beams. The geometry of the two-dimensional diffracting aperture(s) is based on biquadratic isoparametric elements, which are used to define apertures of complex geometry. These elements are also used to build complex amplitude and phase functions across the aperture(s), which may be of continuous or discontinuous form. The finite element transform integrals are accurately and efficiently integrated numerically using Gaussian quadrature. The power of these methods is illustrated in several examples which include secondary obstructions, secondary spider supports, multiple mirror arrays, synthetic aperture arrays, apertures covered by screens, apodization, phase plates, and off-axis apertures. Typically, the finite element line integral transform results in significant gains in computational efficiency over the finite element Kirchhoff transform method, but is also subject to some loss in generality.

  5. Dynamic spatial filtering using a digital micromirror device for high-speed optical diffraction tomography.

    PubMed

    Jin, Di; Zhou, Renjie; Yaqoob, Zahid; So, Peter T C

    2018-01-08

    Optical diffraction tomography (ODT) is an emerging microscopy technique for three-dimensional (3D) refractive index (RI) mapping of transparent specimens. Recently, the digital micromirror device (DMD) based scheme for angle-controlled plane wave illumination has been proposed to improve the imaging speed and stability of ODT. However, undesired diffraction noise always exists in the reported DMD-based illumination scheme, which leads to a limited contrast ratio of the measurement fringe and hence inaccurate RI mapping. Here we present a novel spatial filtering method, based on a second DMD, to dynamically remove the diffraction noise. The reported results illustrate significantly enhanced image quality of the obtained interferograms and the subsequently derived phase maps. And moreover, with this method, we demonstrate mapping of 3D RI distribution of polystyrene beads as well as biological cells with high accuracy. Importantly, with the proper hardware configuration, our method does not compromise the 3D imaging speed advantage promised by the DMD-based illumination scheme. Specifically, we have been able to successfully obtain interferograms at over 1 kHz speed, which is critical for potential high-throughput label-free 3D image cytometry applications.

  6. Nonuniform fast Fourier transform method for numerical diffraction simulation on tilted planes.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Yu; Tang, Xiahui; Qin, Yingxiong; Peng, Hao; Wang, Wei; Zhong, Lijing

    2016-10-01

    The method, based on the rotation of the angular spectrum in the frequency domain, is generally used for the diffraction simulation between the tilted planes. Due to the rotation of the angular spectrum, the interval between the sampling points in the Fourier domain is not even. For the conventional fast Fourier transform (FFT)-based methods, a spectrum interpolation is needed to get the approximate sampling value on the equidistant sampling points. However, due to the numerical error caused by the spectrum interpolation, the calculation accuracy degrades very quickly as the rotation angle increases. Here, the diffraction propagation between the tilted planes is transformed into a problem about the discrete Fourier transform on the uneven sampling points, which can be evaluated effectively and precisely through the nonuniform fast Fourier transform method (NUFFT). The most important advantage of this method is that the conventional spectrum interpolation is avoided and the high calculation accuracy can be guaranteed for different rotation angles, even when the rotation angle is close to π/2. Also, its calculation efficiency is comparable with that of the conventional FFT-based methods. Numerical examples as well as a discussion about the calculation accuracy and the sampling method are presented.

  7. Adaptive conversion of a high-order mode beam into a near-diffraction-limited beam.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Haichuan; Wang, Xiaolin; Ma, Haotong; Zhou, Pu; Ma, Yanxing; Xu, Xiaojun; Zhao, Yijun

    2011-08-01

    We present a new method for efficiently transforming a high-order mode beam into a nearly Gaussian beam with much higher beam quality. The method is based on modulation of phases of different lobes by stochastic parallel gradient descent algorithm and coherent addition after phase flattening. We demonstrate the method by transforming an LP11 mode into a nearly Gaussian beam. The experimental results reveal that the power in the diffraction-limited bucket in the far field is increased by more than a factor of 1.5.

  8. Viewing-zone enlargement method for sampled hologram that uses high-order diffraction.

    PubMed

    Mishina, Tomoyuki; Okui, Makoto; Okano, Fumio

    2002-03-10

    We demonstrate a method of enlarging the viewing zone for holography that has holograms with a pixel structure. First, aliasing generated by the sampling of a hologram by pixel is described. Next the high-order diffracted beams reproduced from the hologram that contains aliasing are explained. Finally, we show that the viewing zone can be enlarged by combining these high-order reconstructed beams from the hologram with aliasing.

  9. Phase retrieval by coherent modulation imaging

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Fucai; Chen, Bo; Morrison, Graeme R.

    Phase retrieval is a long-standing problem in imaging when only the intensity of the wavefield can be recorded. Coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) is a lensless technique that uses iterative algorithms to recover amplitude and phase contrast images from diffraction intensity data. For general samples, phase retrieval from a single diffraction pattern has been an algorithmic and experimental challenge. Here we report a method of phase retrieval that uses a known modulation of the sample exit-wave. This coherent modulation imaging (CMI) method removes inherent ambiguities of CDI and uses a reliable, rapidly converging iterative algorithm involving three planes. It works formore » extended samples, does not require tight support for convergence, and relaxes dynamic range requirements on the detector. CMI provides a robust method for imaging in materials and biological science, while its single-shot capability will benefit the investigation of dynamical processes with pulsed sources, such as X-ray free electron laser.« less

  10. Phase retrieval by coherent modulation imaging

    DOE PAGES

    Zhang, Fucai; Chen, Bo; Morrison, Graeme R.; ...

    2016-11-18

    Phase retrieval is a long-standing problem in imaging when only the intensity of the wavefield can be recorded. Coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) is a lensless technique that uses iterative algorithms to recover amplitude and phase contrast images from diffraction intensity data. For general samples, phase retrieval from a single diffraction pattern has been an algorithmic and experimental challenge. Here we report a method of phase retrieval that uses a known modulation of the sample exit-wave. This coherent modulation imaging (CMI) method removes inherent ambiguities of CDI and uses a reliable, rapidly converging iterative algorithm involving three planes. It works formore » extended samples, does not require tight support for convergence, and relaxes dynamic range requirements on the detector. CMI provides a robust method for imaging in materials and biological science, while its single-shot capability will benefit the investigation of dynamical processes with pulsed sources, such as X-ray free electron laser.« less

  11. Growth of high quality and large-sized Rb 0.3MoO 3 single crystals by molten salt electrolysis method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Junfeng; Xiong, Rui; Yi, Fan; Yin, Di; Ke, Manzhu; Li, Changzhen; Liu, Zhengyou; Shi, Jing

    2005-05-01

    High quality and large-sized Rb 0.3MoO 3 single crystals were synthesized by molten salt electrolysis method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and rocking curves, as well as the white beam Laue diffraction of X-ray images show the crystals grown by this method have high quality. The lattice constants evaluated from XRD patterns are a0=1.87 nm, b0=0.75 nm, c0=1.00 nm, β=118.83∘. The in situ selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns along the [101¯], [11¯1¯] and [103¯] zone axes at room temperature indicate that the Rb 0.3MoO 3 crystal possess perfect C-centered symmetry. Temperature dependence of the resistivity shows this compound undergoes a metal to semiconductor transition at 183 K.

  12. Squeezing on Momentum States for Atom Interferometry.

    PubMed

    Salvi, Leonardo; Poli, Nicola; Vuletić, Vladan; Tino, Guglielmo M

    2018-01-19

    We propose and analyze a method that allows for the production of squeezed states of the atomic center-of-mass motion that can be injected into an atom interferometer. Our scheme employs dispersive probing in a ring resonator on a narrow transition in order to provide a collective measurement of the relative population of two momentum states. We show that this method is applicable to a Bragg diffraction-based strontium atom interferometer with large diffraction orders. This technique can be extended also to small diffraction orders and large atom numbers N by inducing atomic transparency at the frequency of the probe field, reaching an interferometer phase resolution scaling Δϕ∼N^{-3/4}. We show that for realistic parameters it is possible to obtain a 20 dB gain in interferometer phase estimation compared to the standard quantum limit. Our method is applicable to other atomic species where a narrow transition is available or can be synthesized.

  13. Measurement method for roll angular displacement with a high resolution by using diffraction gratings and a heterodyne interferometer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tang, Shanzhi, E-mail: shanzhit@gmail.com; School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049; Wang, Zhao

    The roll angle measurement is difficult to be achieved directly using a typical commercial interferometer due to its low sensitivity in axial direction, where the axial direction is orthogonal to the plane of the roll angular displacement. A roll angle measurement method combined diffraction gratings with a laser heterodyne interferometer is discussed in this paper. The diffraction grating placed in the plane of a roll angular displacement and the interferometer arranged in the plane's orthogonal direction, constitute the measurement pattern for the roll angle with high resolution. The roll angular displacement, considered as the linear, can be tested precisely whenmore » the corresponding angle is very small. Using the proposed method, the angle roll measurement obtains the high resolution of 0.002{sup ″}. Experiment has proved its feasibility and practicability.« less

  14. Liquid contrabands classification based on energy dispersive X-ray diffraction and hybrid discriminant analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    YangDai, Tianyi; Zhang, Li

    2016-02-01

    Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) combined with hybrid discriminant analysis (HDA) has been utilized for classifying the liquid materials for the first time. The XRD spectra of 37 kinds of liquid contrabands and daily supplies were obtained using an EDXRD test bed facility. The unique spectra of different samples reveal XRD's capability to distinguish liquid contrabands from daily supplies. In order to create a system to detect liquid contrabands, the diffraction spectra were subjected to HDA which is the combination of principal components analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Experiments based on the leave-one-out method demonstrate that HDA is a practical method with higher classification accuracy and lower noise sensitivity than the other methods in this application. The study shows the great capability and potential of the combination of XRD and HDA for liquid contrabands classification.

  15. Grey signal processing and data reconstruction in the non-diffracting beam triangulation measurement system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meng, Hao; Wang, Zhongyu; Fu, Jihua

    2008-12-01

    The non-diffracting beam triangulation measurement system possesses the advantages of longer measurement range, higher theoretical measurement accuracy and higher resolution over the traditional laser triangulation measurement system. Unfortunately the measurement accuracy of the system is greatly degraded due to the speckle noise, the CCD photoelectric noise and the background light noise in practical applications. Hence, some effective signal processing methods must be applied to improve the measurement accuracy. In this paper a novel effective method for removing the noises in the non-diffracting beam triangulation measurement system is proposed. In the method the grey system theory is used to process and reconstruct the measurement signal. Through implementing the grey dynamic filtering based on the dynamic GM(1,1), the noises can be effectively removed from the primary measurement data and the measurement accuracy of the system can be improved as a result.

  16. Large angle solid state position sensitive x-ray detector system

    DOEpatents

    Kurtz, D.S.; Ruud, C.O.

    1998-03-03

    A method and apparatus for x-ray measurement of certain properties of a solid material are disclosed. In distinction to known methods and apparatus, this invention employs a specific fiber-optic bundle configuration, termed a reorganizer, itself known for other uses, for coherently transmitting visible light originating from the scintillation of diffracted x-radiation from the solid material gathered along a substantially one dimensional linear arc, to a two-dimensional photo-sensor array. The two-dimensional photodetector array, with its many closely packed light sensitive pixels, is employed to process the information contained in the diffracted radiation and present the information in the form of a conventional x-ray diffraction spectrum. By this arrangement, the angular range of the combined detector faces may be increased without loss of angular resolution. Further, the prohibitively expensive coupling together of a large number of individual linear diode photodetectors, which would be required to process signals generated by the diffracted radiation, is avoided. 7 figs.

  17. Large angle solid state position sensitive x-ray detector system

    DOEpatents

    Kurtz, D.S.; Ruud, C.O.

    1998-07-21

    A method and apparatus are disclosed for x-ray measurement of certain properties of a solid material. In distinction to known methods and apparatus, this invention employs a specific fiber-optic bundle configuration, termed a reorganizer, itself known for other uses, for coherently transmitting visible light originating from the scintillation of diffracted x-radiation from the solid material gathered along a substantially one dimensional linear arc, to a two-dimensional photo-sensor array. The two-dimensional photodetector array, with its many closely packed light sensitive pixels, is employed to process the information contained in the diffracted radiation and present the information in the form of a conventional x-ray diffraction spectrum. By this arrangement, the angular range of the combined detector faces may be increased without loss of angular resolution. Further, the prohibitively expensive coupling together of a large number of individual linear diode photodetectors, which would be required to process signals generated by the diffracted radiation, is avoided. 7 figs.

  18. Analysis of macromolecules, ligands and macromolecule-ligand complexes

    DOEpatents

    Von Dreele, Robert B [Los Alamos, NM

    2008-12-23

    A method for determining atomic level structures of macromolecule-ligand complexes through high-resolution powder diffraction analysis and a method for providing suitable microcrystalline powder for diffraction analysis are provided. In one embodiment, powder diffraction data is collected from samples of polycrystalline macromolecule and macromolecule-ligand complex and the refined structure of the macromolecule is used as an approximate model for a combined Rietveld and stereochemical restraint refinement of the macromolecule-ligand complex. A difference Fourier map is calculated and the ligand position and points of interaction between the atoms of the macromolecule and the atoms of the ligand can be deduced and visualized. A suitable polycrystalline sample of macromolecule-ligand complex can be produced by physically agitating a mixture of lyophilized macromolecule, ligand and a solvent.

  19. Scatterometry—fast and robust measurements of nano-textured surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hannibal Madsen, Morten; Hansen, Poul-Erik

    2016-06-01

    Scatterometry is a fast, precise and low cost way to determine the mean pitch and dimensional parameters of periodic structures with lateral resolution of a few nanometer. It is robust enough for in-line process control and precise and accurate enough for metrology measurements. Furthermore, scatterometry is a non-destructive technique capable of measuring buried structures, for example a grating covered by a thick oxide layer. As scatterometry is a non-imaging technique, mathematical modeling is needed to retrieve structural parameters that describe a surface. In this review, the three main steps of scatterometry are discussed: the data acquisition, the simulation of diffraction efficiencies and the comparison of data and simulations. First, the intensity of the diffracted light is measured with a scatterometer as a function of incoming angle, diffraction angle and/or wavelength. We discuss the evolution of the scatterometers from the earliest angular scatterometers to the new imaging scatterometers. The basic principle of measuring diffraction efficiencies in scatterometry has remained the same since the beginning, but the instrumental improvements have made scatterometry a state-of-the-art solution for fast and accurate measurements of nano-textured surfaces. The improvements include extending the wavelength range from the visible to the extreme ultra-violet range, development of Fourier optics to measure all diffraction orders simultaneously, and an imaging scatterometer to measure area of interests smaller than the spot size. Secondly, computer simulations of the diffraction efficiencies are discussed with emphasis on the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method. RCWA has, since the mid-1990s, been the preferred method for grating simulations due to the speed of the algorithms. In the beginning the RCWA method suffered from a very slow convergence rate, and we discuss the historical improvements to overcome this challenge, e.g. by the introduction of Li’s factorization rules and the introduction of the normal vector method. The third step is the comparison, where the simulated diffraction efficiencies are compared to the experimental data using an inverse modeling approach. We discuss both a direct optimization scheme using a differential evolution algorithm and a library search strategy where diffraction efficiences of expected structures are collected in a database. For metrology measurements two methods are described for estimating the uncertainty of the fitting parameters. The first method is based on estimating the confidence limits using constant chi square boundaries, which can easily be computed when using the library search strategy. The other method is based on calculating the covariances of all the free parameters using a least square optimization. Scatterometry is already utilized in the semiconductor industry for in-line characterization. However, it also has a large potential for other industrial sectors, including sectors making use of injection molding or roll-2-roll fabrication. Using the library search strategy, the comparison can be performed in ms, making in-line characterization possible and we demonstrate that scatterometry can be used for quality control of injection molded nano-textured plastic samples. With the emerging methods of highly parallel manufacturing of nano-textured devices, scatterometry has great potential to deliver a characterization method for in-line quality control and metrology measurements, which is not possible with conventional characterization techniques. However, there are some open challenges for the scatterometry techniques. These include corrections for measuring on non-ideal samples with a large surface roughness or line-edge roughness and the path towards performing traceable scatterometry measurements.

  20. Application of Powder Diffraction Methods to the Analysis of Short- and Long-Range Atomic Order in Nanocrystalline Diamond and SiC: The Concept of the Apparent Lattice Parameter (alp)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palosz, B.; Grzanka, E.; Gierlotka, S.; Stelmakh, S.; Pielaszek, R.; Bismayer, U.; Weber, H.-P.; Palosz, W.

    2003-01-01

    Two methods of the analysis of powder diffraction patterns of diamond and SiC nanocrystals are presented: (a) examination of changes of the lattice parameters with diffraction vector Q ('apparent lattice parameter', alp) which refers to Bragg scattering, and (b), examination of changes of inter-atomic distances based on the analysis of the atomic Pair Distribution Function, PDF. Application of these methods was studied based on the theoretical diffraction patterns computed for models of nanocrystals having (i) a perfect crystal lattice, and (ii), a core-shell structure, i.e. constituting a two-phase system. The models are defined by the lattice parameter of the grain core, thickness of the surface shell, and the magnitude and distribution of the strain field in the shell. X-ray and neutron experimental diffraction data of nanocrystalline SiC and diamond powders of the grain diameter from 4 nm up to micrometers were used. The effects of the internal pressure and strain at the grain surface on the structure are discussed based on the experimentally determined dependence of the alp values on the Q-vector, and changes of the interatomic distances with the grain size determined experimentally by the atomic Pair Distribution Function (PDF) analysis. The experimental results lend a strong support to the concept of a two-phase, core and the surface shell structure of nanocrystalline diamond and SiC.

  1. Thermal x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Zheng; Classen, Anton; Peng, Tao; Medvedev, Nikita; Wang, Fenglin; Chapman, Henry N.; Shih, Yanhua

    2017-10-01

    Using higher-order coherence of thermal light sources, the resolution power of standard x-ray imaging techniques can be enhanced. In this work, we applied the higher-order measurement to far-field x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging (PCI), in order to achieve superresolution in x-ray diffraction and obtain enhanced intensity contrast in PCI. The cost of implementing such schemes is minimal compared to the methods that achieve similar effects by using entangled x-ray photon pairs.

  2. Thermal x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging

    DOE PAGES

    Li, Zheng; Classen, Anton; Peng, Tao; ...

    2017-12-27

    Using higher-order coherence of thermal light sources, the resolution power of standard x-ray imaging techniques can be enhanced. Here in this work, we applied the higher-order measurement to far-field x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging (PCI), in order to achieve superresolution in x-ray diffraction and obtain enhanced intensity contrast in PCI. The cost of implementing such schemes is minimal compared to the methods that achieve similar effects by using entangled x-ray photon pairs.

  3. Optical diffraction by ordered 2D arrays of silica microspheres

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shcherbakov, A. A.; Shavdina, O.; Tishchenko, A. V.; Veillas, C.; Verrier, I.; Dellea, O.; Jourlin, Y.

    2017-03-01

    The article presents experimental and theoretical studies of angular dependent diffraction properties of 2D monolayer arrays of silica microspheres. High-quality large area defect-free monolayers of 1 μm diameter silica microspheres were deposited by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique under an accurate optical control. Measured angular dependencies of zeroth and one of the first order diffraction efficiencies produced by deposited samples were simulated by the rigorous Generalized Source Method taking into account particle size dispersion and lattice nonideality.

  4. Current sensing using bismuth rare-earth iron garnet films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ko, Michael; Garmire, Elsa

    1995-04-01

    Ferrimagnetic iron garnet films are investigated as current-sensing elements. The Faraday effect within the films permits measurement of the magnetic field or current by a simple polarimetric technique. Polarized diffraction patterns from the films have been observed that arise from the presence of magnetic domains in the films. A physical model for the diffraction is discussed, and results from a mathematical analysis are in good agreement with the experimental observations. A method of current sensing that uses this polarized diffraction is demonstrated.

  5. Symposium on Nondestructive Evaluation Held in San Antonio, Texas on 17- 20 April 1989

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-04-01

    crack-tip diffraction started from work ous orientations (tilt and skew angle) by B6ttcher et al (5 ) where diffracted and shapes (aspect ratio...Zr-Nb al - cludes optimizing the method to obtain loy. Hence, deviations from these re- the best accuracy of the depth calcu- sults with our...20 MHz), and damping. Mastroianni et al (17 ) have performed crack-tip diffraction studies on The main-bang pulse excites the trans- notches 2.5 mm

  6. Optical diffraction tomography: accuracy of an off-axis reconstruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kostencka, Julianna; Kozacki, Tomasz

    2014-05-01

    Optical diffraction tomography is an increasingly popular method that allows for reconstruction of three-dimensional refractive index distribution of semi-transparent samples using multiple measurements of an optical field transmitted through the sample for various illumination directions. The process of assembly of the angular measurements is usually performed with one of two methods: filtered backprojection (FBPJ) or filtered backpropagation (FBPP) tomographic reconstruction algorithm. The former approach, although conceptually very simple, provides an accurate reconstruction for the object regions located close to the plane of focus. However, since FBPJ ignores diffraction, its use for spatially extended structures is arguable. According to the theory of scattering, more precise restoration of a 3D structure shall be achieved with the FBPP algorithm, which unlike the former approach incorporates diffraction. It is believed that with this method one is allowed to obtain a high accuracy reconstruction in a large measurement volume exceeding depth of focus of an imaging system. However, some studies have suggested that a considerable improvement of the FBPP results can be achieved with prior propagation of the transmitted fields back to the centre of the object. This, supposedly, enables reduction of errors due to approximated diffraction formulas used in FBPP. In our view this finding casts doubt on quality of the FBPP reconstruction in the regions far from the rotation axis. The objective of this paper is to investigate limitation of the FBPP algorithm in terms of an off-axis reconstruction and compare its performance with the FBPJ approach. Moreover, in this work we propose some modifications to the FBPP algorithm that allow for more precise restoration of a sample structure in off-axis locations. The research is based on extensive numerical simulations supported with wave-propagation method.

  7. Nanomodulated electron beams via electron diffraction and emittance exchange for coherent x-ray generation

    DOE PAGES

    Nanni, E. A.; Graves, W. S.; Moncton, D. E.

    2018-01-19

    We present a new method for generation of relativistic electron beams with current modulation on the nanometer scale and below. The current modulation is produced by diffracting relativistic electrons in single crystal Si, accelerating the diffracted beam and imaging the crystal structure, then transferring the image into the temporal dimension via emittance exchange. The modulation period can be tuned by adjusting electron optics after diffraction. This tunable longitudinal modulation can have a period as short as a few angstroms, enabling production of coherent hard x-rays from a source based on inverse Compton scattering with total accelerator length of approximately tenmore » meters. Electron beam simulations from cathode emission through diffraction, acceleration, and image formation with variable magnification are presented along with estimates of the coherent x-ray output properties.« less

  8. New Powder Diffraction File (PDF-4) in relational database format: advantages and data-mining capabilities.

    PubMed

    Kabekkodu, Soorya N; Faber, John; Fawcett, Tim

    2002-06-01

    The International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD) is responding to the changing needs in powder diffraction and materials analysis by developing the Powder Diffraction File (PDF) in a very flexible relational database (RDB) format. The PDF now contains 136,895 powder diffraction patterns. In this paper, an attempt is made to give an overview of the PDF-4, search/match methods and the advantages of having the PDF-4 in RDB format. Some case studies have been carried out to search for crystallization trends, properties, frequencies of space groups and prototype structures. These studies give a good understanding of the basic structural aspects of classes of compounds present in the database. The present paper also reports data-mining techniques and demonstrates the power of a relational database over the traditional (flat-file) database structures.

  9. Physics issues in diffraction limited storage ring design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, Wei; Bai, ZhengHe; Gao, WeiWei; Feng, GuangYao; Li, WeiMin; Wang, Lin; He, DuoHui

    2012-05-01

    Diffraction limited electron storage ring is considered a promising candidate for future light sources, whose main characteristics are higher brilliance, better transverse coherence and better stability. The challenge of diffraction limited storage ring design is how to achieve the ultra low beam emittance with acceptable nonlinear performance. Effective linear and nonlinear parameter optimization methods based on Artificial Intelligence were developed for the storage ring physical design. As an example of application, partial physical design of HALS (Hefei Advanced Light Source), which is a diffraction limited VUV and soft X-ray light source, was introduced. Severe emittance growth due to the Intra Beam Scattering effect, which is the main obstacle to achieve ultra low emittance, was estimated quantitatively and possible cures were discussed. It is inspiring that better performance of diffraction limited storage ring can be achieved in principle with careful parameter optimization.

  10. Nanomodulated electron beams via electron diffraction and emittance exchange for coherent x-ray generation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nanni, E. A.; Graves, W. S.; Moncton, D. E.

    We present a new method for generation of relativistic electron beams with current modulation on the nanometer scale and below. The current modulation is produced by diffracting relativistic electrons in single crystal Si, accelerating the diffracted beam and imaging the crystal structure, then transferring the image into the temporal dimension via emittance exchange. The modulation period can be tuned by adjusting electron optics after diffraction. This tunable longitudinal modulation can have a period as short as a few angstroms, enabling production of coherent hard x-rays from a source based on inverse Compton scattering with total accelerator length of approximately tenmore » meters. Electron beam simulations from cathode emission through diffraction, acceleration, and image formation with variable magnification are presented along with estimates of the coherent x-ray output properties.« less

  11. Coherent diffraction imaging analysis of shape-controlled nanoparticles with focused hard X-ray free-electron laser pulses.

    PubMed

    Takahashi, Yukio; Suzuki, Akihiro; Zettsu, Nobuyuki; Oroguchi, Tomotaka; Takayama, Yuki; Sekiguchi, Yuki; Kobayashi, Amane; Yamamoto, Masaki; Nakasako, Masayoshi

    2013-01-01

    We report the first demonstration of the coherent diffraction imaging analysis of nanoparticles using focused hard X-ray free-electron laser pulses, allowing us to analyze the size distribution of particles as well as the electron density projection of individual particles. We measured 1000 single-shot coherent X-ray diffraction patterns of shape-controlled Ag nanocubes and Au/Ag nanoboxes and estimated the edge length from the speckle size of the coherent diffraction patterns. We then reconstructed the two-dimensional electron density projection with sub-10 nm resolution from selected coherent diffraction patterns. This method enables the simultaneous analysis of the size distribution of synthesized nanoparticles and the structures of particles at nanoscale resolution to address correlations between individual structures of components and the statistical properties in heterogeneous systems such as nanoparticles and cells.

  12. Imaging whole Escherichia coli bacteria by using single-particle x-ray diffraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miao, Jianwei; Hodgson, Keith O.; Ishikawa, Tetsuya; Larabell, Carolyn A.; Legros, Mark A.; Nishino, Yoshinori

    2003-01-01

    We report the first experimental recording, to our knowledge, of the diffraction pattern from intact Escherichia coli bacteria using coherent x-rays with a wavelength of 2 Å. By using the oversampling phasing method, a real space image at a resolution of 30 nm was directly reconstructed from the diffraction pattern. An R factor used for characterizing the quality of the reconstruction was in the range of 5%, which demonstrated the reliability of the reconstruction process. The distribution of proteins inside the bacteria labeled with manganese oxide has been identified and this distribution confirmed by fluorescence microscopy images. Compared with lens-based microscopy, this diffraction-based imaging approach can examine thicker samples, such as whole cultured cells, in three dimensions with resolution limited only by radiation damage. Looking forward, the successful recording and reconstruction of diffraction patterns from biological samples reported here represent an important step toward the potential of imaging single biomolecules at near-atomic resolution by combining single-particle diffraction with x-ray free electron lasers.

  13. Holographic Reconstruction of Photoelectron Diffraction and Its Circular Dichroism for Local Structure Probing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsui, Fumihiko; Matsushita, Tomohiro; Daimon, Hiroshi

    2018-06-01

    The local atomic structure around a specific element atom can be recorded as a photoelectron diffraction pattern. Forward focusing peaks and diffraction rings around them indicate the directions and distances from the photoelectron emitting atom to the surrounding atoms. The state-of-the-art holography reconstruction algorithm enables us to image the local atomic arrangement around the excited atom in a real space. By using circularly polarized light as an excitation source, the angular momentum transfer from the light to the photoelectron induces parallax shifts in these diffraction patterns. As a result, stereographic images of atomic arrangements are obtained. These diffraction patterns can be used as atomic-site-resolved probes for local electronic structure investigation in combination with spectroscopy techniques. Direct three-dimensional atomic structure visualization and site-specific electronic property analysis methods are reviewed. Furthermore, circular dichroism was also found in valence photoelectron and Auger electron diffraction patterns. The investigation of these new phenomena provides hints for the development of new techniques for local structure probing.

  14. Diffractive-refractive optics: X-ray splitter.

    PubMed

    Hrdý, Jaromír

    2010-01-01

    The possibility of splitting a thin (e.g. undulator) X-ray beam based on diffraction-refraction effects is discussed. The beam is diffracted from a crystal whose diffracting surface has the shape of a roof with the ridge lying in the plane of diffraction. The crystal is cut asymmetrically. One half of the beam impinges on the left-hand part of the roof and the other half impinges on the right-hand side of the roof. Owing to refraction the left part of the beam is deviated to the left whereas the right part is deviated to the right. The device proposed consists of two channel-cut crystals with roof-like diffraction surfaces; the crystals are set in a dispersive position. The separation of the beams after splitting is calculated at a distance of 10 m from the crystals for various asymmetry and inclination angles. It is shown that such a splitting may be utilized for long beamlines. Advantages and disadvantages of this method are discussed.

  15. Simplified dichromated gelatin hologram recording process

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Georgekutty, Tharayil G.; Liu, Hua-Kuang

    1987-01-01

    A simplified method for making dichromated gelatin (DCG) holographic optical elements (HOE) has been discovered. The method is much less tedious and it requires a period of processing time comparable with that for processing a silver halide hologram. HOE characteristics including diffraction efficiency (DE), linearity, and spectral sensitivity have been quantitatively investigated. The quality of the holographic grating is very high. Ninety percent or higher diffraction efficiency has been achieved in simple plane gratings made by this process.

  16. Method of calculating retroreflector-array transfer functions. [laser range finders

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Arnold, D. A.

    1978-01-01

    Techniques and equations used in calculating the transfer functions to relate the observed return laser pulses to the center of mass of the Lageos satellite retroflector array, and for most of the retroreflector-equipped satellites now in orbit are described. The methods derived include the effects of coherent interference, diffraction, polarization, and dihedral-angle offsets. Particular emphasis is given to deriving expressions for the diffraction pattern and active reflecting area of various cube-corner designs.

  17. A fast point-cloud computing method based on spatial symmetry of Fresnel field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Xiangxiang; Zhang, Kai; Shen, Chuan; Zhu, Wenliang; Wei, Sui

    2017-10-01

    Aiming at the great challenge for Computer Generated Hologram (CGH) duo to the production of high spatial-bandwidth product (SBP) is required in the real-time holographic video display systems. The paper is based on point-cloud method and it takes advantage of the propagating reversibility of Fresnel diffraction in the propagating direction and the fringe pattern of a point source, known as Gabor zone plate has spatial symmetry, so it can be used as a basis for fast calculation of diffraction field in CGH. A fast Fresnel CGH method based on the novel look-up table (N-LUT) method is proposed, the principle fringe patterns (PFPs) at the virtual plane is pre-calculated by the acceleration algorithm and be stored. Secondly, the Fresnel diffraction fringe pattern at dummy plane can be obtained. Finally, the Fresnel propagation from dummy plan to hologram plane. The simulation experiments and optical experiments based on Liquid Crystal On Silicon (LCOS) is setup to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method under the premise of ensuring the quality of 3D reconstruction the method proposed in the paper can be applied to shorten the computational time and improve computational efficiency.

  18. Evaluation of domain randomness in periodically poled lithium niobate by diffraction noise measurement.

    PubMed

    Dwivedi, Prashant Povel; Choi, Hee Joo; Kim, Byoung Joo; Cha, Myoungsik

    2013-12-16

    Random duty-cycle errors (RDE) in ferroelectric quasi-phase-matching (QPM) devices not only affect the frequency conversion efficiency, but also generate non-phase-matched parasitic noise that can be detrimental to some applications. We demonstrate an accurate but simple method for measuring the RDE in periodically poled lithium niobate. Due to the equivalence between the undepleted harmonic generation spectrum and the diffraction pattern from the QPM grating, we employed linear diffraction measurement which is much simpler than tunable harmonic generation experiments [J. S. Pelc, et al., Opt. Lett.36, 864-866 (2011)]. As a result, we could relate the RDE for the QPM device to the relative noise intensity between the diffraction orders.

  19. Total-scattering pair-distribution function of organic material from powder electron diffraction data.

    PubMed

    Gorelik, Tatiana E; Schmidt, Martin U; Kolb, Ute; Billinge, Simon J L

    2015-04-01

    This paper shows that pair-distribution function (PDF) analyses can be carried out on organic and organometallic compounds from powder electron diffraction data. Different experimental setups are demonstrated, including selected area electron diffraction and nanodiffraction in transmission electron microscopy or nanodiffraction in scanning transmission electron microscopy modes. The methods were demonstrated on organometallic complexes (chlorinated and unchlorinated copper phthalocyanine) and on purely organic compounds (quinacridone). The PDF curves from powder electron diffraction data, called ePDF, are in good agreement with PDF curves determined from X-ray powder data demonstrating that the problems of obtaining kinematical scattering data and avoiding beam damage of the sample are possible to resolve.

  20. Coherent x-ray zoom condenser lens for diffractive and scanning microscopy.

    PubMed

    Kimura, Takashi; Matsuyama, Satoshi; Yamauchi, Kazuto; Nishino, Yoshinori

    2013-04-22

    We propose a coherent x-ray zoom condenser lens composed of two-stage deformable Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors. The lens delivers coherent x-rays with a controllable beam size, from one micrometer to a few tens of nanometers, at a fixed focal position. The lens is suitable for diffractive and scanning microscopy. We also propose non-scanning coherent diffraction microscopy for extended objects by using an apodized focused beam produced by the lens with a spatial filter. The proposed apodized-illumination method will be useful in highly efficient imaging with ultimate storage ring sources, and will also open the way to single-shot coherent diffraction microscopy of extended objects with x-ray free-electron lasers.

  1. Analysis of XFEL serial diffraction data from individual crystalline fibrils

    PubMed Central

    Wojtas, David H.; Ayyer, Kartik; Liang, Mengning; Mossou, Estelle; Romoli, Filippo; Seuring, Carolin; Beyerlein, Kenneth R.; Bean, Richard J.; Morgan, Andrew J.; Oberthuer, Dominik; Fleckenstein, Holger; Heymann, Michael; Gati, Cornelius; Yefanov, Oleksandr; Barthelmess, Miriam; Ornithopoulou, Eirini; Galli, Lorenzo; Xavier, P. Lourdu; Ling, Wai Li; Frank, Matthias; Yoon, Chun Hong; White, Thomas A.; Bajt, Saša; Mitraki, Anna; Boutet, Sebastien; Aquila, Andrew; Barty, Anton; Forsyth, V. Trevor; Chapman, Henry N.; Millane, Rick P.

    2017-01-01

    Serial diffraction data collected at the Linac Coherent Light Source from crystalline amyloid fibrils delivered in a liquid jet show that the fibrils are well oriented in the jet. At low fibril concentrations, diffraction patterns are recorded from single fibrils; these patterns are weak and contain only a few reflections. Methods are developed for determining the orientation of patterns in reciprocal space and merging them in three dimensions. This allows the individual structure amplitudes to be calculated, thus overcoming the limitations of orientation and cylindrical averaging in conventional fibre diffraction analysis. The advantages of this technique should allow structural studies of fibrous systems in biology that are inaccessible using existing techniques. PMID:29123682

  2. Coherent diffraction surface imaging in reflection geometry.

    PubMed

    Marathe, Shashidhara; Kim, S S; Kim, S N; Kim, Chan; Kang, H C; Nickles, P V; Noh, D Y

    2010-03-29

    We present a reflection based coherent diffraction imaging method which can be used to reconstruct a non periodic surface image from a diffraction amplitude measured in reflection geometry. Using a He-Ne laser, we demonstrated that a surface image can be reconstructed solely from the reflected intensity from a surface without relying on any prior knowledge of the sample object or the object support. The reconstructed phase image of the exit wave is particularly interesting since it can be used to obtain quantitative information of the surface depth profile or the phase change during the reflection process. We believe that this work will broaden the application areas of coherent diffraction imaging techniques using light sources with limited penetration depth.

  3. Diffraction scattering computed tomography: a window into the structures of complex nanomaterials

    PubMed Central

    Birkbak, M. E.; Leemreize, H.; Frølich, S.; Stock, S. R.

    2015-01-01

    Modern functional nanomaterials and devices are increasingly composed of multiple phases arranged in three dimensions over several length scales. Therefore there is a pressing demand for improved methods for structural characterization of such complex materials. An excellent emerging technique that addresses this problem is diffraction/scattering computed tomography (DSCT). DSCT combines the merits of diffraction and/or small angle scattering with computed tomography to allow imaging the interior of materials based on the diffraction or small angle scattering signals. This allows, e.g., one to distinguish the distributions of polymorphs in complex mixtures. Here we review this technique and give examples of how it can shed light on modern nanoscale materials. PMID:26505175

  4. Diffraction grating strain gauge method: error analysis and its application for the residual stress measurement in thermal barrier coatings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yin, Yuanjie; Fan, Bozhao; He, Wei; Dai, Xianglu; Guo, Baoqiao; Xie, Huimin

    2018-03-01

    Diffraction grating strain gauge (DGSG) is an optical strain measurement method. Based on this method, a six-spot diffraction grating strain gauge (S-DGSG) system has been developed with the advantages of high and adjustable sensitivity, compact structure, and non-contact measurement. In this study, this system is applied for the residual stress measurement in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) combining the hole-drilling method. During the experiment, the specimen’s location is supposed to be reset accurately before and after the hole-drilling, however, it is found that the rigid body displacements from the resetting process could seriously influence the measurement accuracy. In order to understand and eliminate the effects from the rigid body displacements, such as the three-dimensional (3D) rotations and the out-of-plane displacement of the grating, the measurement error of this system is systematically analyzed, and an optimized method is proposed. Moreover, a numerical experiment and a verified tensile test are conducted, and the results verify the applicability of this optimized method successfully. Finally, combining this optimized method, a residual stress measurement experiment is conducted, and the results show that this method can be applied to measure the residual stress in TBCs.

  5. Ambiguities and completeness of SAS data analysis: investigations of apoferritin by SAXS/SANS EID and SEC-SAXS methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zabelskii, D. V.; Vlasov, A. V.; Ryzhykau, Yu L.; Murugova, T. N.; Brennich, M.; Soloviov, D. V.; Ivankov, O. I.; Borshchevskiy, V. I.; Mishin, A. V.; Rogachev, A. V.; Round, A.; Dencher, N. A.; Büldt, G.; Gordeliy, V. I.; Kuklin, A. I.

    2018-03-01

    The method of small angle scattering (SAS) is widely used in the field of biophysical research of proteins in aqueous solutions. Obtaining low-resolution structure of proteins is still a highly valuable method despite the advances in high-resolution methods such as X-ray diffraction, cryo-EM etc. SAS offers the unique possibility to obtain structural information under conditions close to those of functional assays, i.e. in solution, without different additives, in the mg/mL concentration range. SAS method has a long history, but there are still many uncertainties related to data treatment. We compared 1D SAS profiles of apoferritin obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and SAS methods. It is shown that SAS curves for X-ray diffraction crystallographic structure of apoferritin differ more significantly than it might be expected due to the resolution of the SAS instrument. Extrapolation to infinite dilution (EID) method does not sufficiently exclude dimerization and oligomerization effects and therefore could not guarantee total absence of dimers account in the final SAS curve. In this study, we show that EID SAXS, EID SANS and SEC-SAXS methods give complementary results and when they are used all together, it allows obtaining the most accurate results and high confidence from SAS data analysis of proteins.

  6. Sound Velocity and Diffraction Intensity Measurements Based on Raman-Nath Theory of the Interaction of Light and Ultrasound

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neeson, John F.; Austin, Stephen

    1975-01-01

    Describes a method for the measurement of the velocity of sound in various liquids based on the Raman-Nath theory of light-sound interaction. Utilizes an analog computer program to calculate the intensity of light scattered into various diffraction orders. (CP)

  7. Device and method for creating Gaussian aberration-corrected electron beams

    DOEpatents

    McMorran, Benjamin; Linck, Martin

    2016-01-19

    Electron beam phase gratings have phase profiles that produce a diffracted beam having a Gaussian or other selected intensity profile. Phase profiles can also be selected to correct or compensate electron lens aberrations. Typically, a low diffraction order produces a suitable phase profile, and other orders are discarded.

  8. THE EFFECT OF SATELLITE LINES FROM THE X-RAY SOURCE ON X-RAY DIFFRACTION PEAKS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The article discusses the development of a method for relating reactivity to crystallite size and strain parameters obtained by the Warren-Averbach technique. EPA has been using crystallite size and strain data obtained from x-ray diffraction (XRD) peak profile analysis to predic...

  9. Fourier Transforms Simplified: Computing an Infrared Spectrum from an Interferogram

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanley, Quentin S.

    2012-01-01

    Fourier transforms are used widely in chemistry and allied sciences. Examples include infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectroscopies. A thorough understanding of Fourier methods assists the understanding of microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and diffraction gratings. The theory of Fourier transforms has been presented in this "Journal",…

  10. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhao, Haishuang; Krysiak, Yaşar; Hoffmann, Kristin

    The crystal structure and disorder phenomena of Al{sub 4}B{sub 2}O{sub 9}, an aluminum borate from the mullite-type family, were studied using automated diffraction tomography (ADT), a recently established method for collection and analysis of electron diffraction data. Al{sub 4}B{sub 2}O{sub 9}, prepared by sol-gel approach, crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/m. The ab initio structure determination based on three-dimensional electron diffraction data from single ordered crystals reveals that edge-connected AlO{sub 6} octahedra expanding along the b axis constitute the backbone. The ordered structure (A) was confirmed by TEM and HAADF-STEM images. Furthermore, disordered crystals with diffuse scattering along themore » b axis are observed. Analysis of the modulation pattern implies a mean superstructure (AAB) with a threefold b axis, where B corresponds to an A layer shifted by ½a and ½c. Diffraction patterns simulated for the AAB sequence including additional stacking disorder are in good agreement with experimental electron diffraction patterns. - Graphical abstract: Crystal structure and disorder phenomena of B-rich Al{sub 4}B{sub 2}O{sub 9} studied by automated electron diffraction tomography (ADT) and described by diffraction simulation using DISCUS. - Highlights: • Ab-initio structure solution by electron diffraction from single nanocrystals. • Detected modulation corresponding mainly to three-fold superstructure. • Diffuse diffraction streaks caused by stacking faults in disordered crystals. • Observed streaks explained by simulated electron diffraction patterns.« less

  11. Investigation of Next-Generation Earth Radiation Budget Radiometry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Coffey, Katherine L.; Mahan, J. R.

    1999-01-01

    The current effort addresses two issues important to the research conducted by the Thermal Radiation Group at Virginia Tech. The first research topic involves the development of a method which can properly model the diffraction of radiation as it enters an instrument aperture. The second topic involves the study of a potential next-generation space-borne radiometric instrument concept. Presented are multiple modeling efforts to describe the diffraction of monochromatic radiant energy passing through an aperture for use in the Monte-Carlo ray-trace environment. Described in detail is a deterministic model based upon Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and the particle theory of light. This method is applicable to either Fraunhofer or Fresnel diffraction situations, but is incapable of predicting the secondary fringes in a diffraction pattern. Also presented is a second diffraction model, based on the Huygens-Fresnel principle with a correcting obliquity factor. This model is useful for predicting Fraunhofer diffraction, and can predict the secondary fringes because it keeps track of phase. NASA is planning for the next-generation of instruments to follow CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System), an instrument which measures components of the Earth's radiant energy budget in three spectral bands. A potential next-generation concept involves modification of the current CERES instrument to measure in a larger number of wavelength bands. This increased spectral partitioning would be achieved by the addition of filters and detectors to the current CERES geometry. The capacity of the CERES telescope to serve for this purpose is addressed in this thesis.

  12. AIC-based diffraction stacking for local earthquake locations at the Sumatran Fault (Indonesia)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hendriyana, Andri; Bauer, Klaus; Muksin, Umar; Weber, Michael

    2018-05-01

    We present a new workflow for the localization of seismic events which is based on a diffraction stacking approach. In order to address the effects from complex source radiation patterns, we suggest to compute diffraction stacking from a characteristic function (CF) instead of stacking the original waveform data. A new CF, which is called in the following mAIC (modified from Akaike Information Criterion) is proposed. We demonstrate that both P- and S-wave onsets can be detected accurately. To avoid cross-talk between P and S waves due to inaccurate velocity models, we separate the P and S waves from the mAIC function by making use of polarization attributes. Then, the final image function is represented by the largest eigenvalue as a result of the covariance analysis between P- and S-image functions. Results from synthetic experiments show that the proposed diffraction stacking provides reliable results. The workflow of the diffraction stacking method was finally applied to local earthquake data from Sumatra, Indonesia. Recordings from a temporary network of 42 stations deployed for nine months around the Tarutung pull-apart basin were analysed. The seismic event locations resulting from the diffraction stacking method align along a segment of the Sumatran Fault. A more complex distribution of seismicity is imaged within and around the Tarutung basin. Two lineaments striking N-S were found in the centre of the Tarutung basin which support independent results from structural geology.

  13. Novel Perspectives on the Characterization of Species-Dependent Optical Signatures of Bacterial Colonies by Digital Holography.

    PubMed

    Buzalewicz, Igor; Kujawińska, Małgorzata; Krauze, Wojciech; Podbielska, Halina

    2016-01-01

    The use of light diffraction for the microbiological diagnosis of bacterial colonies was a significant breakthrough with widespread implications for the food industry and clinical practice. We previously confirmed that optical sensors for bacterial colony light diffraction can be used for bacterial identification. This paper is focused on the novel perspectives of this method based on digital in-line holography (DIH), which is able to reconstruct the amplitude and phase properties of examined objects, as well as the amplitude and phase patterns of the optical field scattered/diffracted by the bacterial colony in any chosen observation plane behind the object from single digital hologram. Analysis of the amplitude and phase patterns inside a colony revealed its unique optical properties, which are associated with the internal structure and geometry of the bacterial colony. Moreover, on a computational level, it is possible to select the desired scattered/diffracted pattern within the entire observation volume that exhibits the largest amount of unique, differentiating bacterial features. These properties distinguish this method from the already proposed sensing techniques based on light diffraction/scattering of bacterial colonies. The reconstructed diffraction patterns have a similar spatial distribution as the recorded Fresnel patterns, previously applied for bacterial identification with over 98% accuracy, but they are characterized by both intensity and phase distributions. Our results using digital holography provide new optical discriminators of bacterial species revealed in one single step in form of new optical signatures of bacterial colonies: digital holograms, reconstructed amplitude and phase patterns, as well as diffraction patterns from all observation space, which exhibit species-dependent features. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on bacterial colony analysis via digital holography and our study represents an innovative approach to the subject.

  14. Novel Perspectives on the Characterization of Species-Dependent Optical Signatures of Bacterial Colonies by Digital Holography

    PubMed Central

    Buzalewicz, Igor; Kujawińska, Małgorzata; Krauze, Wojciech; Podbielska, Halina

    2016-01-01

    The use of light diffraction for the microbiological diagnosis of bacterial colonies was a significant breakthrough with widespread implications for the food industry and clinical practice. We previously confirmed that optical sensors for bacterial colony light diffraction can be used for bacterial identification. This paper is focused on the novel perspectives of this method based on digital in-line holography (DIH), which is able to reconstruct the amplitude and phase properties of examined objects, as well as the amplitude and phase patterns of the optical field scattered/diffracted by the bacterial colony in any chosen observation plane behind the object from single digital hologram. Analysis of the amplitude and phase patterns inside a colony revealed its unique optical properties, which are associated with the internal structure and geometry of the bacterial colony. Moreover, on a computational level, it is possible to select the desired scattered/diffracted pattern within the entire observation volume that exhibits the largest amount of unique, differentiating bacterial features. These properties distinguish this method from the already proposed sensing techniques based on light diffraction/scattering of bacterial colonies. The reconstructed diffraction patterns have a similar spatial distribution as the recorded Fresnel patterns, previously applied for bacterial identification with over 98% accuracy, but they are characterized by both intensity and phase distributions. Our results using digital holography provide new optical discriminators of bacterial species revealed in one single step in form of new optical signatures of bacterial colonies: digital holograms, reconstructed amplitude and phase patterns, as well as diffraction patterns from all observation space, which exhibit species-dependent features. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on bacterial colony analysis via digital holography and our study represents an innovative approach to the subject. PMID:26943121

  15. Readout signals calculated for near-field optical pickups with land and groove recording.

    PubMed

    Saito, K; Kishima, K; Ichimura, I

    2000-08-10

    Optical disk readout signals with a solid immersion lens (SIL) and the land-groove recording technique are calculated by use of a simplified vector-diffraction theory. In this method the full vector-diffraction theory is applied to calculate the diffracted light from the initial state of the disk, and the light scattered from the recorded marks is regarded as a perturbation. Using this method, we confirmed that the land-groove recording technique is effective as a means of cross-talk reduction even when the numerical aperture is more than 1. However, the top surface of the disk under the SIL must be flat, or the readout signal from marks recorded on a groove decays when the optical depth of the groove is greater than lambda/8.

  16. Method for detecting a mass density image of an object

    DOEpatents

    Wernick, Miles N [Chicago, IL; Yang, Yongyi [Westmont, IL

    2008-12-23

    A method for detecting a mass density image of an object. An x-ray beam is transmitted through the object and a transmitted beam is emitted from the object. The transmitted beam is directed at an angle of incidence upon a crystal analyzer. A diffracted beam is emitted from the crystal analyzer onto a detector and digitized. A first image of the object is detected from the diffracted beam emitted from the crystal analyzer when positioned at a first angular position. A second image of the object is detected from the diffracted beam emitted from the crystal analyzer when positioned at a second angular position. A refraction image is obtained and a regularized mathematical inversion algorithm is applied to the refraction image to obtain a mass density image.

  17. Indexing amyloid peptide diffraction from serial femtosecond crystallography: new algorithms for sparse patterns

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brewster, Aaron S.; Sawaya, Michael R.; University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1570

    2015-02-01

    Special methods are required to interpret sparse diffraction patterns collected from peptide crystals at X-ray free-electron lasers. Bragg spots can be indexed from composite-image powder rings, with crystal orientations then deduced from a very limited number of spot positions. Still diffraction patterns from peptide nanocrystals with small unit cells are challenging to index using conventional methods owing to the limited number of spots and the lack of crystal orientation information for individual images. New indexing algorithms have been developed as part of the Computational Crystallography Toolbox (cctbx) to overcome these challenges. Accurate unit-cell information derived from an aggregate data setmore » from thousands of diffraction patterns can be used to determine a crystal orientation matrix for individual images with as few as five reflections. These algorithms are potentially applicable not only to amyloid peptides but also to any set of diffraction patterns with sparse properties, such as low-resolution virus structures or high-throughput screening of still images captured by raster-scanning at synchrotron sources. As a proof of concept for this technique, successful integration of X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) data to 2.5 Å resolution for the amyloid segment GNNQQNY from the Sup35 yeast prion is presented.« less

  18. Diffraction Seismic Imaging of the Chalk Group Reservoir Rocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Montazeri, M.; Fomel, S.; Nielsen, L.

    2016-12-01

    In this study we investigate seismic diffracted waves instead of seismic reflected waves, which are usually much stronger and carry most of the information regarding subsurface structures. The goal of this study is to improve imaging of small subsurface features such as faults and fractures. Moreover, we focus on the Chalk Group, which contains important groundwater resources onshore and oil and gas reservoirs in the Danish sector of the North Sea. Finding optimum seismic velocity models for the Chalk Group and estimating high-quality stacked sections with conventional processing methods are challenging tasks. Here, we try to filter out as much as possible of undesired arrivals before stacking the seismic data. Further, a plane-wave destruction method is applied on the seismic stack in order to dampen the reflection events and thereby enhance the visibility of the diffraction events. After this initial processing, we estimate the optimum migration velocity using diffraction events in order to obtain a better resolution stack. The results from this study demonstrate how diffraction imaging can be used as an additional tool for improving the images of small-scale features in the Chalk Group reservoir, in particular faults and fractures. Moreover, we discuss the potential of applying this approach in future studies focused on such reservoirs.

  19. Quantitative Imaging of Single Unstained Magnetotactic Bacteria by Coherent X-ray Diffraction Microscopy.

    PubMed

    Fan, Jiadong; Sun, Zhibin; Zhang, Jian; Huang, Qingjie; Yao, Shengkun; Zong, Yunbing; Kohmura, Yoshiki; Ishikawa, Tetsuya; Liu, Hong; Jiang, Huaidong

    2015-06-16

    Novel coherent diffraction microscopy provides a powerful lensless imaging method to obtain a better understanding of the microorganism at the nanoscale. Here we demonstrated quantitative imaging of intact unstained magnetotactic bacteria using coherent X-ray diffraction microscopy combined with an iterative phase retrieval algorithm. Although the signal-to-noise ratio of the X-ray diffraction pattern from single magnetotactic bacterium is weak due to low-scattering ability of biomaterials, an 18.6 nm half-period resolution of reconstructed image was achieved by using a hybrid input-output phase retrieval algorithm. On the basis of the quantitative reconstructed images, the morphology and some intracellular structures, such as nucleoid, polyβ-hydroxybutyrate granules, and magnetosomes, were identified, which were also confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. With the benefit from the quantifiability of coherent diffraction imaging, for the first time to our knowledge, an average density of magnetotactic bacteria was calculated to be ∼1.19 g/cm(3). This technique has a wide range of applications, especially in quantitative imaging of low-scattering biomaterials and multicomponent materials at nanoscale resolution. Combined with the cryogenic technique or X-ray free electron lasers, the method could image cells in a hydrated condition, which helps to maintain their natural structure.

  20. Absorption and scattering of light by nonspherical particles. [in atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bohren, C. F.

    1986-01-01

    Using the example of the polarization of scattered light, it is shown that the scattering matrices for identical, randomly ordered particles and for spherical particles are unequal. The spherical assumptions of Mie theory are therefore inconsistent with the random shapes and sizes of atmospheric particulates. The implications for corrections made to extinction measurements of forward scattering light are discussed. Several analytical methods are examined as potential bases for developing more accurate models, including Rayleigh theory, Fraunhoffer Diffraction theory, anomalous diffraction theory, Rayleigh-Gans theory, the separation of variables technique, the Purcell-Pennypacker method, the T-matrix method, and finite difference calculations.

  1. Growth of single crystalline delafossite LaCuO2 by the travelling-solvent floating zone method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohan, A.; Büchner, B.; Wurmehl, S.; Hess, C.

    2014-09-01

    Single crystals of LaCuO2 have been grown for the first time using the travelling-solvent floating zone method. The crystal was grown in an Ar-atmosphere by reduction of La2Cu2O5, which was used as the feed rod composition for the growth. The grown crystal has been characterized with regard to phase purity and single crystallinity using powder X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Laue diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.

  2. Structural studies of liquid Co–Sn alloys

    PubMed Central

    Yakymovych, A.; Shtablavyi, I.; Mudry, S.

    2014-01-01

    An analysis of the structure features of liquid Co–Sn alloys has been performed by means of X-ray diffraction method, viscosity coefficient analysis and computer simulation method. The X-ray diffraction investigations were carried out over a wide concentration range at the temperature 1473 K. It was found that the structure of these alloys can be described in the frame of independent X-ray scattering model. The viscosity coefficient was calculated by an excess entropy scaling and compared with experimental data. PMID:25328282

  3. Quantitative determination of mineral composition by powder x-ray diffraction

    DOEpatents

    Pawloski, G.A.

    1984-08-10

    An external standard intensity ratio method is used for quantitatively determining mineralogic compositions of samples by x-ray diffraction. The method uses ratios of x-ray intensity peaks from a single run. Constants are previously determined for each mineral which is to be quantitatively measured. Ratios of the highest intensity peak of each mineral to be quantified in the sample and the highest intensity peak of a reference mineral contained in the sample are used to calculate sample composition.

  4. Quantitative determination of mineral composition by powder X-ray diffraction

    DOEpatents

    Pawloski, Gayle A.

    1986-01-01

    An external standard intensity ratio method is used for quantitatively determining mineralogic compositions of samples by x-ray diffraction. The method uses ratios of x-ray intensity peaks from a single run. Constants are previously determined for each mineral which is to be quantitatively measured. Ratios of the highest intensity peak of each mineral to be quantified in the sample and the highest intensity peak of a reference mineral contained in the sample are used to calculate sample composition.

  5. The potential for the indirect crystal structure verification of methyl glycosides based on acetates' parent structures: GIPAW and solid-state NMR approaches

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Szeleszczuk, Łukasz; Gubica, Tomasz; Zimniak, Andrzej; Pisklak, Dariusz M.; Dąbrowska, Kinga; Cyrański, Michał K.; Kańska, Marianna

    2017-10-01

    A convenient method for the indirect crystal structure verification of methyl glycosides was demonstrated. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction structures for methyl glycoside acetates were deacetylated and subsequently subjected to DFT calculations under periodic boundary conditions. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy served as a guide for calculations. A high level of accuracy of the modelled crystal structures of methyl glycosides was confirmed by comparison with published results of neutron diffraction study using RMSD method.

  6. Automated determination of fibrillar structures by simultaneous model building and fiber diffraction refinement.

    PubMed

    Potrzebowski, Wojciech; André, Ingemar

    2015-07-01

    For highly oriented fibrillar molecules, three-dimensional structures can often be determined from X-ray fiber diffraction data. However, because of limited information content, structure determination and validation can be challenging. We demonstrate that automated structure determination of protein fibers can be achieved by guiding the building of macromolecular models with fiber diffraction data. We illustrate the power of our approach by determining the structures of six bacteriophage viruses de novo using fiber diffraction data alone and together with solid-state NMR data. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility of molecular replacement from monomeric and fibrillar templates by solving the structure of a plant virus using homology modeling and protein-protein docking. The generated models explain the experimental data to the same degree as deposited reference structures but with improved structural quality. We also developed a cross-validation method for model selection. The results highlight the power of fiber diffraction data as structural constraints.

  7. Farbrication of diffractive optical elements on a Si chip by an imprint lithography using nonsymmetrical silicon mold

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hirai, Yoshihiko; Okano, Masato; Okuno, Takayuki; Toyota, Hiroshi; Yotsuya, Tsutomu; Kikuta, Hisao; Tanaka, Yoshio

    2001-11-01

    Fabrication of a fine diffractive optical element on a Si chip is demonstrated using imprint lithography. A chirped diffraction grating, which has modulated pitched pattern with curved cross section is fabricated by an electron beam lithography, where the exposure dose profile is automatically optimized by computer aided system. Using the resist pattern as an etching mask, anisotropic dry etching is performed to transfer the resist pattern profile to the Si chip. The etched Si substrate is used as a mold in the imprint lithography. The Si mold is pressed to a thin polymer (poly methyl methacrylate) on a Si chip. After releasing the mold, a fine diffractive optical pattern is successfully transferred to the thin polymer. This method is exceedingly useful for fabrication of integrated diffractive optical elements with electric circuits on a Si chip.

  8. Advanced setup for high-pressure and low-temperature neutron diffraction at hydrostatic conditions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lokshin, Konstantin A.; Zhao Yusheng

    2005-06-15

    We describe a design of the experimental setup for neutron diffraction studies at low temperatures and hydrostatic pressure. The significant benefit of the setup, compared to the previous methods, is that it makes possible the simultaneous collection of neutrons diffracted at the 30 deg. -150 deg. range with no contamination by the primary scattering from the sample surroundings and without cutting out the incident and diffracted beams. The suggested design is most useful for third-generation time-of-flight diffractometers and constant wavelength instruments. Application of the setup expands the capabilities of high-pressure neutron diffraction, allowing time-resolved kinetics and structural studies, multihistogram Rietveld,more » and pair distribution function and texture analyses. The high efficiency of the setup was proven for the HIPPO diffractometer at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center under pressures up to 10 kbar and temperatures from 4 to 300 K.« less

  9. Classification and assessment of retrieved electron density maps in coherent X-ray diffraction imaging using multivariate analysis.

    PubMed

    Sekiguchi, Yuki; Oroguchi, Tomotaka; Nakasako, Masayoshi

    2016-01-01

    Coherent X-ray diffraction imaging (CXDI) is one of the techniques used to visualize structures of non-crystalline particles of micrometer to submicrometer size from materials and biological science. In the structural analysis of CXDI, the electron density map of a sample particle can theoretically be reconstructed from a diffraction pattern by using phase-retrieval (PR) algorithms. However, in practice, the reconstruction is difficult because diffraction patterns are affected by Poisson noise and miss data in small-angle regions due to the beam stop and the saturation of detector pixels. In contrast to X-ray protein crystallography, in which the phases of diffracted waves are experimentally estimated, phase retrieval in CXDI relies entirely on the computational procedure driven by the PR algorithms. Thus, objective criteria and methods to assess the accuracy of retrieved electron density maps are necessary in addition to conventional parameters monitoring the convergence of PR calculations. Here, a data analysis scheme, named ASURA, is proposed which selects the most probable electron density maps from a set of maps retrieved from 1000 different random seeds for a diffraction pattern. Each electron density map composed of J pixels is expressed as a point in a J-dimensional space. Principal component analysis is applied to describe characteristics in the distribution of the maps in the J-dimensional space. When the distribution is characterized by a small number of principal components, the distribution is classified using the k-means clustering method. The classified maps are evaluated by several parameters to assess the quality of the maps. Using the proposed scheme, structure analysis of a diffraction pattern from a non-crystalline particle is conducted in two stages: estimation of the overall shape and determination of the fine structure inside the support shape. In each stage, the most accurate and probable density maps are objectively selected. The validity of the proposed scheme is examined by application to diffraction data that were obtained from an aggregate of metal particles and a biological specimen at the XFEL facility SACLA using custom-made diffraction apparatus.

  10. An extended UTD analysis for the scattering and diffraction from cubic polynomial strips

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Constantinides, E. D.; Marhefka, R. J.

    1993-01-01

    Spline and polynomial type surfaces are commonly used in high frequency modeling of complex structures such as aircraft, ships, reflectors, etc. It is therefore of interest to develop an efficient and accurate solution to describe the scattered fields from such surfaces. An extended Uniform Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (UTD) solution for the scattering and diffraction from perfectly conducting cubic polynomial strips is derived and involves the incomplete Airy integrals as canonical functions. This new solution is universal in nature and can be used to effectively describe the scattered fields from flat, strictly concave or convex, and concave convex boundaries containing edges. The classic UTD solution fails to describe the more complicated field behavior associated with higher order phase catastrophes and therefore a new set of uniform reflection and first-order edge diffraction coefficients is derived. Also, an additional diffraction coefficient associated with a zero-curvature (inflection) point is presented. Higher order effects such as double edge diffraction, creeping waves, and whispering gallery modes are not examined. The extended UTD solution is independent of the scatterer size and also provides useful physical insight into the various scattering and diffraction processes. Its accuracy is confirmed via comparison with some reference moment method results.

  11. Overcoming a hemihedral twinning problem in tetrahydrofolate-dependent O -demethylase crystals by the microseeding method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Harada, Ayaka; Sato, Yukari; Kamimura, Naofumi

    2016-11-30

    A tetrahydrofolate-dependentO-demethylase, LigM, fromSphingobiumsp. SYK-6 was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. However, the obtainedP3 121 orP3 221 crystals, which diffracted to 2.5–3.3 Å resolution, were hemihedrally twinned. To overcome the twinning problem, microseeding usingP3 121/P3 221 crystals as microseeds was performed with optimization of the reservoir conditions. As a result, another crystal form was obtained. The newly obtained crystal diffracted to 2.5–3.0 Å resolution and belonged to space groupP2 12 12, with unit-cell parametersa= 102.0,b= 117.3,c= 128.1 Å. TheP2 12 12 crystals diffracted to better than 2.0 Å resolution after optimizing the cryoconditions. Phasing using the single anomalous diffractionmore » method was successful at 3.0 Å resolution with a Pt-derivative crystal. This experience suggested that microseeding is an effective method to overcome the twinning problem, even when twinned crystals are utilized as microseeds.« less

  12. Novel Fourier-domain constraint for fast phase retrieval in coherent diffraction imaging.

    PubMed

    Latychevskaia, Tatiana; Longchamp, Jean-Nicolas; Fink, Hans-Werner

    2011-09-26

    Coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) for visualizing objects at atomic resolution has been realized as a promising tool for imaging single molecules. Drawbacks of CDI are associated with the difficulty of the numerical phase retrieval from experimental diffraction patterns; a fact which stimulated search for better numerical methods and alternative experimental techniques. Common phase retrieval methods are based on iterative procedures which propagate the complex-valued wave between object and detector plane. Constraints in both, the object and the detector plane are applied. While the constraint in the detector plane employed in most phase retrieval methods requires the amplitude of the complex wave to be equal to the squared root of the measured intensity, we propose a novel Fourier-domain constraint, based on an analogy to holography. Our method allows achieving a low-resolution reconstruction already in the first step followed by a high-resolution reconstruction after further steps. In comparison to conventional schemes this Fourier-domain constraint results in a fast and reliable convergence of the iterative reconstruction process. © 2011 Optical Society of America

  13. Design of near-field irregular diffractive optical elements by use of a multiresolution direct binary search method.

    PubMed

    Li, Jia-Han; Webb, Kevin J; Burke, Gerald J; White, Daniel A; Thompson, Charles A

    2006-05-01

    A multiresolution direct binary search iterative procedure is used to design small dielectric irregular diffractive optical elements that have subwavelength features and achieve near-field focusing below the diffraction limit. Designs with a single focus or with two foci, depending on wavelength or polarization, illustrate the possible functionalities available from the large number of degrees of freedom. These examples suggest that the concept of such elements may find applications in near-field lithography, wavelength-division multiplexing, spectral analysis, and polarization beam splitters.

  14. Graphene unit cell imaging by holographic coherent diffraction.

    PubMed

    Longchamp, Jean-Nicolas; Latychevskaia, Tatiana; Escher, Conrad; Fink, Hans-Werner

    2013-06-21

    We have imaged a freestanding graphene sheet of 210 nm in diameter with 2 Å resolution by combining coherent diffraction and holography with low-energy electrons. The entire sheet is reconstructed from a single diffraction pattern displaying the arrangement of 660.000 individual graphene unit cells at once. Given the fact that electrons with kinetic energies of the order of 100 eV do not damage biological molecules, it will now be a matter of developing methods for depositing individual proteins onto such graphene sheets.

  15. Sub-diffraction limit resolution in microscopy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cheng, Ming (Inventor); Chen, Weinong (Inventor)

    2007-01-01

    A method and apparatus for visualizing sub-micron size particles employs a polarizing microscope wherein a focused beam of polarized light is projected onto a target, and a portion of the illuminating light is blocked from reaching the specimen, whereby to produce a shadow region, and projecting diffracted light from the target onto the shadow region.

  16. Thermal phase transition behavior of lipid layers on a single human corneocyte cell.

    PubMed

    Imai, Tomohiro; Nakazawa, Hiromitsu; Kato, Satoru

    2013-09-01

    We have improved the selected area electron diffraction method to analyze the dynamic structural change in a single corneocyte cell non-invasively stripped off from human skin surface. The improved method made it possible to obtain reliable diffraction images to trace the structural change in the intercellular lipid layers on a single corneocyte cell during heating from 24°C to 100°C. Comparison of the results with those of synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments on human stratum corneum sheets revealed that the intercellular lipid layers on a corneocyte cell exhibit essentially the same thermal phase transitions as those in a stratum corneum sheet. These results suggest that the structural features of the lipid layers are well preserved after the mechanical stripping of the corneocyte cell. Moreover, electron diffraction analyses of the thermal phase transition behaviors of the corneocyte cells that had the lipid layers with different distributions of orthorhombic and hexagonal domains at 24°C suggested that small orthorhombic domains interconnected with surrounding hexagonal domains transforms in a continuous manner into new hexagonal domains. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Atomic structure solution of the complex quasicrystal approximant Al77Rh15Ru8 from electron diffraction data.

    PubMed

    Samuha, Shmuel; Mugnaioli, Enrico; Grushko, Benjamin; Kolb, Ute; Meshi, Louisa

    2014-12-01

    The crystal structure of the novel Al77Rh15Ru8 phase (which is an approximant of decagonal quasicrystals) was determined using modern direct methods (MDM) applied to automated electron diffraction tomography (ADT) data. The Al77Rh15Ru8 E-phase is orthorhombic [Pbma, a = 23.40 (5), b = 16.20 (4) and c = 20.00 (5) Å] and has one of the most complicated intermetallic structures solved solely by electron diffraction methods. Its structural model consists of 78 unique atomic positions in the unit cell (19 Rh/Ru and 59 Al). Precession electron diffraction (PED) patterns and high-resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM) images were used for the validation of the proposed atomic model. The structure of the E-phase is described using hierarchical packing of polyhedra and a single type of tiling in the form of a parallelogram. Based on this description, the structure of the E-phase is compared with that of the ε6-phase formed in Al-Rh-Ru at close compositions.

  18. Surface Structure of Bi(111) from Helium Atom Scattering Measurements. Inelastic Close-Coupling Formalism

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Elastic and inelastic close-coupling (CC) calculations have been used to extract information about the corrugation amplitude and the surface vibrational atomic displacement by fitting to several experimental diffraction patterns. To model the three-dimensional interaction between the He atom and the Bi(111) surface under investigation, a corrugated Morse potential has been assumed. Two different types of calculations are used to obtain theoretical diffraction intensities at three surface temperatures along the two symmetry directions. Type one consists of solving the elastic CC (eCC) and attenuating the corresponding diffraction intensities by a global Debye–Waller (DW) factor. The second one, within a unitary theory, is derived from merely solving the inelastic CC (iCC) equations, where no DW factor is necessary to include. While both methods arrive at similar predictions for the peak-to-peak corrugation value, the variance of the value obtained by the iCC method is much better. Furthermore, the more extensive calculation is better suited to model the temperature induced signal asymmetries and renders the inclusion for a second Debye temperature for the diffraction peaks futile. PMID:26257838

  19. Method of Generating X-Ray Diffraction Data for Integral Detection of Twin Defects in Super-Hetero-Epitaxial Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor); Choi, Sang Hyouk (Inventor); King, Glen C. (Inventor); Elliott, James R. (Inventor)

    2009-01-01

    A method provides X-ray diffraction (XRD) data suitable for integral detection of a twin defect in a strained or lattice-matched epitaxial material made from components having crystal structures having symme try belonging to different space groups. The material is mounted in a n X-ray diffraction (XRD) system. In one embodiment, the XRD system's goniometer angle Omega is set equal to (Theta(sub B)-Beta) where The ta(sub B) is a Bragg angle for a designated crystal plane of the allo y that is disposed at a non-perpendicular orientation with respect to the {111) crystal plane, and Beta is the angle between the designate d crystal plane and a { 111 } crystal plane of one of the epitaxial components. The XRD system's detector angle is set equal to (Theta(su b B)+Beta). The material can be rotated through an angle of azimuthal rotation Phi about the axis aligned with the material. Using the det ector, the intensity of the X-ray diffraction is recorded at least at the angle at which the twin defect occurs.

  20. A wavelet transform algorithm for peak detection and application to powder x-ray diffraction data.

    PubMed

    Gregoire, John M; Dale, Darren; van Dover, R Bruce

    2011-01-01

    Peak detection is ubiquitous in the analysis of spectral data. While many noise-filtering algorithms and peak identification algorithms have been developed, recent work [P. Du, W. Kibbe, and S. Lin, Bioinformatics 22, 2059 (2006); A. Wee, D. Grayden, Y. Zhu, K. Petkovic-Duran, and D. Smith, Electrophoresis 29, 4215 (2008)] has demonstrated that both of these tasks are efficiently performed through analysis of the wavelet transform of the data. In this paper, we present a wavelet-based peak detection algorithm with user-defined parameters that can be readily applied to the application of any spectral data. Particular attention is given to the algorithm's resolution of overlapping peaks. The algorithm is implemented for the analysis of powder diffraction data, and successful detection of Bragg peaks is demonstrated for both low signal-to-noise data from theta-theta diffraction of nanoparticles and combinatorial x-ray diffraction data from a composition spread thin film. These datasets have different types of background signals which are effectively removed in the wavelet-based method, and the results demonstrate that the algorithm provides a robust method for automated peak detection.

  1. Determination of a Two-Phase Structure of Nanocrystals: GaN and SiC

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palosz, W.; Grzanka, E.; Gierlotka, S.; Stelmakh, S.; Pielaszek, R.; Lojkowski, W.; Bismayer, U.; Neuefeind, J.; Weber, H.-P.; Janik, J. F.; hide

    2001-01-01

    The properties of nano-crystalline materials are critically dependent on the structure of the constituent grains. Experimental conditions necessary to perform structural analysis of nanocrystalline materials as a two-phase core-surface shell system are discussed. It is shown, that a standard X-ray diffraction measurements and analysis are insufficient and may lead to incorrect conclusions as to the real structure of the materials. A new method of evaluation of powder diffraction data based on the analysis of the shift of the Bragg reflections from their perfect-lattice positions was developed. "Apparent lattice parameters" quantity, alp, was introduced and calculated from the actual positions of each individual Bragg reflection. The alp values plotted versus diffraction vector (Q) show characteristic features that are used for evaluation of the experimental results. The study was based on modeling of nano-grains and simulations of theoretical intensity profiles using the Debye functions. The method was applied to the analysis of synchrotron X-ray diffraction data of GaN and SiC nanocrystals. A presence of strained surface shell and a considerable internal pressure (GaN) in the nanoparticles was concluded.

  2. White-light diffraction phase microscopy at doubled space-bandwidth product.

    PubMed

    Shan, Mingguang; Kandel, Mikhail E; Majeed, Hassaan; Nastasa, Viorel; Popescu, Gabriel

    2016-12-12

    White light diffraction microscopy (wDPM) is a quantitative phase imaging method that benefits from both temporal and spatial phase sensitivity, granted, respectively, by the common-path geometry and white light illumination. However, like all off-axis quantitative phase imaging methods, wDPM is characterized by a reduced space-bandwidth product compared to phase shifting approaches. This happens essentially because the ultimate resolution of the image is governed by the period of the interferogram and not just the diffraction limit. As a result, off-axis techniques generates single-shot, i.e., high time-bandwidth, phase measurements, at the expense of either spatial resolution or field of view. Here, we show that combining phase-shifting and off-axis, the original space-bandwidth is preserved. Specifically, we developed phase-shifting diffraction phase microscopy with white light, in which we measure and combine two phase shifted interferograms. Due to the white light illumination, the phase images are characterized by low spatial noise, i.e., <1nm pathlength. We illustrate the operation of the instrument with test samples, blood cells, and unlabeled prostate tissue biopsy.

  3. Multifocus microscopy with precise color multi-phase diffractive optics applied in functional neuronal imaging.

    PubMed

    Abrahamsson, Sara; Ilic, Rob; Wisniewski, Jan; Mehl, Brian; Yu, Liya; Chen, Lei; Davanco, Marcelo; Oudjedi, Laura; Fiche, Jean-Bernard; Hajj, Bassam; Jin, Xin; Pulupa, Joan; Cho, Christine; Mir, Mustafa; El Beheiry, Mohamed; Darzacq, Xavier; Nollmann, Marcelo; Dahan, Maxime; Wu, Carl; Lionnet, Timothée; Liddle, J Alexander; Bargmann, Cornelia I

    2016-03-01

    Multifocus microscopy (MFM) allows high-resolution instantaneous three-dimensional (3D) imaging and has been applied to study biological specimens ranging from single molecules inside cells nuclei to entire embryos. We here describe pattern designs and nanofabrication methods for diffractive optics that optimize the light-efficiency of the central optical component of MFM: the diffractive multifocus grating (MFG). We also implement a "precise color" MFM layout with MFGs tailored to individual fluorophores in separate optical arms. The reported advancements enable faster and brighter volumetric time-lapse imaging of biological samples. In live microscopy applications, photon budget is a critical parameter and light-efficiency must be optimized to obtain the fastest possible frame rate while minimizing photodamage. We provide comprehensive descriptions and code for designing diffractive optical devices, and a detailed methods description for nanofabrication of devices. Theoretical efficiencies of reported designs is ≈90% and we have obtained efficiencies of > 80% in MFGs of our own manufacture. We demonstrate the performance of a multi-phase MFG in 3D functional neuronal imaging in living C. elegans.

  4. Application of holographic sub-wavelength diffraction gratings for monitoring of kinetics of bioprocesses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tamulevičius, Tomas; Šeperys, Rimas; Andrulevičius, Mindaugas; Kopustinskas, Vitoldas; Meškinis, Šarūnas; Tamulevičius, Sigitas; Mikalayeva, Valeryia; Daugelavičius, Rimantas

    2012-09-01

    In this work we present a refractive index (RI) sensor based on a sub-wavelength holographic diffraction grating. The sensor chip was fabricated by dry etching of the finely spaced (d = 428 nm) diffraction grating in SiOx doped diamond like carbon (DLC) film. It is shown that employing a fabricated sensor chip, and using the proposed method of analysis of data, one can inspect kinetics of processes in liquids occurring in the vicinity of the grating surface. The method is based on the spectral composition analysis of polarized polychromatic light reflected from the sub-wavelength diffraction grating. The RI measurement system was tested with different model liquid analytes including 25 wt.%, 50 wt.% sugar water solutions, 10 °C, 50 °C distilled water, also Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis interaction with ion-permeable channels forming antibiotic gramicidin D and a murolytic enzyme lysozyme. Analysis of the data set of specular reflection spectra enabled us to follow the kinetics of the RI changes in the analyte with millisecond resolution. Detectable changes in the effective RI were not worse than Δn = 10-4.

  5. Complete elliptical ring geometry provides energy and instrument calibration for synchrotron-based two-dimensional X-ray diffraction

    PubMed Central

    Hart, Michael L.; Drakopoulos, Michael; Reinhard, Christina; Connolley, Thomas

    2013-01-01

    A complete calibration method to characterize a static planar two-dimensional detector for use in X-ray diffraction at an arbitrary wavelength is described. This method is based upon geometry describing the point of intersection between a cone’s axis and its elliptical conic section. This point of intersection is neither the ellipse centre nor one of the ellipse focal points, but some other point which lies in between. The presented solution is closed form, algebraic and non-iterative in its application, and gives values for the X-ray beam energy, the sample-to-detector distance, the location of the beam centre on the detector surface and the detector tilt relative to the incident beam. Previous techniques have tended to require prior knowledge of either the X-ray beam energy or the sample-to-detector distance, whilst other techniques have been iterative. The new calibration procedure is performed by collecting diffraction data, in the form of diffraction rings from a powder standard, at known displacements of the detector along the beam path. PMID:24068840

  6. Synthesis of cerium oxide (CeO 2) by co-precipitation for application as a reference material for X-ray powder diffraction peak widths

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    de Lima Batista, Anderson Márcio; Miranda, Marcus Aurélio Ribeiro; Martins, Fátima Itana Chaves Custódio

    Several methods can be used to obtain, from powder diffraction patterns, crystallite size and lattice strain of polycrystalline samples. Some examples are the Scherrer equation, Williamson–Hall plots, Warren/Averbach Fourier decomposition, Whole Powder Pattern Modeling, and Debye function analysis. To apply some of these methods, it is necessary to remove the contribution of the instrument to the widths of the diffraction peaks. Nowadays, one of the main samples used for this purpose is the LaB6 SRM660b commercialized by the National Institute of Standard Technology; the width of the diffraction peak of this sample is caused only by the instrumental apparatus. However,more » this sample can be expensive for researchers in developing countries. In this work, the authors present a simple route to obtain micron-sized polycrystalline CeO 2that have a full width at half maximum comparable with the SRM660b and therefore it can be used to remove instrumental broadening.« less

  7. Analysis of XFEL serial diffraction data from individual crystalline fibrils

    DOE PAGES

    Wojtas, David H.; Ayyer, Kartik; Liang, Mengning; ...

    2017-10-20

    Serial diffraction data collected at the Linac Coherent Light Source from crystalline amyloid fibrils delivered in a liquid jet show that the fibrils are well oriented in the jet. At low fibril concentrations, diffraction patterns are recorded from single fibrils; these patterns are weak and contain only a few reflections. Methods are developed for determining the orientation of patterns in reciprocal space and merging them in three dimensions. This allows the individual structure amplitudes to be calculated, thus overcoming the limitations of orientation and cylindrical averaging in conventional fibre diffraction analysis. In conclusion, the advantages of this technique should allowmore » structural studies of fibrous systems in biology that are inaccessible using existing techniques.« less

  8. Analysis of XFEL serial diffraction data from individual crystalline fibrils

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wojtas, David H.; Ayyer, Kartik; Liang, Mengning

    Serial diffraction data collected at the Linac Coherent Light Source from crystalline amyloid fibrils delivered in a liquid jet show that the fibrils are well oriented in the jet. At low fibril concentrations, diffraction patterns are recorded from single fibrils; these patterns are weak and contain only a few reflections. Methods are developed for determining the orientation of patterns in reciprocal space and merging them in three dimensions. This allows the individual structure amplitudes to be calculated, thus overcoming the limitations of orientation and cylindrical averaging in conventional fibre diffraction analysis. In conclusion, the advantages of this technique should allowmore » structural studies of fibrous systems in biology that are inaccessible using existing techniques.« less

  9. Theoretical model of a polarization diffractive elements for the light beams conversion holographic formation in PDLCs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharangovich, Sergey N.; Semkin, Artem O.

    2017-12-01

    In this work a theoretical model of the holographic formation of the polarization diffractive optical elements for the transformation of Gaussian light beams into Bessel-like ones in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC) is developed. The model is based on solving the equations of photo-induced Fredericks transition processes for polarization diffractive elements formation by orthogonally polarized light beams with inhomogeneous amplitude and phase profiles. The results of numerical simulation of the material's dielectric tensor changing due to the structure's formation process are presented for various recording beams' polarization states. Based on the results of numerical simulation, the ability to form the diffractive optical elements for light beams transformation by the polarization holography methods is shown.

  10. Total-scattering pair-distribution function of organic material from powder electron diffraction data

    DOE PAGES

    Gorelik, Tatiana E.; Billinge, Simon J. L.; Schmidt, Martin U.; ...

    2015-04-01

    This paper shows for the first time that pair-distribution function analyses can be carried out on organic and organo-metallic compounds from powder electron diffraction data. Different experimental setups are demonstrated, including selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and nanodiffraction in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) or nanodiffraction in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) modes. The methods were demonstrated on organo-metallic complexes (chlorinated and unchlorinated copper-phthalocyanine) and on purely organic compounds (quinacridone). The PDF curves from powder electron diffraction data, called ePDF, are in good agreement with PDF curves determined from X-ray powder data demonstrating that the problems of obtaining kinematical scattering datamore » and avoiding beam-damage of the sample are possible to resolve.« less

  11. Reflections in computer modeling of rooms: Current approaches and possible extensions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Svensson, U. Peter

    2005-09-01

    Computer modeling of rooms is most commonly done by some calculation technique that is based on decomposing the sound field into separate reflection components. In a first step, a list of possible reflection paths is found and in a second step, an impulse response is constructed from the list of reflections. Alternatively, the list of reflections is used for generating a simpler echogram, the energy decay as function of time. A number of geometrical acoustics-based methods can handle specular reflections, diffuse reflections, edge diffraction, curved surfaces, and locally/non-locally reacting surfaces to various degrees. This presentation gives an overview of how reflections are handled in the image source method and variants of the ray-tracing methods, which are dominating today in commercial software, as well as in the radiosity method and edge diffraction methods. The use of the recently standardized scattering and diffusion coefficients of surfaces is discussed. Possibilities for combining edge diffraction, surface scattering, and impedance boundaries are demonstrated for an example surface. Finally, the number of reflection paths becomes prohibitively high when all such combinations are included as demonstrated for a simple concert hall model. [Work supported by the Acoustic Research Centre through NFR, Norway.

  12. New methods for indexing multi-lattice diffraction data

    PubMed Central

    Gildea, Richard J.; Waterman, David G.; Parkhurst, James M.; Axford, Danny; Sutton, Geoff; Stuart, David I.; Sauter, Nicholas K.; Evans, Gwyndaf; Winter, Graeme

    2014-01-01

    A new indexing method is presented which is capable of indexing multiple crystal lattices from narrow wedges of diffraction data. The method takes advantage of a simplification of Fourier transform-based methods that is applicable when the unit-cell dimensions are known a priori. The efficacy of this method is demonstrated with both semi-synthetic multi-lattice data and real multi-lattice data recorded from crystals of ∼1 µm in size, where it is shown that up to six lattices can be successfully indexed and subsequently integrated from a 1° wedge of data. Analysis is presented which shows that improvements in data-quality indicators can be obtained through accurate identification and rejection of overlapping reflections prior to scaling. PMID:25286849

  13. New methods for indexing multi-lattice diffraction data.

    PubMed

    Gildea, Richard J; Waterman, David G; Parkhurst, James M; Axford, Danny; Sutton, Geoff; Stuart, David I; Sauter, Nicholas K; Evans, Gwyndaf; Winter, Graeme

    2014-10-01

    A new indexing method is presented which is capable of indexing multiple crystal lattices from narrow wedges of diffraction data. The method takes advantage of a simplification of Fourier transform-based methods that is applicable when the unit-cell dimensions are known a priori. The efficacy of this method is demonstrated with both semi-synthetic multi-lattice data and real multi-lattice data recorded from crystals of ∼1 µm in size, where it is shown that up to six lattices can be successfully indexed and subsequently integrated from a 1° wedge of data. Analysis is presented which shows that improvements in data-quality indicators can be obtained through accurate identification and rejection of overlapping reflections prior to scaling.

  14. New methods for indexing multi-lattice diffraction data

    DOE PAGES

    Gildea, Richard J.; Waterman, David G.; Parkhurst, James M.; ...

    2014-09-27

    A new indexing method is presented which is capable of indexing multiple crystal lattices from narrow wedges of diffraction data. The method takes advantage of a simplification of Fourier transform-based methods that is applicable when the unit-cell dimensions are known a priori. The efficacy of this method is demonstrated with both semi-synthetic multi-lattice data and real multi-lattice data recorded from crystals of ~1 µm in size, where it is shown that up to six lattices can be successfully indexed and subsequently integrated from a 1° wedge of data. Analysis is presented which shows that improvements in data-quality indicators can bemore » obtained through accurate identification and rejection of overlapping reflections prior to scaling.« less

  15. Mayenite Synthesized Using the Citrate Sol-Gel Method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ude, Sabina N; Rawn, Claudia J; Meisner, Roberta A

    2014-01-01

    A citrate sol-gel method has been used to synthesize mayenite (Ca12Al14O33). X-ray powder diffraction data show that the samples synthesized using the citrate sol-gel method contained CaAl2O4 and CaCO3 along with mayenite when fired ex-situ in air at 800 C but were single phase when fired at 900 C and above. Using high temperature x-ray diffraction, data collected in-situ in air at temperatures of 600 C and below showed only amorphous content; however, data collected at higher temperatures indicated the first phase to crystallize is CaCO3. High temperature x-ray diffraction data collected in 4% H2/96% N2 does not show themore » presence of CaCO3, and Ca12Al14O33 starts to form around 850 C. In comparison, x-ray powder diffraction data collected ex-situ on samples synthesized using traditional solid-state synthesis shows that single phase was not reached until samples were fired at 1350 C. DTA/TGA data collected either in a nitrogen environment or air on samples synthesized using the citrate gel method suggest the complete decomposition of metastable phases and the formation of mayenite at 900 C, although the phase evolution is very different depending on the environment. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurements showed a slightly higher surface area of 7.4 0.1 m2/g in the citrate gel synthesized samples compared to solid-state synthesized sample with a surface area of 1.61 0.02 m2/g. SEM images show a larger particle size for samples synthesized using the solid-state method compared to those synthesized using the citrate gel method.« less

  16. Modeling super-resolution SERS using a T-matrix method to elucidate molecule-nanoparticle coupling and the origins of localization errors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heaps, Charles W.; Schatz, George C.

    2017-06-01

    A computational method to model diffraction-limited images from super-resolution surface-enhanced Raman scattering microscopy is introduced. Despite significant experimental progress in plasmon-based super-resolution imaging, theoretical predictions of the diffraction limited images remain a challenge. The method is used to calculate localization errors and image intensities for a single spherical gold nanoparticle-molecule system. The light scattering is calculated using a modification of generalized Mie (T-matrix) theory with a point dipole source and diffraction limited images are calculated using vectorial diffraction theory. The calculation produces the multipole expansion for each emitter and the coherent superposition of all fields. Imaging the constituent fields in addition to the total field provides new insight into the strong coupling between the molecule and the nanoparticle. Regardless of whether the molecular dipole moment is oriented parallel or perpendicular to the nanoparticle surface, the anisotropic excitation distorts the center of the nanoparticle as measured by the point spread function by approximately fifty percent of the particle radius toward to the molecule. Inspection of the nanoparticle multipoles reveals that distortion arises from a weak quadrupole resonance interfering with the dipole field in the nanoparticle. When the nanoparticle-molecule fields are in-phase, the distorted nanoparticle field dominates the observed image. When out-of-phase, the nanoparticle and molecule are of comparable intensity and interference between the two emitters dominates the observed image. The method is also applied to different wavelengths and particle radii. At off-resonant wavelengths, the method predicts images closer to the molecule not because of relative intensities but because of greater distortion in the nanoparticle. The method is a promising approach to improving the understanding of plasmon-enhanced super-resolution experiments.

  17. Structures and phase transitions in a new ferroelectric -- pyridinium chlorochromate -- studied by X-ray diffraction, DSC and dielectric methods.

    PubMed

    Małuszyńska, Hanna; Czarnecki, Piotr; Czarnecka, Anna; Pająk, Zdzisław

    2012-04-01

    Pyridinium chlorochromate, [C(5)H(5)NH](+)[ClCrO(3)](-) (hereafter referred to as PyClCrO(3)), was studied by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dielectric methods. Studies reveal three reversible phase transitions at 346, 316 and 170 K with the following phase sequence: R ̅3m (I) → R3m (II) → Cm (III) → Cc (IV), c' = 2c. PyClCrO(3) is the first pyridinium salt in which all four phases have been successfully characterized by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction method. Structural results together with dielectric and calorimetric studies allow the classification of the two intermediate phases (II) and (III) as ferroelectric with the Curie point at 346 K, and the lowest phase (IV) as most probably ferroelectric. The ferroelectric hysteresis loop was observed only in phase (III). The high ionic conductivity hindered its observation in phase (II).

  18. Bone structure studies with holographic interferometric nondestructive testing and x-ray methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Silvennoinen, Raimo; Nygren, Kaarlo; Rouvinen, Juha; Petrova, Valentina V.

    1994-02-01

    Changes in the biomechanics and in the molecular texture and structure of isolated radioulnar bones of subadult European moose (Alces alces L.) collected in various environmentally polluted areas of Finland were investigated by means of holographic interferometric non- destructive testing (HNDT), radiological, morphometrical, and x-ray diffraction methods. By means of small caudal-cranial bending forces, the surface movements of the lower end (distal epiphysis) of the radial bone were recorded with the HNDT method. To study bone molecular texture and structure changes under external compressing forces, the samples for x-ray diffraction analysis were taken from the upper end of the ulnar bone (olecranon tip). Results showed that the bones obtained from the Harjavalta area and those of North Karelian moose showing malnutrition and healing femoral fractures produced different HNDT pictures compared with the four normally developed North Karelian moose. In the x-ray diffraction, the Harjavalta samples showed changes in molecular texture and structure compared with the samples from the apparently normal North Karelian animals.

  19. Triaxial X-Ray Diffraction Method and its Application to Monitor Residual Stress in Surface Layers after High-Feed Milling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaušková, Lucia; Czán, Andrej; Šajgalík, Michal; Pobijak, Jozef; Mikloš, Matej

    2017-10-01

    High-feed milling is a milling method characteristic with shallow depth of cut and high feed rate to maximize the amount of removed metal from a part, generating residual stresses in the surface and subsurface layers of the machined parts. The residual stress has a large influence on the functional properties of the components. The article is focused on the application of triaxial x-ray diffraction method to monitor residual stresses after high feed milling. Significance of triaxial measuring method is the capability of measuring in different angles so it is possible to acquire stress tensor containing normal and shear stress components.

  20. Robust phase retrieval of complex-valued object in phase modulation by hybrid Wirtinger flow method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wei, Zhun; Chen, Wen; Yin, Tiantian; Chen, Xudong

    2017-09-01

    This paper presents a robust iterative algorithm, known as hybrid Wirtinger flow (HWF), for phase retrieval (PR) of complex objects from noisy diffraction intensities. Numerical simulations indicate that the HWF method consistently outperforms conventional PR methods in terms of both accuracy and convergence rate in multiple phase modulations. The proposed algorithm is also more robust to low oversampling ratios, loose constraints, and noisy environments. Furthermore, compared with traditional Wirtinger flow, sample complexity is largely reduced. It is expected that the proposed HWF method will find applications in the rapidly growing coherent diffractive imaging field for high-quality image reconstruction with multiple modulations, as well as other disciplines where PR is needed.

  1. Rayleigh-wave diffractions due to a void in the layered half space

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Xia, J.; Xu, Y.; Miller, R.D.; Nyquist, Jonathan E.

    2006-01-01

    Void detection is challenging due to the complexity of near-surface materials and the limited resolution of geophysical methods. Although multichannel, high-frequency, surface-wave techniques can provide reliable shear (S)-wave velocities in different geological settings, they are not suitable for detecting voids directly based on anomalies of the S-wave velocity because of limitations on the resolution of S-wave velocity profiles inverted from surface-wave phase velocities. Xia et al. (2006a) derived a Rayleigh-wave diffraction traveltime equation due to a void in the homogeneous half space. Encouraging results of directly detecting a void from Rayleigh-wave diffractions were presented (Xia et al., 2006a). In this paper we used four two-dimensional square voids in the layered half space to demonstrate the feasibility of detecting a void with Rayleigh-wave diffractions. Rayleigh-wave diffractions were recognizable for all these models after removing direct surface waves by F-K filtering. We evaluate the feasibility of applying the Rayleigh-wave diffraction traveltime equation to a void in the layered earth model. The phase velocity of diffracted Rayleigh waves is predominately determined by surrounding materials of a void. The modeling results demonstrate that the Rayleigh-wave diffraction traveltime equation due to a void in the homogeneous half space can be applied to the case of a void in the layered half space. In practice, only two diffraction times are necessary to define the depth to the top of a void and the average velocity of diffracted Rayleigh waves. ?? 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

  2. Fabrication of Au- and Ag–SiO{sub 2} inverse opals having both localized surface plasmon resonance and Bragg diffraction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Erola, Markus O.A.; Philip, Anish; Ahmed, Tanzir

    The inverse opal films of SiO{sub 2} containing metal nanoparticles can have both the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of metal nanoparticles and the Bragg diffraction of inverse opal crystals of SiO{sub 2}, which are very useful properties for applications, such as tunable photonic structures, catalysts and sensors. However, effective processes for fabrication of these films from colloidal particles have rarely been reported. In our study, two methods for preparation of inverse opal films of SiO{sub 2} with three different crystal sizes and containing gold or silver nanoparticles (NPs) via self-assembly using electrostatic interactions and capillary forces are reported. Themore » Bragg diffraction of inverse opal films of SiO{sub 2} in the presence and absence of the template was measured and predicted on the basis of with UV–vis spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The preparation methods used provided good-quality inverse opal SiO{sub 2} films containing highly dispersed, plasmonic AuNPs or AgNPs and having both Bragg diffractions and LSPRs. - Graphical abstract: For syntheses of SiO{sub 2} inverse opals containing Au/Ag nanoparticles two approaches and three template sizes were employed. Self-assembly of template molecules and metal nanoparticles occurred using electrostatic interactions and capillary forces. Both the Bragg diffraction of the photonic crystal and the localized surface plasmon resonance of Au/Ag nanoparticles were detected. - Highlights: • Fabrication methods of silica inverse opals containing metal nanoparticles studied. • Three template sizes used to produce SiO{sub 2} inverse opals with Au/Ag nanoparticles. • PS templates with Au nanoparticles adsorbed used in formation of inverse opals. • Ag particles infiltrated in inverse opals with capillary and electrostatic forces. • Bragg diffractions of IOs and surface plasmon resonances of nanoparticles observed.« less

  3. Measuring Spray Droplet Size from Agricultural Nozzles Using Laser Diffraction

    PubMed Central

    Fritz, Bradley K.; Hoffmann, W. Clint

    2016-01-01

    When making an application of any crop protection material such as an herbicide or pesticide, the applicator uses a variety of skills and information to make an application so that the material reaches the target site (i.e., plant). Information critical in this process is the droplet size that a particular spray nozzle, spray pressure, and spray solution combination generates, as droplet size greatly influences product efficacy and how the spray moves through the environment. Researchers and product manufacturers commonly use laser diffraction equipment to measure the spray droplet size in laboratory wind tunnels. The work presented here describes methods used in making spray droplet size measurements with laser diffraction equipment for both ground and aerial application scenarios that can be used to ensure inter- and intra-laboratory precision while minimizing sampling bias associated with laser diffraction systems. Maintaining critical measurement distances and concurrent airflow throughout the testing process is key to this precision. Real time data quality analysis is also critical to preventing excess variation in the data or extraneous inclusion of erroneous data. Some limitations of this method include atypical spray nozzles, spray solutions or application conditions that result in spray streams that do not fully atomize within the measurement distances discussed. Successful adaption of this method can provide a highly efficient method for evaluation of the performance of agrochemical spray application nozzles under a variety of operational settings. Also discussed are potential experimental design considerations that can be included to enhance functionality of the data collected. PMID:27684589

  4. Wavefront aberrations of x-ray dynamical diffraction beams.

    PubMed

    Liao, Keliang; Hong, Youli; Sheng, Weifan

    2014-10-01

    The effects of dynamical diffraction in x-ray diffractive optics with large numerical aperture render the wavefront aberrations difficult to describe using the aberration polynomials, yet knowledge of them plays an important role in a vast variety of scientific problems ranging from optical testing to adaptive optics. Although the diffraction theory of optical aberrations was established decades ago, its application in the area of x-ray dynamical diffraction theory (DDT) is still lacking. Here, we conduct a theoretical study on the aberration properties of x-ray dynamical diffraction beams. By treating the modulus of the complex envelope as the amplitude weight function in the orthogonalization procedure, we generalize the nonrecursive matrix method for the determination of orthonormal aberration polynomials, wherein Zernike DDT and Legendre DDT polynomials are proposed. As an example, we investigate the aberration evolution inside a tilted multilayer Laue lens. The corresponding Legendre DDT polynomials are obtained numerically, which represent balanced aberrations yielding minimum variance of the classical aberrations of an anamorphic optical system. The balancing of classical aberrations and their standard deviations are discussed. We also present the Strehl ratio of the primary and secondary balanced aberrations.

  5. Real-time X-ray Diffraction: Applications to Materials Characterization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rosemeier, R. G.

    1984-01-01

    With the high speed growth of materials it becomes necessary to develop measuring systems which also have the capabilities of characterizing these materials at high speeds. One of the conventional techniques of characterizing materials was X-ray diffraction. Film, which is the oldest method of recording the X-ray diffraction phenomenon, is not quite adequate in most circumstances to record fast changing events. Even though conventional proportional counters and scintillation counters can provide the speed necessary to record these changing events, they lack the ability to provide image information which may be important in some types of experiment or production arrangements. A selected number of novel applications of using X-ray diffraction to characterize materials in real-time are discussed. Also, device characteristics of some X-ray intensifiers useful in instantaneous X-ray diffraction applications briefly presented. Real-time X-ray diffraction experiments with the incorporation of image X-ray intensification add a new dimension in the characterization of materials. The uses of real-time image intensification in laboratory and production arrangements are quite unlimited and their application depends more upon the ingenuity of the scientist or engineer.

  6. Biological imaging by soft x-ray diffraction microscopy

    DOE PAGES

    Shapiro, D.; Thibault, P.; Beetz, T.; ...

    2005-10-25

    We have used the method of x-ray diffraction microscopy to image the complex-valued exit wave of an intact and unstained yeast cell. The images of the freeze-dried cell, obtained by using 750-eV x-rays from different angular orientations, portray several of the cell's major internal components to 30-nm resolution. The good agreement among the independently recovered structures demonstrates the accuracy of the imaging technique. To obtain the best possible reconstructions, we have implemented procedures for handling noisy and incomplete diffraction data, and we propose a method for determining the reconstructed resolution. This work represents a previously uncharacterized application of x-ray diffractionmore » microscopy to a specimen of this complexity and provides confidence in the feasibility of the ultimate goal of imaging biological specimens at 10-nm resolution in three dimensions.« less

  7. Ab initio structure determination of nanocrystals of organic pharmaceutical compounds by electron diffraction at room temperature using a Timepix quantum area direct electron detector.

    PubMed

    van Genderen, E; Clabbers, M T B; Das, P P; Stewart, A; Nederlof, I; Barentsen, K C; Portillo, Q; Pannu, N S; Nicolopoulos, S; Gruene, T; Abrahams, J P

    2016-03-01

    Until recently, structure determination by transmission electron microscopy of beam-sensitive three-dimensional nanocrystals required electron diffraction tomography data collection at liquid-nitrogen temperature, in order to reduce radiation damage. Here it is shown that the novel Timepix detector combines a high dynamic range with a very high signal-to-noise ratio and single-electron sensitivity, enabling ab initio phasing of beam-sensitive organic compounds. Low-dose electron diffraction data (∼ 0.013 e(-) Å(-2) s(-1)) were collected at room temperature with the rotation method. It was ascertained that the data were of sufficient quality for structure solution using direct methods using software developed for X-ray crystallography (XDS, SHELX) and for electron crystallography (ADT3D/PETS, SIR2014).

  8. Single-shot coherent diffraction imaging of microbunched relativistic electron beams for free-electron laser applications.

    PubMed

    Marinelli, A; Dunning, M; Weathersby, S; Hemsing, E; Xiang, D; Andonian, G; O'Shea, F; Miao, Jianwei; Hast, C; Rosenzweig, J B

    2013-03-01

    With the advent of coherent x rays provided by the x-ray free-electron laser (FEL), strong interest has been kindled in sophisticated diffraction imaging techniques. In this Letter, we exploit such techniques for the diagnosis of the density distribution of the intense electron beams typically utilized in an x-ray FEL itself. We have implemented this method by analyzing the far-field coherent transition radiation emitted by an inverse-FEL microbunched electron beam. This analysis utilizes an oversampling phase retrieval method on the transition radiation angular spectrum to reconstruct the transverse spatial distribution of the electron beam. This application of diffraction imaging represents a significant advance in electron beam physics, having critical applications to the diagnosis of high-brightness beams, as well as the collective microbunching instabilities afflicting these systems.

  9. Risk and benefit of diffraction in Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nikonow, Wilhelm; Rammlmair, Dieter

    2016-11-01

    Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence mapping (μ-EDXRF) is a fast and non-destructive method for chemical quantification and therefore used in many scientific fields. The combination of spatial and chemical information is highly valuable for understanding geological processes. Problems occur with crystalline samples due to diffraction, which appears according to Bragg's law, depending on the energy of the X-ray beam, the incident angle and the crystal parameters. In the spectra these peaks can overlap with element peaks suggesting higher element concentrations. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of diffraction, the possibility of diffraction removal and potential geoscientific applications for X-ray mapping. In this work the μ-EDXRF M4 Tornado from Bruker was operated with a Rh-tube and polychromatic beam with two SDD detectors mounted each at ± 90° to the tube. Due to the polychromatic beam the Bragg condition fits for several mineral lattice planes. Since diffraction depends on the angle, it is shown that a novel correction approach can be applied by measuring from two different angles and calculating the minimum spectrum of both detectors gaining a better limit of quantification for this method. Furthermore, it is possible to use the diffraction information for separation of differently oriented crystallites within a monomineralic aggregate and obtain parameters like particle size distribution for the sample, as it is done by thin section image analysis in cross-polarized light. Only with μ-EDXRF this can be made on larger samples without preparation of thin sections.

  10. Continuous diffraction of molecules and disordered molecular crystals

    PubMed Central

    Yefanov, Oleksandr M.; Ayyer, Kartik; White, Thomas A.; Barty, Anton; Morgan, Andrew; Mariani, Valerio; Oberthuer, Dominik; Pande, Kanupriya

    2017-01-01

    The intensities of far-field diffraction patterns of orientationally aligned molecules obey Wilson statistics, whether those molecules are in isolation (giving rise to a continuous diffraction pattern) or arranged in a crystal (giving rise to Bragg peaks). Ensembles of molecules in several orientations, but uncorrelated in position, give rise to the incoherent sum of the diffraction from those objects, modifying the statistics in a similar way as crystal twinning modifies the distribution of Bragg intensities. This situation arises in the continuous diffraction of laser-aligned molecules or translationally disordered molecular crystals. This paper develops the analysis of the intensity statistics of such continuous diffraction to obtain parameters such as scaling, beam coherence and the number of contributing independent object orientations. When measured, continuous molecular diffraction is generally weak and accompanied by a background that far exceeds the strength of the signal. Instead of just relying upon the smallest measured intensities or their mean value to guide the subtraction of the background, it is shown how all measured values can be utilized to estimate the background, noise and signal, by employing a modified ‘noisy Wilson’ distribution that explicitly includes the background. Parameters relating to the background and signal quantities can be estimated from the moments of the measured intensities. The analysis method is demonstrated on previously published continuous diffraction data measured from crystals of photosystem II [Ayyer et al. (2016 ▸), Nature, 530, 202–206]. PMID:28808434

  11. Three-dimensional analysis by electron diffraction methods of nanocrystalline materials.

    PubMed

    Gammer, Christoph; Mangler, Clemens; Karnthaler, Hans-Peter; Rentenberger, Christian

    2011-12-01

    To analyze nanocrystalline structures quantitatively in 3D, a novel method is presented based on electron diffraction. It allows determination of the average size and morphology of the coherently scattering domains (CSD) in a straightforward way without the need to prepare multiple sections. The method is applicable to all kinds of bulk nanocrystalline materials. As an example, the average size of the CSD in nanocrystalline FeAl made by severe plastic deformation is determined in 3D. Assuming ellipsoidal CSD, it is deduced that the CSD have a width of 19 ± 2 nm, a length of 18 ± 1 nm, and a height of 10 ± 1 nm.

  12. High spatial resolution X-ray and gamma ray imaging system using diffraction crystals

    DOEpatents

    Smither, Robert K [Hinsdale, IL

    2011-05-17

    A method and a device for high spatial resolution imaging of a plurality of sources of x-ray and gamma-ray radiation are provided. The device comprises a plurality of arrays, with each array comprising a plurality of elements comprising a first collimator, a diffracting crystal, a second collimator, and a detector.

  13. Fast two-dimensional grid and transmission X-ray microscopy scanning methods for visualizing and characterizing protein crystals

    PubMed Central

    Wojdyla, Justyna Aleksandra; Panepucci, Ezequiel; Martiel, Isabelle; Ebner, Simon; Huang, Chia-Ying; Caffrey, Martin; Bunk, Oliver; Wang, Meitian

    2016-01-01

    A fast continuous grid scan protocol has been incorporated into the Swiss Light Source (SLS) data acquisition and analysis software suite on the macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamlines. Its combination with fast readout single-photon counting hybrid pixel array detectors (PILATUS and EIGER) allows for diffraction-based identification of crystal diffraction hotspots and the location and centering of membrane protein microcrystals in the lipid cubic phase (LCP) in in meso in situ serial crystallography plates and silicon nitride supports. Diffraction-based continuous grid scans with both still and oscillation images are supported. Examples that include a grid scan of a large (50 nl) LCP bolus and analysis of the resulting diffraction images are presented. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) complements and benefits from fast grid scanning. STXM has been demonstrated at the SLS beamline X06SA for near-zero-dose detection of protein crystals mounted on different types of sample supports at room and cryogenic temperatures. Flash-cooled crystals in nylon loops were successfully identified in differential and integrated phase images. Crystals of just 10 µm thickness were visible in integrated phase images using data collected with the EIGER detector. STXM offers a truly low-dose method for locating crystals on solid supports prior to diffraction data collection at both synchrotron microfocusing and free-electron laser X-ray facilities. PMID:27275141

  14. Lattice strain measurements on sandstones under load using neutron diffraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frischbutter, A.; Neov, D.; Scheffzük, Ch.; Vrána, M.; Walther, K.

    2000-11-01

    Neutron diffraction methods (both time-of-flight- and angle-dispersive diffraction) are applied to intracrystalline strain measurements on geological samples undergoing uniaxial increasing compressional load. The experiments were carried out on Cretaceous sandstones from the Elbezone (East Germany), consisting of >95% quartz which are bedded but without crystallographic preferred orientation of quartz. From the stress-strain relation the Young's modulus for our quartz sample was determined to be (72.2±2.9) GPa using results of the neutron time-of-flight method. The influence of different kinds of bedding in sandstones (laminated and convolute bedding) could be determined. We observed differences of factor 2 (convolute bedding) and 3 (laminated bedding) for the elastic stiffness, determined with angle dispersive neutron diffraction (crystallographic strain) and with strain gauges (mechanical strain). The data indicate which geological conditions may influence the stress-strain behaviour of geological materials. The influence of bedding on the stress-strain behaviour of a laminated bedded sandstone was indicated by direct residual stress measurements using neutron time-of-flight diffraction. The measurements were carried out six days after unloading the sample. Residual strain was measured for three positions from the centre to the periphery and within two radial directions of the cylinder. We observed that residual strain changes from extension to compression in a different manner for two perpendicular directions of the bedding plane.

  15. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Häusler, I., E-mail: ines.haeusler@bam.de; Dörfel, I., E-mail: Ilona.doerfel@bam.de; Peplinski, B., E-mail: Burkhard.peplinski@bam.de

    A model system was used to simulate the properties of tribofilms which form during automotive braking. The model system was prepared by ball milling of a blend of 70 vol.% iron oxides, 15 vol.% molybdenum disulfide and 15 vol.% graphite. The resulting mixture was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and various transmission electron microscopic (TEM) methods, including energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS), high resolution investigations (HRTEM) with corresponding simulation of the HRTEM images, diffraction methods such as scanning nano-beam electron diffraction (SNBED) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). It could be shown that the ballmore » milling caused a reduction of the grain size of the initial components to the nanometer range. Sometimes even amorphization or partial break-down of the crystal structure was observed for MoS{sub 2} and graphite. Moreover, chemical reactions lead to a formation of surface coverings of the nanoparticles by amorphous material, molybdenum oxides, and iron sulfates as derived from XPS. - Highlights: • Ball milling of iron oxides, MoS{sub 2}, and graphite to simulate a tribofilm • Increasing coefficient of friction after ball milling of the model blend • Drastically change of the diffraction pattern of the powder mixture • TEM & XPS showed the components of the milled mixture and the process during milling. • MoS{sub 2} and graphite suffered a loss in translation symmetry or became amorphous.« less

  16. A Bayesian approach to modeling diffraction profiles and application to ferroelectric materials

    DOE PAGES

    Iamsasri, Thanakorn; Guerrier, Jonathon; Esteves, Giovanni; ...

    2017-02-01

    A new statistical approach for modeling diffraction profiles is introduced, using Bayesian inference and a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm. This method is demonstrated by modeling the degenerate reflections during application of an electric field to two different ferroelectric materials: thin-film lead zirconate titanate (PZT) of composition PbZr 0.3Ti 0.7O 3and a bulk commercial PZT polycrystalline ferroelectric. Here, the new method offers a unique uncertainty quantification of the model parameters that can be readily propagated into new calculated parameters.

  17. Coherent diffractive imaging methods for semiconductor manufacturing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Helfenstein, Patrick; Mochi, Iacopo; Rajeev, Rajendran; Fernandez, Sara; Ekinci, Yasin

    2017-12-01

    The paradigm shift of the semiconductor industry moving from deep ultraviolet to extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) brought about new challenges in the fabrication of illumination and projection optics, which constitute one of the core sources of cost of ownership for many of the metrology tools needed in the lithography process. For this reason, lensless imaging techniques based on coherent diffractive imaging started to raise interest in the EUVL community. This paper presents an overview of currently on-going research endeavors that use a number of methods based on lensless imaging with coherent light.

  18. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a chitin-binding domain of hyperthermophilic chitinase from Pyrococcus furiosus

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nakamura, Tsutomu; Ishikawa, Kazuhiko; Hagihara, Yoshihisa

    The expression, purification and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of a chitin-binding domain of the chitinase from P. furiosus are reported. The crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the chitin-binding domain of chitinase from a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus, are reported. The recombinant protein was prepared using an Escherichia coli overexpression system and was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. An X-ray diffraction data set was collected to 1.70 Å resolution. The crystal belonged to space group P4{sub 3}2{sub 1}2 or P4{sub 1}2{sub 1}2. The unit-cell parameters were determined to be a = b = 48.8, c = 85.0 Å.

  19. Imaging quality analysis of computer-generated holograms using the point-based method and slice-based method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Zhen; Chen, Siqing; Zheng, Huadong; Sun, Tao; Yu, Yingjie; Gao, Hongyue; Asundi, Anand K.

    2017-06-01

    Computer holography has made a notably progress in recent years. The point-based method and slice-based method are chief calculation algorithms for generating holograms in holographic display. Although both two methods are validated numerically and optically, the differences of the imaging quality of these methods have not been specifically analyzed. In this paper, we analyze the imaging quality of computer-generated phase holograms generated by point-based Fresnel zone plates (PB-FZP), point-based Fresnel diffraction algorithm (PB-FDA) and slice-based Fresnel diffraction algorithm (SB-FDA). The calculation formula and hologram generation with three methods are demonstrated. In order to suppress the speckle noise, sequential phase-only holograms are generated in our work. The results of reconstructed images numerically and experimentally are also exhibited. By comparing the imaging quality, the merits and drawbacks with three methods are analyzed. Conclusions are given by us finally.

  20. Bistatic scattering from a cone frustum

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ebihara, W.; Marhefka, R. J.

    1986-01-01

    The bistatic scattering from a perfectly conducting cone frustum is investigated using the Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (GTD). The first-order GTD edge-diffraction solution has been extended by correcting for its failure in the specular region off the curved surface and in the rim-caustic regions of the endcaps. The corrections are accomplished by the use of transition functions which are developed and introduced into the diffraction coefficients. Theoretical results are verified in the principal plane by comparison with the moment method solution and experimental measurements. The resulting solution for the scattered fields is accurate, easy to apply, and fast to compute.

  1. Rayleigh and Wood anomalies in the diffraction of light from a perfectly conducting reflection grating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maradudin, A. A.; Simonsen, I.; Polanco, J.; Fitzgerald, R. M.

    2016-02-01

    By means of a modal method we have calculated the angular dependence of the reflectivity and the efficiencies of several other diffracted orders of a perfectly conducting lamellar reflection grating illuminated by p-polarized light. These dependencies display the signatures of Rayleigh and Wood anomalies, usually associated with diffraction from a metallic grating. The Wood anomalies here are caused by the excitation of the surface electromagnetic waves supported by a periodically corrugated perfectly conducting surface, whose dispersion curves in both the nonradiative and radiative regions of the frequency-wavenumber plane are calculated.

  2. X-Ray Topography of Tetragonal Lysozyme Grown by the Temperature-Controlled Technique

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stojanoff, V.; Siddons, D. P.; Monaco, Lisa A.; Vekilov, Peter; Rosenberger, Franz

    1997-01-01

    Growth-induced defects in lysozyme crystals were observed by white-beam and monochromatic X-ray topography at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The topographic methods were non-destructive to the extent that traditional diffraction data collection could be performed to high resolution after topography. It was found that changes in growth parameters, defect concentration as detected by X-ray topography, and the diffraction quality obtainable from the crystals were all strongly correlated. In addition, crystals with fewer defects showed lower mosaicity and higher diffraction resolution as expected.

  3. Crystallization and X-ray diffraction analysis of a catalytic domain of hyperthermophilic chitinase from Pyrococcus furiosus

    PubMed Central

    Mine, Shouhei; Nakamura, Tsutomu; Hirata, Kunio; Ishikawa, Kazuhiko; Hagihara, Yoshihisa; Uegaki, Koichi

    2006-01-01

    The crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a catalytic domain of chitinase (PF1233 gene) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus is reported. The recombinant protein, prepared using an Escherichia coli expression system, was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. An X-ray diffraction data set was collected at the undulator beamline BL44XU at SPring-8 to a resolution of 1.50 Å. The crystals belong to space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 90.0, b = 92.8, c = 107.2 Å. PMID:16880559

  4. Analysis of three-dimensional-cavity-backed aperture antennas using a Combined Finite Element Method/Method of Moments/Geometrical Theory of Diffraction technique

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reddy, C. J.; Deshpande, M. D.; Cockrell, C. R.; Beck, F. B.

    1995-01-01

    A combined finite element method (FEM) and method of moments (MoM) technique is presented to analyze the radiation characteristics of a cavity-fed aperture in three dimensions. Generalized feed modeling has been done using the modal expansion of fields in the feed structure. Numerical results for some feeding structures such as a rectangular waveguide, circular waveguide, and coaxial line are presented. The method also uses the geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD) to predict the effect of a finite ground plane on radiation characteristics. Input admittance calculations for open radiating structures such as a rectangular waveguide, a circular waveguide, and a coaxial line are shown. Numerical data for a coaxial-fed cavity with finite ground plane are verified with experimental data.

  5. Birefringence Bragg Binary (3B) grating, quasi-Bragg grating and immersion gratings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ebizuka, Noboru; Morita, Shin-ya; Yamagata, Yutaka; Sasaki, Minoru; Bianco, Andorea; Tanabe, Ayano; Hashimoto, Nobuyuki; Hirahara, Yasuhiro; Aoki, Wako

    2014-07-01

    A volume phase holographic (VPH) grating achieves high angular dispersion and very high diffraction efficiency for the first diffraction order and for S or P polarization. However the VPH grating could not achieve high diffraction efficiency for non-polarized light at a large diffraction angle because properties of diffraction efficiencies for S and P polarizations are different. Furthermore diffraction efficiency of the VPH grating extinguishes toward a higher diffraction order. A birefringence binary Bragg (3B) grating is a thick transmission grating with optically anisotropic material such as lithium niobate or liquid crystal. The 3B grating achieves diffraction efficiency up to 100% for non-polarized light by tuning of refractive indices for S and P polarizations, even in higher diffraction orders. We fabricated 3B grating with liquid crystal and evaluated the performance of the liquid crystal grating. A quasi-Bragg (QB) grating, which consists long rectangle mirrors aligned in parallel precisely such as a window shade, also achieves high diffraction efficiency toward higher orders. We fabricated QB grating by laminating of silica glass substrates and glued by pressure fusion of gold films. A quasi-Bragg immersion (QBI) grating has smooth mirror hypotenuse and reflector array inside the hypotenuse, instead of step-like grooves of a conventional immersion grating. An incident beam of the QBI grating reflects obliquely at a reflector, then reflects vertically at the mirror surface and reflects again at the same reflector. We are going to fabricate QBI gratings by laminating of mirror plates as similar to fabrication of the QB grating. We will also fabricate silicon and germanium immersion gratings with conventional step-like grooves by means of the latest diamond machining methods. We introduce characteristics and performance of these gratings.

  6. Serial single molecule electron diffraction imaging: diffraction background of superfluid helium droplets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Jie; He, Yunteng; Lei, Lei; Alghamdi, Maha; Oswalt, Andrew; Kong, Wei

    2017-08-01

    In an effort to solve the crystallization problem in crystallography, we have been engaged in developing a method termed "serial single molecule electron diffraction imaging" (SS-EDI). The unique features of SS-EDI are superfluid helium droplet cooling and field-induced orientation: together the two features constitute a molecular goniometer. Unfortunately, the helium atoms surrounding the sample molecule also contribute to a diffraction background. In this report, we analyze the properties of a superfluid helium droplet beam and its doping statistics, and demonstrate the feasibility of overcoming the background issue by using the velocity slip phenomenon of a pulsed droplet beam. Electron diffraction profiles and pair correlation functions of ferrocene-monomer-doped droplets and iodine-nanocluster-doped droplets are presented. The timing of the pulsed electron gun and the effective doping efficiency under different dopant pressures can both be controlled for size selection. This work clears any doubt of the effectiveness of superfluid helium droplets in SS-EDI, thereby advancing the effort in demonstrating the "proof-of-concept" one step further.

  7. Influence of quantum diffraction and shielding on electron-ion collision in two-component semiclassical plasmas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hong, Woo-Pyo; Jung, Young-Dae, E-mail: ydjung@hanyang.ac.kr; Department of Applied Physics and Department of Bionanotechnology, Hanyang University, Ansan, Kyunggi-Do 426-791

    2015-01-15

    The influence of quantum diffraction and shielding on the electron-ion collision process is investigated in two-component semiclassical plasmas. The eikonal method and micropotential taking into account the quantum diffraction and shielding are used to obtain the eikonal scattering phase shift and the eikonal collision cross section as functions of the collision energy, density parameter, Debye length, electron de Broglie wavelength, and the impact parameter. The result shows that the quantum diffraction and shielding effects suppress the eikonal scattering phase shift as well as the differential eikonal collision cross section, especially, in small-impact parameter regions. It is also shown that themore » quantum shielding effect on the eikonal collision cross section is more important in low-collision energies. In addition, it is found that the eikonal collision cross section increases with an increase in the density parameter. The variations of the eikonal cross section due to the quantum diffraction and shielding effects are also discussed.« less

  8. Angular rheology study of colloidal nanocrystals using Coherent X-ray Diffraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Mengning; Harder, Ross; Robinson, Ian

    2007-03-01

    A new method using coherent x-ray diffraction provides a way to investigate the rotational motion of a colloidal suspension of crystals in real time. Coherent x-ray diffraction uses the long coherence lengths of synchrotron sources to illuminate a nanoscale particle coherently over its spatial dimensions. The penetration of high energy x-rays into various media allows for in-situ measurements making it ideal for suspensions. This technique has been used to image the structure of nanocrystals for some time but also has the capability of providing information about the orientation and dynamics of crystals. The particles are imaged in a specific diffraction condition allowing us to determine their orientation and observe how they rotate in real time with exceptional resolution. Such sensitivity allows for the study of rotational Brownian motion of nanocrystals in various suspensions and conditions. We present a study of the angular rheology of alumina and TiO2 colloidal nanocrystals in media using coherent x-ray diffraction.

  9. Signal enhancement and Patterson-search phasing for high-spatial-resolution coherent X-ray diffraction imaging of biological objects.

    PubMed

    Takayama, Yuki; Maki-Yonekura, Saori; Oroguchi, Tomotaka; Nakasako, Masayoshi; Yonekura, Koji

    2015-01-28

    In this decade coherent X-ray diffraction imaging has been demonstrated to reveal internal structures of whole biological cells and organelles. However, the spatial resolution is limited to several tens of nanometers due to the poor scattering power of biological samples. The challenge is to recover correct phase information from experimental diffraction patterns that have a low signal-to-noise ratio and unmeasurable lowest-resolution data. Here, we propose a method to extend spatial resolution by enhancing diffraction signals and by robust phasing. The weak diffraction signals from biological objects are enhanced by interference with strong waves from dispersed colloidal gold particles. The positions of the gold particles determined by Patterson analysis serve as the initial phase, and this dramatically improves reliability and convergence of image reconstruction by iterative phase retrieval. A set of calculations based on current experiments demonstrates that resolution is improved by a factor of two or more.

  10. Signal enhancement and Patterson-search phasing for high-spatial-resolution coherent X-ray diffraction imaging of biological objects

    PubMed Central

    Takayama, Yuki; Maki-Yonekura, Saori; Oroguchi, Tomotaka; Nakasako, Masayoshi; Yonekura, Koji

    2015-01-01

    In this decade coherent X-ray diffraction imaging has been demonstrated to reveal internal structures of whole biological cells and organelles. However, the spatial resolution is limited to several tens of nanometers due to the poor scattering power of biological samples. The challenge is to recover correct phase information from experimental diffraction patterns that have a low signal-to-noise ratio and unmeasurable lowest-resolution data. Here, we propose a method to extend spatial resolution by enhancing diffraction signals and by robust phasing. The weak diffraction signals from biological objects are enhanced by interference with strong waves from dispersed colloidal gold particles. The positions of the gold particles determined by Patterson analysis serve as the initial phase, and this dramatically improves reliability and convergence of image reconstruction by iterative phase retrieval. A set of calculations based on current experiments demonstrates that resolution is improved by a factor of two or more. PMID:25627480

  11. Extending the Utility of the Parabolic Approximation in Medical Ultrasound Using Wide-Angle Diffraction Modeling.

    PubMed

    Soneson, Joshua E

    2017-04-01

    Wide-angle parabolic models are commonly used in geophysics and underwater acoustics but have seen little application in medical ultrasound. Here, a wide-angle model for continuous-wave high-intensity ultrasound beams is derived, which approximates the diffraction process more accurately than the commonly used Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation without increasing implementation complexity or computing time. A method for preventing the high spatial frequencies often present in source boundary conditions from corrupting the solution is presented. Simulations of shallowly focused axisymmetric beams using both the wide-angle and standard parabolic models are compared to assess the accuracy with which they model diffraction effects. The wide-angle model proposed here offers improved focusing accuracy and less error throughout the computational domain than the standard parabolic model, offering a facile method for extending the utility of existing KZK codes.

  12. Texture analysis of Napoleonic War Era copper bolts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malamud, Florencia; Northover, Shirley; James, Jon; Northover, Peter; Kelleher, Joe

    2016-04-01

    Neutron diffraction techniques are suitable for volume texture analyses due to high penetration of thermal neutrons in most materials. We have implemented a new data analysis methodology that employed the spatial resolution achievable by a time-of-flight neutron strain scanner to non-destructively determine the crystallographic texture at selected locations within a macroscopic sample. The method is based on defining the orientation distribution function of the crystallites from several incomplete pole figures, and it has been implemented on ENGIN-X, a neutron strain scanner at the Isis Facility in the UK. Here, we demonstrate the application of this new texture analysis methodology in determining the crystallographic texture at selected locations within museum quality archaeological objects up to 1 m in length. The results were verified using samples of similar, but less valuable, objects by comparing the results of applying this method with those obtained using both electron backscatter diffraction and X-ray diffraction on their cross sections.

  13. A comparative study of the use of powder X-ray diffraction, Raman and near infrared spectroscopy for quantification of binary polymorphic mixtures of piracetam.

    PubMed

    Croker, Denise M; Hennigan, Michelle C; Maher, Anthony; Hu, Yun; Ryder, Alan G; Hodnett, Benjamin K

    2012-04-07

    Diffraction and spectroscopic methods were evaluated for quantitative analysis of binary powder mixtures of FII(6.403) and FIII(6.525) piracetam. The two polymorphs of piracetam could be distinguished using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Raman and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that Raman and NIR spectroscopy are most suitable for quantitative analysis of this polymorphic mixture. When the spectra are treated with the combination of multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) and second derivative data pretreatments, the partial least squared (PLS) regression model gave a root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) of 0.94 and 0.99%, respectively. FIII(6.525) demonstrated some preferred orientation in PXRD analysis, making PXRD the least preferred method of quantification. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Performance improvements of wavelength-shifting-fiber neutron detectors using high-resolution positioning algorithms

    DOE PAGES

    Wang, C. L.

    2016-05-17

    On the basis of FluoroBancroft linear-algebraic method [S.B. Andersson, Opt. Exp. 16, 18714 (2008)] three highly-resolved positioning methods were proposed for wavelength-shifting fiber (WLSF) neutron detectors. Using a Gaussian or exponential-decay light-response function (LRF), the non-linear relation of photon-number profiles vs. x-pixels was linearized and neutron positions were determined. The proposed algorithms give an average 0.03-0.08 pixel position error, much smaller than that (0.29 pixel) from a traditional maximum photon algorithm (MPA). The new algorithms result in better detector uniformity, less position misassignment (ghosting), better spatial resolution, and an equivalent or better instrument resolution in powder diffraction than the MPA.more » Moreover, these characters will facilitate broader applications of WLSF detectors at time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction beamlines, including single-crystal diffraction and texture analysis.« less

  15. Solution to the Phase Problem Using Multibeam X-Ray Diffraction.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Qun

    Multi-beam x-ray diffraction, especially the asymmetry effect in the virtual Bragg scattering case, has been proved to provide useful phase information on the structure factors that are involved in the scattering process. A perturbation theory has been developed to provide an analytical expression for the diffracted wave field in virtual Bragg scattering situations, which explains the physical origin of the asymmetry effect. Two experiments on the (202) reflection of benzil, using 3.5 keV x-rays, have shown that the asymmetry effect is visible in a mosaic non-centrosymmetric organic crystal. The results do not depend on the shape of the crystal, hence proving that the method is universally applicable. A practical method to obtain arbitrary values of the phase triplet, based on the perturbation theory, has been developed and shown to work in the case of non-centrosymmetric crystals like benzil.

  16. Ab initio structure determination of nanocrystals of organic pharmaceutical compounds by electron diffraction at room temperature using a Timepix quantum area direct electron detector

    PubMed Central

    van Genderen, E.; Clabbers, M. T. B.; Das, P. P.; Stewart, A.; Nederlof, I.; Barentsen, K. C.; Portillo, Q.; Pannu, N. S.; Nicolopoulos, S.; Gruene, T.; Abrahams, J. P.

    2016-01-01

    Until recently, structure determination by transmission electron microscopy of beam-sensitive three-dimensional nanocrystals required electron diffraction tomography data collection at liquid-nitrogen temperature, in order to reduce radiation damage. Here it is shown that the novel Timepix detector combines a high dynamic range with a very high signal-to-noise ratio and single-electron sensitivity, enabling ab initio phasing of beam-sensitive organic compounds. Low-dose electron diffraction data (∼0.013 e− Å−2 s−1) were collected at room temperature with the rotation method. It was ascertained that the data were of sufficient quality for structure solution using direct methods using software developed for X-ray crystallography (XDS, SHELX) and for electron crystallography (ADT3D/PETS, SIR2014). PMID:26919375

  17. A novel method to fabricate silicon tubular gratings with broadband antireflection and super-hydrophobicity.

    PubMed

    Gao, Yang; Shi, Tielin; Tan, Xianhua; Liao, Guanglan

    2014-06-01

    We have developed a novel method to fabricate micro/nano structure based on the coherent diffraction lithography, and acquired periodic silicon tubular gratings with deep nano-scale tapered profiles at the top part. The optical properties of these tubular gratings were similar to an effective gradient-index antireflective surface, resulting in a broadband antireflective combining super-hydrophobic behavior. The mechanism of the method was simulated by rigorous coupled wave analysis algorithms. Then coherent diffraction lithography by use of suitable mask, in which periodic micro-scale circular opaque patters were distributed, was realized on the traditional aligner. Due to coherent diffraction, we obtained enough light intensity for photoresist exposure under the center of the opaque area in the mask together with transparent areas. The tapered line profiles and hollow photoresist gratings over large areas could be fabricated on the silicon wafer after development. The dry etching process was carried out, and high aspect ratio silicon tubular gratings with deep tapered profiles at the top were fabricated. The optical property and wettability of the structure were verified, proving that the proposed method and obtained micro/nano structure provide application potential in the future.

  18. Microstructural characterization of Ti-6Al-4V alloy subjected to the duplex SMAT/plasma nitriding.

    PubMed

    Pi, Y; Faure, J; Agoda-Tandjawa, G; Andreazza, C; Potiron, S; Levesque, A; Demangel, C; Retraint, D; Benhayoune, H

    2013-09-01

    In this study, microstructural characterization of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, subjected to the duplex surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT)/nitriding treatment, leading to improve its mechanical properties, was carried out through novel and original samples preparation methods. Instead of acid etching which is limited for morphological characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), an original ion polishing method was developed. Moreover, for structural characterization by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), an ion milling method based with the use of two ions guns was also carried out for cross-section preparation. To demonstrate the efficiency of the two developed methods, morphological investigations were done by traditional SEM and field emission gun SEM. This was followed by structural investigations through selected area electron diffraction (SAED) coupled with TEM and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results demonstrated that ionic polishing allowed to reveal a variation of the microstructure according to the surface treatment that could not be observed by acid etching preparation. TEM associated to SAED and X-ray diffraction provided information regarding the nanostructure compositional changes induced by the duplex SMAT/nitriding process. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Recent advances in continuum plasticity: phenomenological modeling and experimentation using X-ray diffraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Edmiston, John Kearney

    This work explores the field of continuum plasticity from two fronts. On the theory side, we establish a complete specification of a phenomenological theory of plasticity for single crystals. The model serves as an alternative to the popular crystal plasticity formulation. Such a model has been previously proposed in the literature; the new contribution made here is the constitutive framework and resulting simulations. We calibrate the model to available data and use a simple numerical method to explore resulting predictions in plane strain boundary value problems. Results show promise for further investigation of the plasticity model. Conveniently, this theory comes with a corresponding experimental tool in X-ray diffraction. Recent advances in hardware technology at synchrotron sources have led to an increased use of the technique for studies of plasticity in the bulk of materials. The method has been successful in qualitative observations of material behavior, but its use in quantitative studies seeking to extract material properties is open for investigation. Therefore in the second component of the thesis several contributions are made to synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments, in terms of method development as well as the quantitative reporting of constitutive parameters. In the area of method development, analytical tools are developed to determine the available precision of this type of experiment—a crucial aspect to determine if the method is to be used for quantitative studies. We also extract kinematic information relating to intragranular inhomogeneity which is not accessible with traditional methods of data analysis. In the area of constitutive parameter identification, we use the method to extract parameters corresponding to the proposed formulation of plasticity for a titanium alloy (HCP) which is continuously sampled by X-ray diffraction during uniaxial extension. These results and the lessons learned from the efforts constitute early reporting of the quantitative profitability of undertaking such a line of experimentation for the study of plastic deformation processes.

  20. Synchrotron Radial X-ray Diffraction Studies of Deformation of Polycrystalline MgO

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Girard, J.; Tsujino, N.; Mohiuddin, A.; Karato, S. I.

    2016-12-01

    X-ray diffraction analyses have been used for decades to study mechanical properties of polycrystalline samples during in-situ high-pressure deformation. When polycrystalline materials are deformed, stresses develop in grains and lead to lattice distortion. Using X-ray diffraction we can estimate the lattice strain for each (hkl) diffraction plans and calculate the applied stress for each (hkl), using [Singh, 1993] relation. However, this method doesn't take into account plastic anisotropy. As a results of plastic anisotropy present in the material, stress estimated from this method can be largely differ depending on (hkl) diffraction planes [Karato, 2009]. Studying the stress estimate for each (hkl) plane, might help us distinguish dominant deformation mechanisms activated during deformation such as diffusion (we will observe small stress variation as a function of (hkl) diffraction planes) or dislocation creep (we will observe a stress variation as a function of (hkl) diffraction planes that could also give us clues on potential slip system activity). In this study we observed stress evolution in MgO polycrystalline samples deformed under mantle pressure and temperature for (200) and (220) diffraction planes. Using a range MgO grain sizes we were able to control the active deformation mechanism (for e.g. diffusion creep or dislocation creep). For coarse-grained specimens, we observed strong (hkl) dependence of radial strain indicating the operation of dislocation creep. The observed (hkl) dependence changes with pressure suggesting a change in the slip system: at pressures higher than 27 GPa, (200) shows larger stress estimate than (220). In contrast, at lower pressures, (220) shows larger stress estimate than (200). This might indicate a slip system transition in MgO occurring under lower mantle conditions. From {110} plane to {100} plane. This is in good agreement with theoretical predictions and numerical calculation [Amodeo et al., 2012] and has an important implication for the interpretation of seismic anisotropy in the D" layer [Karato, 1998]. Amodeo, J., Carrey P., and P. Cordier (2012), Philosophical Magazine, 92(12). Karato, S-I. (1998), Earth and planets Space, 50, 1019-1028 Karato, S.-I. (2009), Physical Review. B, 79(21). Singh, A. K., (1993), Journal of Applied Physic, 73, 4278.

  1. Microfluidic Chips for In Situ Crystal X-ray Diffraction and In Situ Dynamic Light Scattering for Serial Crystallography.

    PubMed

    Gicquel, Yannig; Schubert, Robin; Kapis, Svetlana; Bourenkov, Gleb; Schneider, Thomas; Perbandt, Markus; Betzel, Christian; Chapman, Henry N; Heymann, Michael

    2018-04-24

    This protocol describes fabricating microfluidic devices with low X-ray background optimized for goniometer based fixed target serial crystallography. The devices are patterned from epoxy glue using soft lithography and are suitable for in situ X-ray diffraction experiments at room temperature. The sample wells are lidded on both sides with polymeric polyimide foil windows that allow diffraction data collection with low X-ray background. This fabrication method is undemanding and inexpensive. After the sourcing of a SU-8 master wafer, all fabrication can be completed outside of a cleanroom in a typical research lab environment. The chip design and fabrication protocol utilize capillary valving to microfluidically split an aqueous reaction into defined nanoliter sized droplets. This loading mechanism avoids the sample loss from channel dead-volume and can easily be performed manually without using pumps or other equipment for fluid actuation. We describe how isolated nanoliter sized drops of protein solution can be monitored in situ by dynamic light scattering to control protein crystal nucleation and growth. After suitable crystals are grown, complete X-ray diffraction datasets can be collected using goniometer based in situ fixed target serial X-ray crystallography at room temperature. The protocol provides custom scripts to process diffraction datasets using a suite of software tools to solve and refine the protein crystal structure. This approach avoids the artefacts possibly induced during cryo-preservation or manual crystal handling in conventional crystallography experiments. We present and compare three protein structures that were solved using small crystals with dimensions of approximately 10-20 µm grown in chip. By crystallizing and diffracting in situ, handling and hence mechanical disturbances of fragile crystals is minimized. The protocol details how to fabricate a custom X-ray transparent microfluidic chip suitable for in situ serial crystallography. As almost every crystal can be used for diffraction data collection, these microfluidic chips are a very efficient crystal delivery method.

  2. Segal crystallinity index revisited by the simulation of x-ray diffraction patterns of cotton cellulose IB and cellulose II

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The Segal method estimates the amorphous fraction of cellulose IB materials simply based on intensity at 18o 20 in an X-ray diffraction pattern and was extended to cellulose II using 16o 2O intensity. To address the dependency of Segal amorphous intensity on crystal size, cellulose polymorph, and th...

  3. Rigorous coupled wave analysis of acousto-optics with relativistic considerations.

    PubMed

    Xia, Guoqiang; Zheng, Weijian; Lei, Zhenggang; Zhang, Ruolan

    2015-09-01

    A relativistic analysis of acousto-optics is presented, and a rigorous coupled wave analysis is generalized for the diffraction of the acousto-optical effect. An acoustic wave generates a grating with temporally and spatially modulated permittivity, hindering direct applications of the rigorous coupled wave analysis for the acousto-optical effect. In a reference frame which moves with the acoustic wave, the grating is static, the medium moves, and the coupled wave equations for the static grating may be derived. Floquet's theorem is then applied to cast these equations into an eigenproblem. Using a Lorentz transformation, the electromagnetic fields in the grating region are transformed to the lab frame where the medium is at rest, and relativistic Doppler frequency shifts are introduced into various diffraction orders. In the lab frame, the boundary conditions are considered and the diffraction efficiencies of various orders are determined. This method is rigorous and general, and the plane waves in the resulting expansion satisfy the dispersion relation of the medium and are propagation modes. Properties of various Bragg diffractions are results, rather than preconditions, of this method. Simulations of an acousto-optical tunable filter made by paratellurite, TeO(2), are given as examples.

  4. Measuring the x-ray resolving power of bent potassium acid phthalate diffraction crystals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Haugh, M. J., E-mail: haughmj@nv.doe.gov; Jacoby, K. D.; Wu, M.

    2014-11-15

    This report presents the results from measuring the X-ray resolving power of a curved potassium acid phthalate (KAP(001)) spectrometer crystal using two independent methods. It is part of a continuing effort to measure the fundamental diffraction properties of bent crystals that are used to study various characteristics of high temperature plasmas. Bent crystals like KAP(001) do not usually have the same diffraction properties as corresponding flat crystals. Models that do exist to calculate the effect of bending the crystal on the diffraction properties have simplifying assumptions and their accuracy limits have not been adequately determined. The type of crystals thatmore » we measured is being used in a spectrometer on the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The first technique for measuring the crystal resolving power measures the X-ray spectral line width of the characteristic lines from several metal anodes. The second method uses a diode X-ray source and a double crystal diffractometer arrangement to measure the reflectivity curve of the KAP(001) crystal. The width of that curve is inversely proportional to the crystal resolving power. The measurement results are analyzed and discussed.« less

  5. Measuring the X-ray Resolving Power of Bent Potassium Acid Phthalate Diffraction Crystals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Haugh, M. J.; Wu, M.; Jacoby, K. D.

    2014-11-01

    This report presents the results from measuring the X-ray resolving power of a curved potassium acid phthalate (KAP(001)) spectrometer crystal using two independent methods. It is part of a continuing effort to measure the fundamental diffraction properties of bent crystals that are used to study various characteristics of high temperature plasmas. Bent crystals like KAP(001) do not usually have the same diffraction properties as corresponding flat crystals. Models that do exist to calculate the effect of bending the crystal on the diffraction properties have simplifying assumptions and their accuracy limits have not been adequately determined. The type of crystals thatmore » we measured is being used in a spectrometer on the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in Albuquerque, NM. The first technique for measuring the crystal resolving power measures the X-ray spectral line width of the characteristic lines from several metal anodes. The second method uses a diode X-ray source and a dual goniometer arrangement to measure the reflectivity curve of the KAP(001) crystal. The width of that curve is inversely proportional to the crystal resolving power. The measurement results are analyzed and discussed.« less

  6. Probing the structure of heterogeneous diluted materials by diffraction tomography.

    PubMed

    Bleuet, Pierre; Welcomme, Eléonore; Dooryhée, Eric; Susini, Jean; Hodeau, Jean-Louis; Walter, Philippe

    2008-06-01

    The advent of nanosciences calls for the development of local structural probes, in particular to characterize ill-ordered or heterogeneous materials. Furthermore, because materials properties are often related to their heterogeneity and the hierarchical arrangement of their structure, different structural probes covering a wide range of scales are required. X-ray diffraction is one of the prime structural methods but suffers from a relatively poor detection limit, whereas transmission electron analysis involves destructive sample preparation. Here we show the potential of coupling pencil-beam tomography with X-ray diffraction to examine unidentified phases in nanomaterials and polycrystalline materials. The demonstration is carried out on a high-pressure pellet containing several carbon phases and on a heterogeneous powder containing chalcedony and iron pigments. The present method enables a non-invasive structural refinement with a weight sensitivity of one part per thousand. It enables the extraction of the scattering patterns of amorphous and crystalline compounds with similar atomic densities and compositions. Furthermore, such a diffraction-tomography experiment can be carried out simultaneously with X-ray fluorescence, Compton and absorption tomographies, enabling a multimodal analysis of prime importance in materials science, chemistry, geology, environmental science, medical science, palaeontology and cultural heritage.

  7. Measuring the x-ray resolving power of bent potassium acid phthalate diffraction crystalsa)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haugh, M. J.; Wu, M.; Jacoby, K. D.; Loisel, G. P.

    2014-11-01

    This report presents the results from measuring the X-ray resolving power of a curved potassium acid phthalate (KAP(001)) spectrometer crystal using two independent methods. It is part of a continuing effort to measure the fundamental diffraction properties of bent crystals that are used to study various characteristics of high temperature plasmas. Bent crystals like KAP(001) do not usually have the same diffraction properties as corresponding flat crystals. Models that do exist to calculate the effect of bending the crystal on the diffraction properties have simplifying assumptions and their accuracy limits have not been adequately determined. The type of crystals that we measured is being used in a spectrometer on the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The first technique for measuring the crystal resolving power measures the X-ray spectral line width of the characteristic lines from several metal anodes. The second method uses a diode X-ray source and a double crystal diffractometer arrangement to measure the reflectivity curve of the KAP(001) crystal. The width of that curve is inversely proportional to the crystal resolving power. The measurement results are analyzed and discussed.

  8. Optical diffraction for measurements of nano-mechanical bending

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hermans, Rodolfo I.; Dueck, Benjamin; Ndieyira, Joseph Wafula; McKendry, Rachel A.; Aeppli, Gabriel

    2016-06-01

    We explore and exploit diffraction effects that have been previously neglected when modelling optical measurement techniques for the bending of micro-mechanical transducers such as cantilevers for atomic force microscopy. The illumination of a cantilever edge causes an asymmetric diffraction pattern at the photo-detector affecting the calibration of the measured signal in the popular optical beam deflection technique (OBDT). The conditions that avoid such detection artefacts conflict with the use of smaller cantilevers. Embracing diffraction patterns as data yields a potent detection technique that decouples tilt and curvature and simultaneously relaxes the requirements on the illumination alignment and detector position through a measurable which is invariant to translation and rotation. We show analytical results, numerical simulations and physiologically relevant experimental data demonstrating the utility of the diffraction patterns. We offer experimental design guidelines and quantify possible sources of systematic error in OBDT. We demonstrate a new nanometre resolution detection method that can replace OBDT, where diffraction effects from finite sized or patterned cantilevers are exploited. Such effects are readily generalized to cantilever arrays, and allow transmission detection of mechanical curvature, enabling instrumentation with simpler geometry. We highlight the comparative advantages over OBDT by detecting molecular activity of antibiotic Vancomycin.

  9. Vectorial strain gauge method using single flexible orthogonal polydimethylsiloxane gratings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Hao; Tang, Jun; Qian, Kun; Tsoukalas, Dimitris; Zhao, Miaomiao; Yang, Jiangtao; Zhang, Binzhen; Chou, Xiujian; Liu, Jun; Xue, Chenyang; Zhang, Wendong

    2016-03-01

    A vectorial strain gauge method using a single sensing element is reported based on the double-sided polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Fraunhofer diffraction gratings structures. Using O2 plasma treatment steps, orthogonal wrinkled gratings were fabricated on both sides of a pre-strained PDMS film. Diffracted laser spots from this structure have been used to experimentally demonstrate, that any applied strain can be quantitatively characterized in both the x and y directions with an error of less than 0.6% and with a gauge factor of approximately 10. This simple and low cost technology which is completely different from the traditional vectorial strain gauge method, can be applied to surface vectorial strain measurement and multi-axis integrated mechanical sensors.

  10. Dependence of magnetic permeability on residual stresses in alloyed steels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hristoforou, E.; Ktena, A.; Vourna, P.; Argiris, K.

    2018-04-01

    A method for the monitoring of residual stress distribution in steels has been developed based on non-destructive surface magnetic permeability measurements. In order to investigate the potential utilization of the magnetic method in evaluating residual stresses, the magnetic calibration curves of various ferromagnetic alloyed steels' grade (AISI 4140, TRIP and Duplex) were examined. X-Ray diffraction technique was used for determining surface residual stress values. The overall measurement results have shown that the residual stress determined by the magnetic method was in good agreement with the diffraction results. Further experimental investigations are required to validate the preliminary results and to verify the presence of a unique normalized magnetic stress calibration curve.

  11. Absolute x-ray energy calibration and monitoring using a diffraction-based method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hong, Xinguo, E-mail: xhong@bnl.gov; Weidner, Donald J.; Duffy, Thomas S.

    2016-07-27

    In this paper, we report some recent developments of the diffraction-based absolute X-ray energy calibration method. In this calibration method, high spatial resolution of the measured detector offset is essential. To this end, a remotely controlled long-translation motorized stage was employed instead of the less convenient gauge blocks. It is found that the precision of absolute X-ray energy calibration (ΔE/E) is readily achieved down to the level of 10{sup −4} for high-energy monochromatic X-rays (e.g. 80 keV). Examples of applications to pair distribution function (PDF) measurements and energy monitoring for high-energy X-rays are presented.

  12. Realistic inversion of diffraction data for an amorphous solid: The case of amorphous silicon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pandey, Anup; Biswas, Parthapratim; Bhattarai, Bishal; Drabold, D. A.

    2016-12-01

    We apply a method called "force-enhanced atomic refinement" (FEAR) to create a computer model of amorphous silicon (a -Si) based upon the highly precise x-ray diffraction experiments of Laaziri et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 3460 (1999), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.3460]. The logic underlying our calculation is to estimate the structure of a real sample a -Si using experimental data and chemical information included in a nonbiased way, starting from random coordinates. The model is in close agreement with experiment and also sits at a suitable energy minimum according to density-functional calculations. In agreement with experiments, we find a small concentration of coordination defects that we discuss, including their electronic consequences. The gap states in the FEAR model are delocalized compared to a continuous random network model. The method is more efficient and accurate, in the sense of fitting the diffraction data, than conventional melt-quench methods. We compute the vibrational density of states and the specific heat, and we find that both compare favorably to experiments.

  13. Design and fabrication of sub-wavelength anti-reflection grating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zou, Wenlong; Li, Chaoming; Chen, Xinrong; Cai, Zhijian; Wu, Jianhong

    2018-01-01

    In the high power laser system, the reflection of optical surface has a strong impact on the efficiency for luminous energy utilization. Fresnel reflection can be effectively suppressed by antireflection film. For that, the anti-reflection film is one of the important optical elements in high power laser system. The common preparation methods of anti-reflection film include monolayer film, multilayer film and sub-wavelength grating. The effectiveness of monolayer is unsatisfactory, and its application spectrum bandwidth is very narrow. The preparation process of multilayer film is complex and it is very expensive. The emerging technology of fabrication anti-reflection film is sub-wavelength grating. The zero order transmission diffraction efficiency depends on the period, etching depth and duty cycle of the grating. The structure parameters of antireflection grating were designed and optimized under small angle incidence of 351nm based on rigorous coupled wave analysis method. The impaction of zero order reflection diffraction and zero order transmission diffraction efficiency on period, duty cycle and etching depth of grating was discussed in detail in this paper. The sub-wavelength anti-reflection grating was fabricated by holographic and ion etching method.

  14. Extreme ultraviolet interferometry

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Goldberg, Kenneth A.

    EUV lithography is a promising and viable candidate for circuit fabrication with 0.1-micron critical dimension and smaller. In order to achieve diffraction-limited performance, all-reflective multilayer-coated lithographic imaging systems operating near 13-nm wavelength and 0.1 NA have system wavefront tolerances of 0.27 nm, or 0.02 waves RMS. Owing to the highly-sensitive resonant reflective properties of multilayer mirrors and extraordinarily tight tolerances set forth for their fabrication, EUV optical systems require at-wavelength EUV interferometry for final alignment and qualification. This dissertation discusses the development and successful implementation of high-accuracy EUV interferometric techniques. Proof-of-principle experiments with a prototype EUV point-diffraction interferometer for themore » measurement of Fresnel zoneplate lenses first demonstrated sub-wavelength EUV interferometric capability. These experiments spurred the development of the superior phase-shifting point-diffraction interferometer (PS/PDI), which has been implemented for the testing of an all-reflective lithographic-quality EUV optical system. Both systems rely on pinhole diffraction to produce spherical reference wavefronts in a common-path geometry. Extensive experiments demonstrate EUV wavefront-measuring precision beyond 0.02 waves RMS. EUV imaging experiments provide verification of the high-accuracy of the point-diffraction principle, and demonstrate the utility of the measurements in successfully predicting imaging performance. Complementary to the experimental research, several areas of theoretical investigation related to the novel PS/PDI system are presented. First-principles electromagnetic field simulations of pinhole diffraction are conducted to ascertain the upper limits of measurement accuracy and to guide selection of the pinhole diameter. Investigations of the relative merits of different PS/PDI configurations accompany a general study of the most significant sources of systematic measurement errors. To overcome a variety of experimental difficulties, several new methods in interferogram analysis and phase-retrieval were developed: the Fourier-Transform Method of Phase-Shift Determination, which uses Fourier-domain analysis to improve the accuracy of phase-shifting interferometry; the Fourier-Transform Guided Unwrap Method, which was developed to overcome difficulties associated with a high density of mid-spatial-frequency blemishes and which uses a low-spatial-frequency approximation to the measured wavefront to guide the phase unwrapping in the presence of noise; and, finally, an expedient method of Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization which facilitates polynomial basis transformations in wave-front surface fitting procedures.« less

  15. Utilizing broadband X-rays in a Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction imaging experiment

    DOE PAGES

    Cha, Wonsuk; Liu, Wenjun; Harder, Ross; ...

    2016-07-26

    A method is presented to simplify Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction imaging studies of complex heterogeneous crystalline materials with a two-stage screening/imaging process that utilizes polychromatic and monochromatic coherent X-rays and is compatible with in situ sample environments. Coherent white-beam diffraction is used to identify an individual crystal particle or grain that displays desired properties within a larger population. A three-dimensional reciprocal-space map suitable for diffraction imaging is then measured for the Bragg peak of interest using a monochromatic beam energy scan that requires no sample motion, thus simplifyingin situchamber design. This approach was demonstrated with Au nanoparticles and will enable,more » for example, individual grains in a polycrystalline material of specific orientation to be selected, then imaged in three dimensions while under load.« less

  16. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the peripheral light-harvesting complex LH2 from Marichromatium purpuratum.

    PubMed

    Cranston, Laura J; Roszak, Aleksander W; Cogdell, Richard J

    2014-06-01

    LH2 from the purple photosynthetic bacterium Marichromatium (formerly known as Chromatium) purpuratum is an integral membrane pigment-protein complex that is involved in harvesting light energy and transferring it to the LH1-RC `core' complex. The purified LH2 complex was crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method at 294 K. The crystals diffracted to a resolution of 6 Å using synchrotron radiation and belonged to the tetragonal space group I4, with unit-cell parameters a=b=109.36, c=80.45 Å. The data appeared to be twinned, producing apparent diffraction symmetry I422. The tetragonal symmetry of the unit cell and diffraction for the crystals of the LH2 complex from this species reveal that this complex is an octamer.

  17. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the peripheral light-harvesting complex LH2 from Marichromatium purpuratum

    PubMed Central

    Cranston, Laura J.; Roszak, Aleksander W.; Cogdell, Richard J.

    2014-01-01

    LH2 from the purple photosynthetic bacterium Marichromatium (formerly known as Chromatium) purpuratum is an integral membrane pigment–protein complex that is involved in harvesting light energy and transferring it to the LH1–RC ‘core’ complex. The purified LH2 complex was crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method at 294 K. The crystals diffracted to a resolution of 6 Å using synchrotron radiation and belonged to the tetragonal space group I4, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 109.36, c = 80.45 Å. The data appeared to be twinned, producing apparent diffraction symmetry I422. The tetragonal symmetry of the unit cell and diffraction for the crystals of the LH2 complex from this species reveal that this complex is an octamer. PMID:24915099

  18. High-resolution x-ray diffraction microscopy of specifically labeled yeast cells

    PubMed Central

    Nelson, Johanna; Huang, Xiaojing; Steinbrener, Jan; Shapiro, David; Kirz, Janos; Marchesini, Stefano; Neiman, Aaron M.; Turner, Joshua J.; Jacobsen, Chris

    2010-01-01

    X-ray diffraction microscopy complements other x-ray microscopy methods by being free of lens-imposed radiation dose and resolution limits, and it allows for high-resolution imaging of biological specimens too thick to be viewed by electron microscopy. We report here the highest resolution (11–13 nm) x-ray diffraction micrograph of biological specimens, and a demonstration of molecular-specific gold labeling at different depths within cells via through-focus propagation of the reconstructed wavefield. The lectin concanavalin A conjugated to colloidal gold particles was used to label the α-mannan sugar in the cell wall of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cells were plunge-frozen in liquid ethane and freeze-dried, after which they were imaged whole using x-ray diffraction microscopy at 750 eV photon energy. PMID:20368463

  19. Diffraction efficiency calculations of polarization diffraction gratings with surface relief

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nazarova, D.; Sharlandjiev, P.; Berberova, N.; Blagoeva, B.; Stoykova, E.; Nedelchev, L.

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, we evaluate the optical response of a stack of two diffraction gratings of equal one-dimensional periodicity. The first one is a surface-relief grating structure; the second, a volume polarization grating. This model is based on our experimental results from polarization holographic recordings in azopolymer films. We used films of commercially available azopolymer (poly[1-[4-(3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenylazo) benzenesulfonamido]-1,2-ethanediyl, sodium salt]), shortly denoted as PAZO. During the recording process, a polarization grating in the volume of the material and a relief grating on the film surface are formed simultaneously. In order to evaluate numerically the optical response of this “hybrid” diffraction structure, we used the rigorous coupled-wave approach (RCWA). It yields stable numerical solutions of Maxwell’s vector equations using the algebraic eigenvalue method.

  20. Diffraction study of duty-cycle error in ferroelectric quasi-phase-matching gratings with Gaussian beam illumination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dwivedi, Prashant Povel; Kumar, Challa Sesha Sai Pavan; Choi, Hee Joo; Cha, Myoungsik

    2016-02-01

    Random duty-cycle error (RDE) is inherent in the fabrication of ferroelectric quasi-phase-matching (QPM) gratings. Although a small RDE may not affect the nonlinearity of QPM devices, it enhances non-phase-matched parasitic harmonic generations, limiting the device performance in some applications. Recently, we demonstrated a simple method for measuring the RDE in QPM gratings by analyzing the far-field diffraction pattern obtained by uniform illumination (Dwivedi et al. in Opt Express 21:30221-30226, 2013). In the present study, we used a Gaussian beam illumination for the diffraction experiment to measure noise spectra that are less affected by the pedestals of the strong diffraction orders. Our results were compared with our calculations based on a random grating model, demonstrating improved resolution in the RDE estimation.

  1. Structure, Elastic Constants and XRD Spectra of Extended Solids under High Pressure

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Batyrev, I. G.; Coleman, S. P.; Ciezak-Jenkins, J. A.

    We present results of evolutionary simulations based on density functional calculations of a potentially new type of energetic materials called extended solids: P-N and N-H. High-density structures with covalent bonds generated using variable and fixed concentration methods were analysed in terms of thermo-dynamical stability and agreement with experimental X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra. X-ray diffraction spectra were calculated using a virtual diffraction algorithm that computes kinematic diffraction intensity in three-dimensional reciprocal space before being reduced to a two-theta line profile. Calculated XRD patterns were used to search for the structure of extended solids present at experimental pressures by optimizing data accordingmore » to experimental XRD peak position, peak intensity and theoretically calculated enthalpy. Elastic constants has been calculated for thermodynamically stable structures of P-N system.« less

  2. High-resolution x-ray diffraction microscopy of specifically labeled yeast cells

    DOE PAGES

    Nelson, Johanna; Huang, Xiaojing; Steinbrener, Jan; ...

    2010-04-20

    X-ray diffraction microscopy complements other x-ray microscopy methods by being free of lens-imposed radiation dose and resolution limits, and it allows for high-resolution imaging of biological specimens too thick to be viewed by electron microscopy. We report here the highest resolution (11-13 nm) x-ray diffraction micrograph of biological specimens, and a demonstration of molecular-specific gold labeling at different depths within cells via through-focus propagation of the reconstructed wavefield. The lectin concanavalin A conjugated to colloidal gold particles was used to label the α-mannan sugar in the cell wall of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cells were plunge-frozen in liquid ethane andmore » freeze-dried, after which they were imaged whole using x-ray diffraction microscopy at 750 eV photon energy.« less

  3. Crystallography and Morphology of Niobium Carbide in As-Cast HP-Niobium Reformer Tubes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buchanan, Karl G.; Kral, Milo V.

    2012-06-01

    The microstructures of two as-cast heats of niobium-modified HP stainless steels were characterized. Particular attention was paid to the interdendritic niobium-rich carbides formed during solidification of these alloys. At low magnifications, these precipitates are grouped in colonies of similar lamellae. Higher magnifications revealed that the lamellae actually obtain two distinct morphologies. The type I morphology exhibits broad planar interfaces with a smooth platelike shape. Type II lamellae have undulating interfaces and an overall reticulated shape. To provide further insight into the origin of these two different morphologies, the microstructure and crystallography of each have been studied in detail using high resolution scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, various electron diffraction methods (electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), selected area diffraction (SAD), and convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED)), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

  4. Utilizing broadband X-rays in a Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction imaging experiment.

    PubMed

    Cha, Wonsuk; Liu, Wenjun; Harder, Ross; Xu, Ruqing; Fuoss, Paul H; Hruszkewycz, Stephan O

    2016-09-01

    A method is presented to simplify Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction imaging studies of complex heterogeneous crystalline materials with a two-stage screening/imaging process that utilizes polychromatic and monochromatic coherent X-rays and is compatible with in situ sample environments. Coherent white-beam diffraction is used to identify an individual crystal particle or grain that displays desired properties within a larger population. A three-dimensional reciprocal-space map suitable for diffraction imaging is then measured for the Bragg peak of interest using a monochromatic beam energy scan that requires no sample motion, thus simplifying in situ chamber design. This approach was demonstrated with Au nanoparticles and will enable, for example, individual grains in a polycrystalline material of specific orientation to be selected, then imaged in three dimensions while under load.

  5. Time-spliced X-ray diffraction imaging of magnetism dynamics in a NdNiO3 thin film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beyerlein, Kenneth R.

    2018-03-01

    Diffraction imaging of nonequilibrium dynamics at atomic resolution is becoming possible with X-ray free-electron lasers. However, there are unresolved problems with applying this method to objects that are confined in only one dimension. Here I show that reliable one-dimensional coherent diffraction imaging is possible by splicing together images recovered from different time delays in an optical pump X-ray probe experiment. The time and space evolution of antiferromagnetic order in a vibrationally excited complex oxide heterostructure is recovered from time-resolved measurements of a resonant soft X-ray diffraction peak. Midinfrared excitation of the substrate is shown to lead to a demagnetization front that propagates at a velocity exceeding the speed of sound, a critical observation for the understanding of driven phase transitions in complex condensed matter.

  6. Time-spliced X-ray diffraction imaging of magnetism dynamics in a NdNiO3 thin film.

    PubMed

    Beyerlein, Kenneth R

    2018-02-27

    Diffraction imaging of nonequilibrium dynamics at atomic resolution is becoming possible with X-ray free-electron lasers. However, there are unresolved problems with applying this method to objects that are confined in only one dimension. Here I show that reliable one-dimensional coherent diffraction imaging is possible by splicing together images recovered from different time delays in an optical pump X-ray probe experiment. The time and space evolution of antiferromagnetic order in a vibrationally excited complex oxide heterostructure is recovered from time-resolved measurements of a resonant soft X-ray diffraction peak. Midinfrared excitation of the substrate is shown to lead to a demagnetization front that propagates at a velocity exceeding the speed of sound, a critical observation for the understanding of driven phase transitions in complex condensed matter.

  7. A generalized method for high throughput in-situ experiment data analysis: An example of battery materials exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aoun, Bachir; Yu, Cun; Fan, Longlong; Chen, Zonghai; Amine, Khalil; Ren, Yang

    2015-04-01

    A generalized method is introduced to extract critical information from series of ranked correlated data. The method is generally applicable to all types of spectra evolving as a function of any arbitrary parameter. This approach is based on correlation functions and statistical scedasticity formalism. Numerous challenges in analyzing high throughput experimental data can be tackled using the herein proposed method. We applied this method to understand the reactivity pathway and formation mechanism of a Li-ion battery cathode material during high temperature synthesis using in-situ high-energy X-ray diffraction. We demonstrate that Pearson's correlation function can easily unravel all major phase transition and, more importantly, the minor structural changes which cannot be revealed by conventionally inspecting the series of diffraction patterns. Furthermore, a two-dimensional (2D) reactivity pattern calculated as the scedasticity along all measured reciprocal space of all successive diffraction pattern pairs unveils clearly the structural evolution path and the active areas of interest during the synthesis. The methods described here can be readily used for on-the-fly data analysis during various in-situ operando experiments in order to quickly evaluate and optimize experimental conditions, as well as for post data analysis and large data mining where considerable amount of data hinders the feasibility of the investigation through point-by-point inspection.

  8. A generalized method for high throughput in-situ experiment data analysis: An example of battery materials exploration

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Aoun, Bachir; Yu, Cun; Fan, Longlong

    A generalized method is introduced to extract critical information from series of ranked correlated data. The method is generally applicable to all types of spectra evolving as a function of any arbitrary parameter. This approach is based on correlation functions and statistical scedasticity formalism. Numerous challenges in analyzing high throughput experimental data can be tackled using the herein proposed method. We applied this method to understand the reactivity pathway and formation mechanism of a Li-ion battery cathode material during high temperature synthesis using in-situ highenergy X-ray diffraction. We demonstrate that Pearson's correlation function can easily unravel all major phase transitionmore » and, more importantly, the minor structural changes which cannot be revealed by conventionally inspecting the series of diffraction patterns. Furthermore, a two-dimensional (2D) reactivity pattern calculated as the scedasticity along all measured reciprocal space of all successive diffraction pattern pairs unveils clearly the structural evolution path and the active areas of interest during the synthesis. The methods described here can be readily used for on-the-fly data analysis during various in-situ operando experiments in order to quickly evaluate and optimize experimental conditions, as well as for post data analysis and large data mining where considerable amount of data hinders the feasibility of the investigation through point-by-point inspection.« less

  9. Low-dose, high-resolution and high-efficiency ptychography at STXM beamline of SSRF

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Zijian; Wang, Chunpeng; Liu, Haigang; Tao, Xulei; Tai, Renzhong

    2017-06-01

    Ptychography is a diffraction-based X-ray microscopy method that can image extended samples quantitatively while remove the resolution limit imposed by image-forming optical elements. As a natural extension of scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) imaging method, we developed soft X-ray ptychographic coherent diffraction imaging (PCDI) method at the STXM endstation of BL08U beamline of Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Compared to the traditional STXM imaging, the new PCDI method has resulted in significantly lower dose, higher resolution and higher efficiency imaging in our platform. In the demonstration experiments shown here, a spatial resolution of sub-10 nm was obtained for a gold nanowires sample, which is much better than the limit resolution 30 nm of the STXM method, while the radiation dose is only 1/12 of STXM.

  10. Neutron detectors for the ESS diffractometers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stefanescu, I.; Christensen, M.; Fenske, J.; Hall-Wilton, R.; Henry, P. F.; Kirstein, O.; Müller, M.; Nowak, G.; Pooley, D.; Raspino, D.; Rhodes, N.; Šaroun, J.; Schefer, J.; Schooneveld, E.; Sykora, J.; Schweika, W.

    2017-01-01

    The ambitious instrument suite for the future European Spallation Source whose civil construction started recently in Lund, Sweden, demands a set of diverse and challenging requirements for the neutron detectors. For instance, the unprecedented high flux expected on the samples to be investigated in neutron diffraction or reflectometry experiments requires detectors that can handle high counting rates, while the investigation of sub-millimeter protein crystals will only be possible with large-area detectors that can achieve a position resolution as low as 200 μm. This has motivated an extensive research and development campaign to advance the state-of-the-art detector and to find new technologies that can reach maturity by the time the ESS will operate at full potential. This paper presents the key detector requirements for three of the Time-of-Flight (TOF) diffraction instrument concepts selected by the Scientific Advisory Committee to advance into the phase of preliminary engineering design. We discuss the detector technologies commonly employed at the existing similar instruments and their major challenges for ESS. The detector technologies selected by the instrument teams to collect the diffraction patterns are also presented. Analytical calculations, Monte-Carlo simulations, and real experimental data are used to develop a generic method to estimate the event rate in the diffraction detectors. We apply this method to make predictions for the future diffraction instruments, and thus provide additional information that can help the instrument teams with the optimisation of the detector designs.

  11. Purification, isolation, crystallization, and preliminary X-ray diffraction study of the BTB domain of the centrosomal protein 190 from Drosophila melanogaster

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boyko, K. M.; Nikolaeva, A. Yu.; Kachalova, G. S.; Bonchuk, A. N.; Popov, V. O.

    2017-11-01

    The spatial organization of the genome is controlled by a special class of architectural proteins, including proteins containing BTB domains that are able to dimerize or multimerize. The centrosomal protein 190 is one of such architectural proteins. The purification, crystallization, and preliminary X-ray diffraction study of the BTB domain of the centrosomal protein 190 are reported. The crystallization conditions were found by the vapor-diffusion technique. The crystals diffracted to 1.5 Å resolution and belonged to sp. gr. P3221. The structure was solved by the molecular replacement method. The structure refinement is currently underway.

  12. Binary-mask generation for diffractive optical elements using microcomputers.

    PubMed

    O'Shea, D C; Beletic, J W; Poutous, M

    1993-05-10

    A new technique for generation of binary masks for the fabrication of diffractive optical elements is investigated. This technique, which uses commercially available desktop-publishing hardware and software in conjunction with a standard photoreduction camera, is much faster and less expensive thanhe conventional methods. The short turnaround time and low cost should give researchers a much greater degree of flexibility in the field of binary optics and enable wider application of diffractive-optics technology. Techniques for generating optical elements by using standard software packages that produce PostScript output are described. An evaluation of the dimensional fidelity of the mask reproduction from design to its realization in photoresist is presented.

  13. Photoelectron Diffraction and Holography Studies of 2D Materials and Interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuznetsov, Mikhail V.; Ogorodnikov, Ilya I.; Usachov, Dmitry Yu.; Laubschat, Clemens; Vyalikh, Denis V.; Matsui, Fumihiko; Yashina, Lada V.

    2018-06-01

    Photoelectron diffraction (XPD) and holography (XPH) are powerful spectroscopic methods that allow comprehensive exploration and characterization of certain structural properties of materials, in particular those of 2D systems and interfaces. Recent developments in XPD and XPH are especially impressive when they are applied to partially disordered systems such as intercalation compounds, doped graphene, buffer layers or adsorbates and imperfectly ordered germanene and phoshporene. In our brief review, we sum up the advances in XPD and XPH studies of 2D materials and discuss the unique opportunities granted by these two interrelated methods.

  14. An application of the Braunbeck method to the Maggi-Rubinowicz field representation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meneghini, R.

    1982-01-01

    The Braunbek method is applied to the generalized vector potential associated with the Maggi-rubinowicz representation. Under certain approximations, an asymptotic evaluation of the vector potential is obtained. For observation points away from caustics or shadow boundaries, the field derived from this quantity is the same as that determined from the geometrical theory of diffraction on a singly diffracted edge ray. An evaluation of the field for the simple case of a plane wave normally incident on a circular aperture is presented showing that the field predicted by the Maggi-Rubinowicz theory is continuous across the shadow boundary.

  15. An application of the Braunbeck method to the Maggi-Rubinowicz field representation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meneghini, R.

    1982-06-01

    The Braunbek method is applied to the generalized vector potential associated with the Maggi-rubinowicz representation. Under certain approximations, an asymptotic evaluation of the vector potential is obtained. For observation points away from caustics or shadow boundaries, the field derived from this quantity is the same as that determined from the geometrical theory of diffraction on a singly diffracted edge ray. An evaluation of the field for the simple case of a plane wave normally incident on a circular aperture is presented showing that the field predicted by the Maggi-Rubinowicz theory is continuous across the shadow boundary.

  16. Isotope Induced Proton Ordering in Partially Deuterated Aspirin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schiebel, P.; Papoular, R. J.; Paulus, W.; Zimmermann, H.; Detken, A.; Haeberlen, U.; Prandl, W.

    1999-08-01

    We report the nuclear density distribution of partially deuterated aspirin, C8H5O4-CH2D, at 300 and 15 K, as determined by neutron diffraction coupled with maximum entropy method image reconstruction. While fully protonated and fully deuterated methyl groups in aspirin are delocalized at low temperatures due to quantum mechanical tunneling, we provide here direct evidence that in aspirin- CH2D at 15 K the methyl hydrogens are localized, while randomly distributed over three sites at 300 K. This is the first observation by diffraction methods of low-temperature isotopic ordering in condensed matter.

  17. Dynamic correction of the laser beam coordinate in fabrication of large-sized diffractive elements for testing aspherical mirrors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shimansky, R. V.; Poleshchuk, A. G.; Korolkov, V. P.; Cherkashin, V. V.

    2017-05-01

    This paper presents a method of improving the accuracy of a circular laser system in fabrication of large-diameter diffractive optical elements by means of a polar coordinate system and the results of their use. An algorithm for correcting positioning errors of a circular laser writing system developed at the Institute of Automation and Electrometry, SB RAS, is proposed and tested. Highprecision synthesized holograms fabricated by this method and the results of using these elements for testing the 6.5 m diameter aspheric mirror of the James Webb space telescope (JWST) are described..

  18. Method and apparatus for wavefront sensing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bahk, Seung-Whan

    A method for performing optical wavefront sensing includes providing an amplitude transmission mask having a light input side, a light output side, and an optical transmission axis passing from the light input side to the light output side. The amplitude transmission mask is characterized by a checkerboard pattern having a square unit cell of size .LAMBDA.. The method also includes directing an incident light field having a wavelengthmore » $$ \\lamda $$ to be incident on the light input side and propagating the incident light field through the amplitude transmission mask. The method further includes producing a plurality of diffracted light fields on the light output side and detecting, at a detector disposed a distance L from the amplitude transmission mask, an interferogram associated with the plurality of diffracted light fields.« less

  19. An Improved X-ray Diffraction Method For Cellulose Crystallinity Measurement

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ju, Xiaohui; Bowden, Mark E.; Brown, Elvie E.

    2015-06-01

    We show in this work a modified X-ray diffraction method to determine cellulose crystallinity index (CrI). Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) dervided from bleached wood pulp was used as a model substrate. Rietveld refinement was applied with consideration of March-Dollase preferred orientation at the (001) plane. In contrast to most previous methods, three distinct amorphous peaks identified from new model samples which are used to calculate CrI. A 2 theta range from 10° to 75° was found to be more suitable to determine CrI and crystallite structural parameters such as d-spacing and crystallite size. This method enables a more reliable measurement ofmore » CrI of cellulose and may be applicable to other types of cellulose polymorphs.« less

  20. Modeling the Radar Return of Powerlines Using an Incremental Length Diffraction Coefficient Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Macdonald, Douglas

    A method for modeling the signal from cables and powerlines in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery is presented. Powerline detection using radar is an active area of research. Accurately identifing the location of powerlines in a scene can be used to aid pilots of low flying aircraft in collision avoidance, or map the electrical infrastructure of an area. The focus of this research was on the forward modeling problem of generating the powerline SAR signal from first principles. Previous work on simulating SAR imagery involved methods that ranged from efficient but insufficiently accurate, depending on the application, to more exact but computationally complex. A brief survey of the numerous ways to model the scattering of electromagnetic radiation is provided. A popular tool that uses the geometric optics approximation for modeling imagery for remote sensing applications across a wide range of modalities is the Digitial Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation (DIRSIG) tool. This research shows the way in which DIRSIG generates the SAR phase history is unique compared to other methods used. In particular, DIRSIG uses the geometric optics approximation for the scattering of electromagnetic radiation and builds the phase history in the time domain on a pulse-by-pulse basis. This enables an efficient generation of the phase history of complex scenes. The drawback to this method is the inability to account for diffraction. Since the characteristic diameter of many communication cables and powerlines is on the order of the wavelength of the incident radiation, diffraction is the dominant mechanism by which the radiation gets scattered for these targets. Comparison of DIRSIG imagery to field data shows good scene-wide qualitative agreement as well as Rayleigh distributed noise in the amplitude data, as expected for coherent imaging with speckle. A closer inspection of the Radar Cross Sections of canonical targets such as trihedrals and dihedrals, however, shows DIRSIG consistently underestimated the scattered return, especially away from specular observation angles. This underestimation was particularly pronounced for the dihedral targets which have a low acceptance angle in elevation, probably caused by the lack of a physical optics capability in DIRSIG. Powerlines were not apparent in the simulated data. For modeling powerlines outside of DIRSIG using a standalone approach, an Incremental Length Diffraction Coefficient (ILDC) method was used. Traditionally, this method is used to model the scattered radiation from the edge of a wedge, for example the edges on the wings of a stealth aircraft. The Physical Theory of Diffraction provides the 2D diffraction coefficient and the ILDC method performs an integral along the edge to extend this solution to three dimensions. This research takes the ILDC approach but instead of using the wedge diffraction coefficient, the exact far-field diffraction coefficient for scattering from a finite length cylinder is used. Wavenumber-diameter products are limited to less than or about 10. For typical powerline diameters, this translates to X-band frequencies and lower. The advantage of this method is it allows exact 2D solutions to be extended to powerline geometries where sag is present and it is shown to be more accurate than a pure physical optics approach for frequencies lower than millimeter wave. The Radar Cross Sections produced by this method were accurate to within the experimental uncertainty of measured RF anechoic chamber data for both X and C-band frequencies across an 80 degree arc for 5 different target types and diameters. For the X-band data, the mean error was 6.0% for data with 9.5% measurement uncertainty. For the C-band data, the mean error was 11.8% for data with 14.3% measurement uncertainty. The best results were obtained for X-band data in the HH polarization channel within a 20 degree arc about normal incidence. For this configuration, a mean error of 3.0% for data with a measurement uncertainty of 5.2% was obtained. The least accurate results were obtained for X-band data in the VV polarization channel within a 20 degree arc about normal incidence. For this configuration, a mean error of 8.9% for data with a measurement uncertainty of 5.9% was obtained. This error likely arose from making the smooth cylinder assumption, which neglects the semi-open waveguide TE contribution from the grooves in the helically wound powerline. For field data in an actual X-band circular SAR collection, a mean error of 3.3% for data with a measurement uncertainty of 3.3% was obtained in the HH channel. For the VV channel, a mean error of 9.9% was obtained for data with a measurement uncertainty of 3.4%. Future work for improving this method would likely entail adding a far-field semi-open waveguide contribution to the 2D diffraction coefficient for TE polarized radiation. Accounting for second order diffractions between closely spaced powerlines would also lead to improved accuracy for simulated field data.

  1. Diffractive paths for weak localization in quantum billiards

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Březinová, Iva; Stampfer, Christoph; Wirtz, Ludger; Rotter, Stefan; Burgdörfer, Joachim

    2008-04-01

    We study the weak-localization effect in quantum transport through a clean ballistic cavity with regular classical dynamics. We address the question which paths account for the suppression of conductance through a system where disorder and chaos are absent. By exploiting both quantum and semiclassical methods, we unambiguously identify paths that are diffractively backscattered into the cavity (when approaching the lead mouths from the cavity interior) to play a key role. Diffractive scattering couples transmitted and reflected paths and is thus essential to reproduce the weak-localization peak in reflection and the corresponding antipeak in transmission. A comparison of semiclassical calculations featuring these diffractive paths yields good agreement with full quantum calculations and experimental data. Our theory provides system-specific predictions for the quantum regime of few open lead modes and can be expected to be relevant also for mixed as well as chaotic systems.

  2. Optical cryptography topology based on a three-dimensional particle-like distribution and diffractive imaging.

    PubMed

    Chen, Wen; Chen, Xudong

    2011-05-09

    In recent years, coherent diffractive imaging has been considered as a promising alternative for information retrieval instead of conventional interference methods. Coherent diffractive imaging using the X-ray light source has opened up a new research perspective for the measurement of non-crystalline and biological specimens, and can achieve unprecedentedly high resolutions. In this paper, we show how a three-dimensional (3D) particle-like distribution and coherent diffractive imaging can be applied for a study of optical cryptography. An optical multiple-random-phase-mask encoding approach is used, and the plaintext is considered as a series of particles distributed in a 3D space. A topology concept is also introduced into the proposed optical cryptosystem. During image decryption, a retrieval algorithm is developed to extract the plaintext from the ciphertexts. In addition, security and advantages of the proposed optical cryptography topology are also analyzed. © 2011 Optical Society of America

  3. X-ray investigations related to the shock history of the Shergotty achondrite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Horz, F.; Hanss, R.; Serna, C.

    1986-01-01

    The shock stress suffered by naturally shocked materials from the Shergotty achondrite was studied using X-ray diffraction techniques and experimentally shocked augite and enstatite as standards. The Shergotty pyroxenes revealed the formation of continuous diffraction rings, line broadening, preferred orientation of small scale diffraction domains, and other evidence of substantial lattice disorders. As disclosed by the application of Debye-Scherrer techniques, they are hybrids between single crystals and fine-grained random powders. The pyroxene lattice is very resistant to shock damage on smaller scales. While measurable lattice disaggregation and progressive fragmentation occur below 25 GPa, little additional damage is suffered from application of pressures between 30 to 60 GPa, making pressure calibration of naturally shocked pyroxenes via X-ray methods difficult. Powder diffractometer scans on pure maskelynite fractions of Shergotty revealed small amounts of still coherently diffracting plagioclase, which may contribute to the high refractive indices of the diaplectic feldspar glasses of Shergotty.

  4. Crystallization of a fungal lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase expressed from glycoengineered Pichia pastoris for X-ray and neutron diffraction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    O'Dell, William B.; Swartz, Paul D.; Weiss, Kevin L.

    Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are carbohydrate-disrupting enzymes secreted by bacteria and fungi that break glycosidic bondsviaan oxidative mechanism. Fungal LPMOs typically act on cellulose and can enhance the efficiency of cellulose-hydrolyzing enzymes that release soluble sugars for bioethanol production or other industrial uses. The enzyme PMO-2 fromNeurospora crassa(NcPMO-2) was heterologously expressed inPichia pastoristo facilitate crystallographic studies of the fungal LPMO mechanism. Diffraction resolution and crystal morphology were improved by expressingNcPMO-2 from a glycoengineered strain ofP. pastorisand by the use of crystal seeding methods, respectively. These improvements resulted in high-resolution (1.20 Å) X-ray diffraction data collection at 100 K and themore » production of a largeNcPMO-2 crystal suitable for room-temperature neutron diffraction data collection to 2.12 Å resolution.« less

  5. Rayleigh and Wood anomalies in the diffraction of acoustic waves from the periodically corrugated surface of an elastic medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maradudin, A. A.; Simonsen, I.

    2016-05-01

    By the use of the Rayleigh method we have calculated the angular dependence of the reflectivity and the efficiencies of several other diffracted orders when the periodically corrugated surface of an isotropic elastic medium is illuminated by a volume acoustic wave of shear horizontal polarization. These dependencies display the signatures of Rayleigh and Wood anomalies, usually associated with the diffraction of light from a metallic grating. The Rayleigh anomalies occur at angles of incidence at which a diffracted order appears or disappears; the Wood anomalies here are caused by the excitation of the shear horizontal surface acoustic waves supported by the periodically corrugated surface of an isotropic elastic medium. The dispersion curves of these waves in both the nonradiative and radiative regions of the frequency-wavenumber plane are calculated, and used in predicting the angles of incidence at which the Wood anomalies are expected to occur.

  6. High-resolution scanning precession electron diffraction: Alignment and spatial resolution.

    PubMed

    Barnard, Jonathan S; Johnstone, Duncan N; Midgley, Paul A

    2017-03-01

    Methods are presented for aligning the pivot point of a precessing electron probe in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and for assessing the spatial resolution in scanning precession electron diffraction (SPED) experiments. The alignment procedure is performed entirely in diffraction mode, minimising probe wander within the bright-field (BF) convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) disk and is used to obtain high spatial resolution SPED maps. Through analysis of the power spectra of virtual bright-field images extracted from the SPED data, the precession-induced blur was measured as a function of precession angle. At low precession angles, SPED spatial resolution was limited by electronic noise in the scan coils; whereas at high precession angles SPED spatial resolution was limited by tilt-induced two-fold astigmatism caused by the positive spherical aberration of the probe-forming lens. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Real-time digital holographic microscopy using the graphic processing unit.

    PubMed

    Shimobaba, Tomoyoshi; Sato, Yoshikuni; Miura, Junya; Takenouchi, Mai; Ito, Tomoyoshi

    2008-08-04

    Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is a well-known powerful method allowing both the amplitude and phase of a specimen to be simultaneously observed. In order to obtain a reconstructed image from a hologram, numerous calculations for the Fresnel diffraction are required. The Fresnel diffraction can be accelerated by the FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) algorithm. However, real-time reconstruction from a hologram is difficult even if we use a recent central processing unit (CPU) to calculate the Fresnel diffraction by the FFT algorithm. In this paper, we describe a real-time DHM system using a graphic processing unit (GPU) with many stream processors, which allows use as a highly parallel processor. The computational speed of the Fresnel diffraction using the GPU is faster than that of recent CPUs. The real-time DHM system can obtain reconstructed images from holograms whose size is 512 x 512 grids in 24 frames per second.

  8. Influence of gamma ray irradiation on stoichiometry of hydrothermally synthesized bismuth telluride nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abishek, N. S.; Naik, K. Gopalakrishna

    2018-05-01

    Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) nanoparticles were synthesized by the hydrothermal method at 200 °C for 24 h. The synthesized Bi2Te3 nanoparticles were irradiated with gamma rays at doses of 50 kGy and 100 kGy. The structural characterization of the pre-irradiated and post-irradiated samples was carried out by X-ray diffraction technique and was found to have rhombohedral phase having R3 ¯m (166) space group. The X-ray diffraction peaks were found to shift towards lower diffraction angle with gamma ray irradiation. The morphologies and compositions of the grown Bi2Te3 nanoparticles were studied using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope and X-ray energy dispersive analysis, respectively. The possible cause for the shift in the X-ray diffraction peaks with gamma ray irradiation has been discussed in the present work.

  9. Soft X-ray spectromicroscopy using ptychography with randomly phased illumination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maiden, A. M.; Morrison, G. R.; Kaulich, B.; Gianoncelli, A.; Rodenburg, J. M.

    2013-04-01

    Ptychography is a form of scanning diffractive imaging that can successfully retrieve the modulus and phase of both the sample transmission function and the illuminating probe. An experimental difficulty commonly encountered in diffractive imaging is the large dynamic range of the diffraction data. Here we report a novel ptychographic experiment using a randomly phased X-ray probe to considerably reduce the dynamic range of the recorded diffraction patterns. Images can be reconstructed reliably and robustly from this setup, even when scatter from the specimen is weak. A series of ptychographic reconstructions at X-ray energies around the L absorption edge of iron demonstrates the advantages of this method for soft X-ray spectromicroscopy, which can readily provide chemical sensitivity without the need for optical refocusing. In particular, the phase signal is in perfect registration with the modulus signal and provides complementary information that can be more sensitive to changes in the local chemical environment.

  10. Thermal analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and electron microscopy data related with the production of 1:1 Caffeine:Glutaric Acid cocrystals.

    PubMed

    Duarte, Íris; Andrade, Rita; Pinto, João F; Temtem, Márcio

    2016-09-01

    The data presented in this article are related to the production of 1:1 Caffeine:Glutaric Acid cocrystals as part of the research article entitled "Green production of cocrystals using a new solvent-free approach by spray congealing" (Duarte et al., 2016) [1]. More specifically, here we present the thermal analysis and the X-ray powder diffraction data for pure Glutaric Acid, used as a raw material in [1]. We also include the X-ray powder diffraction and electron microscopy data obtained for the 1:1 Caffeine:Glutaric Acid cocrystal (form II) produced using the cooling crystallization method reported in "Operating Regions in Cooling Cocrystallization of Caffeine and Glutaric Acid in Acetonitrile" (Yu et al., 2010) [2]. Lastly, we show the X-ray powder diffraction data obtained for assessing the purity of the 1:1 Caffeine:Glutaric cocrystals produced in [1].

  11. Enhancing resolution in coherent x-ray diffraction imaging.

    PubMed

    Noh, Do Young; Kim, Chan; Kim, Yoonhee; Song, Changyong

    2016-12-14

    Achieving a resolution near 1 nm is a critical issue in coherent x-ray diffraction imaging (CDI) for applications in materials and biology. Albeit with various advantages of CDI based on synchrotrons and newly developed x-ray free electron lasers, its applications would be limited without improving resolution well below 10 nm. Here, we review the issues and efforts in improving CDI resolution including various methods for resolution determination. Enhancing diffraction signal at large diffraction angles, with the aid of interference between neighboring strong scatterers or templates, is reviewed and discussed in terms of increasing signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, we discuss errors in image reconstruction algorithms-caused by the discreteness of the Fourier transformations involved-which degrade the spatial resolution, and suggest ways to correct them. We expect this review to be useful for applications of CDI in imaging weakly scattering soft matters using coherent x-ray sources including x-ray free electron lasers.

  12. Diffraction pattern simulation of cellulose fibrils using distributed and quantized pair distances

    DOE PAGES

    Zhang, Yan; Inouye, Hideyo; Crowley, Michael; ...

    2016-10-14

    Intensity simulation of X-ray scattering from large twisted cellulose molecular fibrils is important in understanding the impact of chemical or physical treatments on structural properties such as twisting or coiling. This paper describes a highly efficient method for the simulation of X-ray diffraction patterns from complex fibrils using atom-type-specific pair-distance quantization. Pair distances are sorted into arrays which are labelled by atom type. Histograms of pair distances in each array are computed and binned and the resulting population distributions are used to represent the whole pair-distance data set. These quantized pair-distance arrays are used with a modified and vectorized Debyemore » formula to simulate diffraction patterns. This approach utilizes fewer pair distances in each iteration, and atomic scattering factors are moved outside the iteration since the arrays are labelled by atom type. As a result, this algorithm significantly reduces the computation time while maintaining the accuracy of diffraction pattern simulation, making possible the simulation of diffraction patterns from large twisted fibrils in a relatively short period of time, as is required for model testing and refinement.« less

  13. Signature of dislocations and stacking faults of face-centred cubic nanocrystals in coherent X-ray diffraction patterns: a numerical study.

    PubMed

    Dupraz, Maxime; Beutier, Guillaume; Rodney, David; Mordehai, Dan; Verdier, Marc

    2015-06-01

    Crystal defects induce strong distortions in diffraction patterns. A single defect alone can yield strong and fine features that are observed in high-resolution diffraction experiments such as coherent X-ray diffraction. The case of face-centred cubic nanocrystals is studied numerically and the signatures of typical defects close to Bragg positions are identified. Crystals of a few tens of nanometres are modelled with realistic atomic potentials and 'relaxed' after introduction of well defined defects such as pure screw or edge dislocations, or Frank or prismatic loops. Diffraction patterns calculated in the kinematic approximation reveal various signatures of the defects depending on the Miller indices. They are strongly modified by the dissociation of the dislocations. Selection rules on the Miller indices are provided, to observe the maximum effect of given crystal defects in the initial and relaxed configurations. The effect of several physical and geometrical parameters such as stacking fault energy, crystal shape and defect position are discussed. The method is illustrated on a complex structure resulting from the simulated nanoindentation of a gold nanocrystal.

  14. Signature of dislocations and stacking faults of face-centred cubic nanocrystals in coherent X-ray diffraction patterns: a numerical study1

    PubMed Central

    Dupraz, Maxime; Beutier, Guillaume; Rodney, David; Mordehai, Dan; Verdier, Marc

    2015-01-01

    Crystal defects induce strong distortions in diffraction patterns. A single defect alone can yield strong and fine features that are observed in high-resolution diffraction experiments such as coherent X-ray diffraction. The case of face-centred cubic nanocrystals is studied numerically and the signatures of typical defects close to Bragg positions are identified. Crystals of a few tens of nanometres are modelled with realistic atomic potentials and ‘relaxed’ after introduction of well defined defects such as pure screw or edge dislocations, or Frank or prismatic loops. Diffraction patterns calculated in the kinematic approximation reveal various signatures of the defects depending on the Miller indices. They are strongly modified by the dissociation of the dislocations. Selection rules on the Miller indices are provided, to observe the maximum effect of given crystal defects in the initial and relaxed configurations. The effect of several physical and geometrical parameters such as stacking fault energy, crystal shape and defect position are discussed. The method is illustrated on a complex structure resulting from the simulated nanoindentation of a gold nanocrystal. PMID:26089755

  15. Diffraction pattern simulation of cellulose fibrils using distributed and quantized pair distances

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Yan; Inouye, Hideyo; Crowley, Michael

    Intensity simulation of X-ray scattering from large twisted cellulose molecular fibrils is important in understanding the impact of chemical or physical treatments on structural properties such as twisting or coiling. This paper describes a highly efficient method for the simulation of X-ray diffraction patterns from complex fibrils using atom-type-specific pair-distance quantization. Pair distances are sorted into arrays which are labelled by atom type. Histograms of pair distances in each array are computed and binned and the resulting population distributions are used to represent the whole pair-distance data set. These quantized pair-distance arrays are used with a modified and vectorized Debyemore » formula to simulate diffraction patterns. This approach utilizes fewer pair distances in each iteration, and atomic scattering factors are moved outside the iteration since the arrays are labelled by atom type. This algorithm significantly reduces the computation time while maintaining the accuracy of diffraction pattern simulation, making possible the simulation of diffraction patterns from large twisted fibrils in a relatively short period of time, as is required for model testing and refinement.« less

  16. Diffraction pattern simulation of cellulose fibrils using distributed and quantized pair distances

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Yan; Inouye, Hideyo; Crowley, Michael

    Intensity simulation of X-ray scattering from large twisted cellulose molecular fibrils is important in understanding the impact of chemical or physical treatments on structural properties such as twisting or coiling. This paper describes a highly efficient method for the simulation of X-ray diffraction patterns from complex fibrils using atom-type-specific pair-distance quantization. Pair distances are sorted into arrays which are labelled by atom type. Histograms of pair distances in each array are computed and binned and the resulting population distributions are used to represent the whole pair-distance data set. These quantized pair-distance arrays are used with a modified and vectorized Debyemore » formula to simulate diffraction patterns. This approach utilizes fewer pair distances in each iteration, and atomic scattering factors are moved outside the iteration since the arrays are labelled by atom type. As a result, this algorithm significantly reduces the computation time while maintaining the accuracy of diffraction pattern simulation, making possible the simulation of diffraction patterns from large twisted fibrils in a relatively short period of time, as is required for model testing and refinement.« less

  17. Comparison of quartz crystallographic preferred orientations identified with optical fabric analysis, electron backscatter and neutron diffraction techniques.

    PubMed

    Hunter, N J R; Wilson, C J L; Luzin, V

    2017-02-01

    Three techniques are used to measure crystallographic preferred orientations (CPO) in a naturally deformed quartz mylonite: transmitted light cross-polarized microscopy using an automated fabric analyser, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and neutron diffraction. Pole figure densities attributable to crystal-plastic deformation are variably recognizable across the techniques, particularly between fabric analyser and diffraction instruments. Although fabric analyser techniques offer rapid acquisition with minimal sample preparation, difficulties may exist when gathering orientation data parallel with the incident beam. Overall, we have found that EBSD and fabric analyser techniques are best suited for studying CPO distributions at the grain scale, where individual orientations can be linked to their source grain or nearest neighbours. Neutron diffraction serves as the best qualitative and quantitative means of estimating the bulk CPO, due to its three-dimensional data acquisition, greater sample area coverage, and larger sample size. However, a number of sampling methods can be applied to FA and EBSD data to make similar approximations. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2016 Royal Microscopical Society.

  18. Combining experiment and optical simulation in coherent X-ray nanobeam characterization of Si/SiGe semiconductor heterostructures

    DOE PAGES

    Tilka, J. A.; Park, J.; Ahn, Y.; ...

    2016-07-06

    Here, the highly coherent and tightly focused x-ray beams produced by hard x-ray light sources enable the nanoscale characterization of the structure of electronic materials but are accompanied by significant challenges in the interpretation of diffraction and scattering patterns. X-ray nanobeams exhibit optical coherence combined with a large angular divergence introduced by the x-ray focusing optics. The scattering of nanofocused x-ray beams from intricate semiconductor heterostructures produces a complex distribution of scattered intensity. We report here an extension of coherent xray optical simulations of convergent x-ray beam diffraction patterns to arbitrary x-ray incident angles to allow the nanobeam diffraction patternsmore » of complex heterostructures to be simulated faithfully. These methods are used to extract the misorientation of lattice planes and the strain of individual layers from synchrotron x-ray nanobeam diffraction patterns of Si/SiGe heterostructures relevant to applications in quantum electronic devices. The systematic interpretation of nanobeam diffraction patterns from semiconductor heterostructures presents a new opportunity in characterizing and ultimately designing electronic materials.« less

  19. Partially coherent X-ray wavefront propagation simulations including grazing-incidence focusing optics.

    PubMed

    Canestrari, Niccolo; Chubar, Oleg; Reininger, Ruben

    2014-09-01

    X-ray beamlines in modern synchrotron radiation sources make extensive use of grazing-incidence reflective optics, in particular Kirkpatrick-Baez elliptical mirror systems. These systems can focus the incoming X-rays down to nanometer-scale spot sizes while maintaining relatively large acceptance apertures and high flux in the focused radiation spots. In low-emittance storage rings and in free-electron lasers such systems are used with partially or even nearly fully coherent X-ray beams and often target diffraction-limited resolution. Therefore, their accurate simulation and modeling has to be performed within the framework of wave optics. Here the implementation and benchmarking of a wave-optics method for the simulation of grazing-incidence mirrors based on the local stationary-phase approximation or, in other words, the local propagation of the radiation electric field along geometrical rays, is described. The proposed method is CPU-efficient and fully compatible with the numerical methods of Fourier optics. It has been implemented in the Synchrotron Radiation Workshop (SRW) computer code and extensively tested against the geometrical ray-tracing code SHADOW. The test simulations have been performed for cases without and with diffraction at mirror apertures, including cases where the grazing-incidence mirrors can be hardly approximated by ideal lenses. Good agreement between the SRW and SHADOW simulation results is observed in the cases without diffraction. The differences between the simulation results obtained by the two codes in diffraction-dominated cases for illumination with fully or partially coherent radiation are analyzed and interpreted. The application of the new method for the simulation of wavefront propagation through a high-resolution X-ray microspectroscopy beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA) is demonstrated.

  20. Method of determining dispersion dependence of refractive index of nanospheres building opals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kępińska, Mirosława; Starczewska, Anna; Duka, Piotr

    2017-11-01

    The method of determining dispersion dependence of refractive index of nanospheres building opals is presented. In this method basing on angular dependences of the spectral positions of Bragg diffraction minima on transmission spectra for opal series of known spheres diameter, the spectrum of effective refractive index for opals and then refractive index for material building opal's spheres is determined. The described procedure is used for determination of neff(λ) for opals and nsph(λ) for material which spheres building investigated opals are made of. The obtained results are compared with literature data of nSiO2(λ) considered in the analysis and interpretation of extremes related to the light diffraction at (hkl) SiO2 opal planes.

  1. Applications of thermal-gradients method for the optimization of α-amylase crystallization conditions based on dynamic and static light scattering data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Delboni, L. F.; Iulek, J.; Burger, R.; da Silva, A. C. R.; Moreno, A.

    2002-02-01

    The expression, purification, crystallization, and characterization by X-ray diffraction of α-amylase are described here. Dynamic and static light scattering methods with a temperature controller was used to optimize the crystallization conditions of α-amylase from Bacillus stearothermophilus an important enzyme in many fields of industrial activity. After applying thermal gradients for growing crystals, X-ray cryo-crystallographic methods were employed for the data collection. Crystals grown by these thermal-gradients diffracted up to a maximum resolution of 3.8 Å, which allowed the determination of the unit cell constants as follows: a=61.7 Å, b=86.7 Å, c=92.2 Å and space group C222 (or C222 1).

  2. Backscatter analysis of dihedral corner reflectors using physical optics and the physical theory of diffraction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Griesser, Timothy; Balanis, Constantine A.

    1987-01-01

    The backscatter cross-sections of dihedral corner reflectors in the azimuthal plane are presently determined by both physical optics (PO) and the physical theory of diffraction (PTD), yielding results for the vertical and horizontal polarizations. In the first analysis method used, geometrical optics is used in place of PO at initial reflections in order to maintain the planar character of the reflected wave and reduce the complexity of the analysis. In the second method, PO is used at almost every reflection in order to maximize the accuracy of the PTD solution at the expense of a rapid increase in complexity. Induced surface current densities and resulting cross section patterns are illustrated for the two methods.

  3. Application of Patterson-function direct methods to materials characterization.

    PubMed

    Rius, Jordi

    2014-09-01

    The aim of this article is a general description of the so-called Patterson-function direct methods (PFDM), from their origin to their present state. It covers a 20-year period of methodological contributions to crystal structure solution, most of them published in Acta Crystallographica Section A. The common feature of these variants of direct methods is the introduction of the experimental intensities in the form of the Fourier coefficients of origin-free Patterson-type functions, which allows the active use of both strong and weak reflections. The different optimization algorithms are discussed and their performances compared. This review focuses not only on those PFDM applications related to powder diffraction data but also on some recent results obtained with electron diffraction tomography data.

  4. Adaptive imaging through far-field turbulence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Troxel, Steven E.; Welsh, Byron M.; Roggemann, Michael C.

    1993-11-01

    This paper presents a new method for calculating the field angle dependent average OTF of an adaptive optic system and compares this method to calculations based on geometric optics. Geometric optics calculations are shown to be inaccurate due to the diffraction effects created by far-field turbulence and the approximations made in the atmospheric parameters. Our analysis includes diffraction effects and properly accounts for the effect of the atmospheric turbulence scale sizes. We show that for any atmospheric C(superscript 2)(subscript n) profile, the actual OTF is always better than the OTF calculated using geometric optics. The magnitude of the difference between the calculation methods is shown to be dependent on the amount of far- field turbulence and the values of the outer scale dimension.

  5. Fast online inverse scattering with Reduced Basis Method (RBM) for a 3D phase grating with specific line roughness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kleemann, Bernd H.; Kurz, Julian; Hetzler, Jochen; Pomplun, Jan; Burger, Sven; Zschiedrich, Lin; Schmidt, Frank

    2011-05-01

    Finite element methods (FEM) for the rigorous electromagnetic solution of Maxwell's equations are known to be very accurate. They possess a high convergence rate for the determination of near field and far field quantities of scattering and diffraction processes of light with structures having feature sizes in the range of the light wavelength. We are using FEM software for 3D scatterometric diffraction calculations allowing the application of a brilliant and extremely fast solution method: the reduced basis method (RBM). The RBM constructs a reduced model of the scattering problem from precalculated snapshot solutions, guided self-adaptively by an error estimator. Using RBM, we achieve an efficiency accuracy of about 10-4 compared to the direct problem with only 35 precalculated snapshots being the reduced basis dimension. This speeds up the calculation of diffraction amplitudes by a factor of about 1000 compared to the conventional solution of Maxwell's equations by FEM. This allows us to reconstruct the three geometrical parameters of our phase grating from "measured" scattering data in a 3D parameter manifold online in a minute having the full FEM accuracy available. Additionally, also a sensitivity analysis or the choice of robust measuring strategies, for example, can be done online in a few minutes.

  6. Ultra-high Resolution Coherent X-ray Imaging of Nano-Materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shapiro, David

    A revolution is underway in the field of x-ray microscopy driven by the develop of experimental, theoretical and computational means of producing a complete description of coherent imaging systems from x-ray diffraction data. The methods being developed not only allow for full quantification and removal of all optical aberrations but also extension of the numerical aperture to the diffraction limit. One such method under intensive development is x-ray ptychography. This is a scanned probe method that reconstructs a scattering object and its illumination from coherent diffraction data. Within the first few years of development at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, this method has already achieved the highest resolution x-ray images ever recorded in two, three and four dimensions. With the ability of x-rays to penetrate significantly more matter than electrons, their short wavelength and their sensitivity to chemical and magnetic states of matter, x-ray ptychography is set to revolutionize how we see the nano-scale world. In this presentation I will briefly describe the technical framework for how various methods work and will give a detailed account of a practical implementation at the ALS along with various scientific applications. The Advanced Light Source is supported by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

  7. Powder X-ray diffraction method for the quantification of cocrystals in the crystallization mixture.

    PubMed

    Padrela, Luis; de Azevedo, Edmundo Gomes; Velaga, Sitaram P

    2012-08-01

    The solid state purity of cocrystals critically affects their performance. Thus, it is important to accurately quantify the purity of cocrystals in the final crystallization product. The aim of this study was to develop a powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) quantification method for investigating the purity of cocrystals. The method developed was employed to study the formation of indomethacin-saccharin (IND-SAC) cocrystals by mechanochemical methods. Pure IND-SAC cocrystals were geometrically mixed with 1:1 w/w mixture of indomethacin/saccharin in various proportions. An accurately measured amount (550 mg) of the mixture was used for the PXRD measurements. The most intense, non-overlapping, characteristic diffraction peak of IND-SAC was used to construct the calibration curve in the range 0-100% (w/w). This calibration model was validated and used to monitor the formation of IND-SAC cocrystals by liquid-assisted grinding (LAG). The IND-SAC cocrystal calibration curve showed excellent linearity (R(2) = 0.9996) over the entire concentration range, displaying limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values of 1.23% (w/w) and 3.74% (w/w), respectively. Validation results showed excellent correlations between actual and predicted concentrations of IND-SAC cocrystals (R(2) = 0.9981). The accuracy and reliability of the PXRD quantification method depend on the methods of sample preparation and handling. The crystallinity of the IND-SAC cocrystals was higher when larger amounts of methanol were used in the LAG method. The PXRD quantification method is suitable and reliable for verifying the purity of cocrystals in the final crystallization product.

  8. Characterization of air-coupled ultrasound transducers in the frequency range 40 kHz-2 mHz using light diffraction tomography.

    PubMed

    Almqvist, M; Holm, A; Persson, H W; Lindström, K

    2000-01-01

    The aim of this work was to show the applicability of light diffraction tomography on airborne ultrasound in the frequency range 40 kHz-2 MHz. Seven different air-coupled transducers were measured to show the method's performance regarding linearity, absolute pressure measurements, phase measurements, frequency response, S/N ratio and spatial resolution. A calibrated microphone and the pulse-echo method were used to evaluate the results. The absolute measurements agreed within the calibrated microphone's uncertainty range. Pulse waveforms and corresponding FFT diagrams show the method's higher bandwidth compared with the microphone. Further, the method offers non-perturbing measurements with high spatial resolution, which was especially advantageous for measurements close to the transducer surfaces. The S/N ratio was higher than or in the same range as that of the two comparison methods.

  9. Diffractive laser beam homogenizer including a photo-active material and method of fabricating the same

    DOEpatents

    Bayramian, Andy J; Ebbers, Christopher A; Chen, Diana C

    2014-05-20

    A method of manufacturing a plurality of diffractive optical elements includes providing a partially transmissive slide, providing a first piece of PTR glass, and directing first UV radiation through the partially transmissive slide to impinge on the first piece of PTR glass. The method also includes exposing predetermined portions of the first piece of PTR glass to the first UV radiation and thermally treating the exposed first piece of PTR glass. The method further includes providing a second piece of PTR glass and directing second UV radiation through the thermally treated first piece of PTR glass to impinge on the second piece of PTR glass. The method additionally includes exposing predetermined portions of the second piece of PTR glass to the second UV radiation, thermally treating the exposed second piece of PTR glass, and repeating providing and processing of the second piece of PTR glass using additional pieces of PTR glass.

  10. Diffraction Gratings for High-Intensity Laser Applications

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Britten, J

    The scattering of light into wavelength-dependent discrete directions (orders) by a device exhibiting a periodic modulation of a physical attribute on a spatial scale similar to the wavelength of light has been the subject of study for over 200 years. Such a device is called a diffraction grating. Practical applications of diffraction gratings, mainly for spectroscopy, have been around for over 100 years. The importance of diffraction gratings in spectroscopy for the measurement of myriad properties of matter can hardly be overestimated. Since the advent of coherent light sources (lasers) in the 1960's, applications of diffraction gratings in spectroscopy havemore » further exploded. Lasers have opened a vast application space for gratings, and apace, gratings have enabled entirely new classes of laser systems. Excellent reviews of the history, fundamental properties, applications and manufacturing techniques of diffraction gratings up to the time of their publication can be found in the books by Hutley (1) and more recently Loewen and Popov (2). The limited scope of this chapter can hardly do justice to such a comprehensive subject, so the focus here will be narrowly limited to characteristics required for gratings suitable for high-power laser applications, and methods to fabricate them. A particular area of emphasis will be on maximally-efficient large-aperture gratings for short-pulse laser generation.« less

  11. High-speed classification of coherent X-ray diffraction patterns on the K computer for high-resolution single biomolecule imaging.

    PubMed

    Tokuhisa, Atsushi; Arai, Junya; Joti, Yasumasa; Ohno, Yoshiyuki; Kameyama, Toyohisa; Yamamoto, Keiji; Hatanaka, Masayuki; Gerofi, Balazs; Shimada, Akio; Kurokawa, Motoyoshi; Shoji, Fumiyoshi; Okada, Kensuke; Sugimoto, Takashi; Yamaga, Mitsuhiro; Tanaka, Ryotaro; Yokokawa, Mitsuo; Hori, Atsushi; Ishikawa, Yutaka; Hatsui, Takaki; Go, Nobuhiro

    2013-11-01

    Single-particle coherent X-ray diffraction imaging using an X-ray free-electron laser has the potential to reveal the three-dimensional structure of a biological supra-molecule at sub-nanometer resolution. In order to realise this method, it is necessary to analyze as many as 1 × 10(6) noisy X-ray diffraction patterns, each for an unknown random target orientation. To cope with the severe quantum noise, patterns need to be classified according to their similarities and average similar patterns to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. A high-speed scalable scheme has been developed to carry out classification on the K computer, a 10PFLOPS supercomputer at RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science. It is designed to work on the real-time basis with the experimental diffraction pattern collection at the X-ray free-electron laser facility SACLA so that the result of classification can be feedback for optimizing experimental parameters during the experiment. The present status of our effort developing the system and also a result of application to a set of simulated diffraction patterns is reported. About 1 × 10(6) diffraction patterns were successfully classificatied by running 255 separate 1 h jobs in 385-node mode.

  12. High-speed classification of coherent X-ray diffraction patterns on the K computer for high-resolution single biomolecule imaging

    PubMed Central

    Tokuhisa, Atsushi; Arai, Junya; Joti, Yasumasa; Ohno, Yoshiyuki; Kameyama, Toyohisa; Yamamoto, Keiji; Hatanaka, Masayuki; Gerofi, Balazs; Shimada, Akio; Kurokawa, Motoyoshi; Shoji, Fumiyoshi; Okada, Kensuke; Sugimoto, Takashi; Yamaga, Mitsuhiro; Tanaka, Ryotaro; Yokokawa, Mitsuo; Hori, Atsushi; Ishikawa, Yutaka; Hatsui, Takaki; Go, Nobuhiro

    2013-01-01

    Single-particle coherent X-ray diffraction imaging using an X-ray free-electron laser has the potential to reveal the three-dimensional structure of a biological supra-molecule at sub-nanometer resolution. In order to realise this method, it is necessary to analyze as many as 1 × 106 noisy X-ray diffraction patterns, each for an unknown random target orientation. To cope with the severe quantum noise, patterns need to be classified according to their similarities and average similar patterns to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. A high-speed scalable scheme has been developed to carry out classification on the K computer, a 10PFLOPS supercomputer at RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science. It is designed to work on the real-time basis with the experimental diffraction pattern collection at the X-ray free-electron laser facility SACLA so that the result of classification can be feedback for optimizing experimental parameters during the experiment. The present status of our effort developing the system and also a result of application to a set of simulated diffraction patterns is reported. About 1 × 106 diffraction patterns were successfully classificatied by running 255 separate 1 h jobs in 385-node mode. PMID:24121336

  13. Characterization of biogenic ferrihydrite nanoparticles by means of SAXS, SRD and IBA methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balasoiu, M.; Kichanov, S.; Pantelica, A.; Pantelica, D.; Stolyar, S.; Iskhakov, R.; Aranghel, D.; Ionescu, P.; Badita, C. R.; Kurkin, S.; Orelovich, O.; Tiutiunikov, S.

    2018-03-01

    Investigations of biogenic ferrihydrite nanoparticles produced by bacteria Klebsiella oxytoca by applying small angle X-ray scattering, synchrotron radiation diffraction and ion beam analysis methods are reviewed. Different experimental data processing methods are used and analyzed.

  14. Ultrapressure materials science

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ruoff, A. L.

    1984-01-01

    Three active areas of research at ultra pressure are pursued, i.e., diffraction studies with the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), band gap and absorption edge effects, indentor-anvil experiments and theory and research to attain higher pressures. The range over which X-ray diffraction data and absorption edge data are obtained is extended to 700 kbars. Using the indentor technique pressures of 2.1 Mbars are obtained. Research results and methods are discussed.

  15. The finite ground plane effect on the microstrip antenna radiation patterns

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huang, J.

    1983-01-01

    The uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD) is employed for calculating the edge diffracted fields from the finite ground plane of a microstrip antenna. The source field from the radiating patch is calculated by two different methods: the slot theory and the modal expansion theory. Many numerical and measured results are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of the calculations and the finite ground plane edge effect.

  16. Bragg projection ptychography on niobium phase domain

    DOE PAGES

    Burdet, Nicolas; Shi, Xiaowen; Huang, Xiaojing; ...

    2016-08-10

    Here, we demonstrate that the highly sensitive phase-contrast properties of Bragg coherent diffraction measurements combined with the translational diversity of ptychography can provide a Bragg “dark field” imaging method capable of revealing the finger print of domain structure in metallic thin films. Experimental diffraction data was taken from a epitaxially grown niobium metallic thin film on sapphire; and analyzed with the help of a careful combination of implemented refinement mechanisms.

  17. Educational Software for Interference and Optical Diffraction Analysis in Fresnel and Fraunhofer Regions Based on MATLAB GUIs and the FDTD Method

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frances, J.; Perez-Molina, M.; Bleda, S.; Fernandez, E.; Neipp, C.; Belendez, A.

    2012-01-01

    Interference and diffraction of light are elementary topics in optics. The aim of the work presented here is to develop an accurate and cheap optical-system simulation software that provides a virtual laboratory for studying the effects of propagation in both time and space for the near- and far-field regions. In laboratory sessions, this software…

  18. Unmitigated numerical solution to the diffraction term in the parabolic nonlinear ultrasound wave equation.

    PubMed

    Hasani, Mojtaba H; Gharibzadeh, Shahriar; Farjami, Yaghoub; Tavakkoli, Jahan

    2013-09-01

    Various numerical algorithms have been developed to solve the Khokhlov-Kuznetsov-Zabolotskaya (KZK) parabolic nonlinear wave equation. In this work, a generalized time-domain numerical algorithm is proposed to solve the diffraction term of the KZK equation. This algorithm solves the transverse Laplacian operator of the KZK equation in three-dimensional (3D) Cartesian coordinates using a finite-difference method based on the five-point implicit backward finite difference and the five-point Crank-Nicolson finite difference discretization techniques. This leads to a more uniform discretization of the Laplacian operator which in turn results in fewer calculation gridding nodes without compromising accuracy in the diffraction term. In addition, a new empirical algorithm based on the LU decomposition technique is proposed to solve the system of linear equations obtained from this discretization. The proposed empirical algorithm improves the calculation speed and memory usage, while the order of computational complexity remains linear in calculation of the diffraction term in the KZK equation. For evaluating the accuracy of the proposed algorithm, two previously published algorithms are used as comparison references: the conventional 2D Texas code and its generalization for 3D geometries. The results show that the accuracy/efficiency performance of the proposed algorithm is comparable with the established time-domain methods.

  19. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zipper, Lauren E.; Aristide, Xavier; Bishop, Dylan P.

    A method is described for using plate lids to reduce evaporation in low-volume vapor-diffusion crystallization experiments. The plate lids contain apertures through which the protein and precipitants were added to different crystallization microplates (the reservoir was filled before fitting the lids). Plate lids were designed for each of these commonly used crystallization microplates. This system minimizes the dehydration of crystallization droplets containing just a few nanolitres of protein and precipitant, and results in more reproducible diffraction from the crystals. For each lid design, changes in the weight of the plates were used to deduce the rate of evaporation under differentmore » conditions of temperature, air movement, droplet size and precipitant. For comparison, the state of dehydration was also visually assessed throughout the experiment. Finally, X-ray diffraction methods were used to compare the diffraction of protein crystals that were conventionally prepared against those that were prepared on plates with plate lids. The measurements revealed that the plate lids reduced the rate of evaporation by 63–82%. Crystals grown in 5 nl drops that were set up with plate lids diffracted to higher resolution than similar crystals from drops that were set up without plate lids. Ultimately, the results demonstrate that plate lids can be instrumental for improving few-nanolitre crystallizations.« less

  20. An approach for cell viability online detection based on the characteristics of lensfree cell diffraction fingerprint.

    PubMed

    Li, Guoxiao; Zhang, Rongbiao; Yang, Ning; Yin, Changsheng; Wei, Mingji; Zhang, Yecheng; Sun, Jian

    2018-06-01

    To overcome the drawbacks such as low automation and high cost, an approach for cell viability online detection is proposed, based on the extracted lensfree cell diffraction fingerprint characteristics. The cell fingerprints are acquired by a constructed large field-of-view (FOV) diffraction imaging platform without any lenses. The approach realizes distinguishing live and dead cells online and calculating cell viability index based on the number of live cells. With theoretical analysis and simulation, diffraction fingerprints of cells with different morphology are simulated and two characteristics are discovered to be able to reflect cell viability status effectively. Two parameters, fringe intensity contrast (FIC) and fringe dispersion (FD), are defined to quantify these two characteristics. They are verified to be reliable to identify live cells. In a cytotoxicity assay of different methyl mercury concentration on BRL cells, the proposed approach is used to detect cell viability. MTT method is also employed and the results of correlational analysis and Bland-Altman analysis prove the validity of the proposed approach. By comparison, it can be revealed that the proposed approach has some advantages over other present techniques. Therefore it may be widely used as a cell viability measurement method in drug screening, nutritional investigation and cell toxicology studies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. A simple technique to reduce evaporation of crystallization droplets by using plate lids with apertures for adding liquids.

    PubMed

    Zipper, Lauren E; Aristide, Xavier; Bishop, Dylan P; Joshi, Ishita; Kharzeev, Julia; Patel, Krishna B; Santiago, Brianna M; Joshi, Karan; Dorsinvil, Kahille; Sweet, Robert M; Soares, Alexei S

    2014-12-01

    A method is described for using plate lids to reduce evaporation in low-volume vapor-diffusion crystallization experiments. The plate lids contain apertures through which the protein and precipitants were added to different crystallization microplates (the reservoir was filled before fitting the lids). Plate lids were designed for each of these commonly used crystallization microplates. This system minimizes the dehydration of crystallization droplets containing just a few nanolitres of protein and precipitant, and results in more reproducible diffraction from the crystals. For each lid design, changes in the weight of the plates were used to deduce the rate of evaporation under different conditions of temperature, air movement, droplet size and precipitant. For comparison, the state of dehydration was also visually assessed throughout the experiment. Finally, X-ray diffraction methods were used to compare the diffraction of protein crystals that were conventionally prepared against those that were prepared on plates with plate lids. The measurements revealed that the plate lids reduced the rate of evaporation by 63-82%. Crystals grown in 5 nl drops that were set up with plate lids diffracted to higher resolution than similar crystals from drops that were set up without plate lids. The results demonstrate that plate lids can be instrumental for improving few-nanolitre crystallizations.

  2. Imaging ultrafast dynamics of molecules with laser-induced electron diffraction.

    PubMed

    Lin, C D; Xu, Junliang

    2012-10-14

    We introduce a laser-induced electron diffraction method (LIED) for imaging ultrafast dynamics of small molecules with femtosecond mid-infrared lasers. When molecules are placed in an intense laser field, both low- and high-energy photoelectrons are generated. According to quantitative rescattering (QRS) theory, high-energy electrons are produced by a rescattering process where electrons born at the early phase of the laser pulse are driven back to rescatter with the parent ion. From the high-energy electron momentum spectra, field-free elastic electron-ion scattering differential cross sections (DCS), or diffraction images, can be extracted. With mid-infrared lasers as the driving pulses, it is further shown that the DCS can be used to extract atomic positions in a molecule with sub-angstrom spatial resolution, in close analogy to the standard electron diffraction method. Since infrared lasers with pulse duration of a few to several tens of femtoseconds are already available, LIED can be used for imaging dynamics of molecules with sub-angstrom spatial and a few-femtosecond temporal resolution. The first experiment with LIED has shown that the bond length of oxygen molecules shortens by 0.1 Å in five femtoseconds after single ionization. The principle behind LIED and its future outlook as a tool for dynamic imaging of molecules are presented.

  3. Femtosecond X-ray protein nanocrystallography.

    PubMed

    Chapman, Henry N; Fromme, Petra; Barty, Anton; White, Thomas A; Kirian, Richard A; Aquila, Andrew; Hunter, Mark S; Schulz, Joachim; DePonte, Daniel P; Weierstall, Uwe; Doak, R Bruce; Maia, Filipe R N C; Martin, Andrew V; Schlichting, Ilme; Lomb, Lukas; Coppola, Nicola; Shoeman, Robert L; Epp, Sascha W; Hartmann, Robert; Rolles, Daniel; Rudenko, Artem; Foucar, Lutz; Kimmel, Nils; Weidenspointner, Georg; Holl, Peter; Liang, Mengning; Barthelmess, Miriam; Caleman, Carl; Boutet, Sébastien; Bogan, Michael J; Krzywinski, Jacek; Bostedt, Christoph; Bajt, Saša; Gumprecht, Lars; Rudek, Benedikt; Erk, Benjamin; Schmidt, Carlo; Hömke, André; Reich, Christian; Pietschner, Daniel; Strüder, Lothar; Hauser, Günter; Gorke, Hubert; Ullrich, Joachim; Herrmann, Sven; Schaller, Gerhard; Schopper, Florian; Soltau, Heike; Kühnel, Kai-Uwe; Messerschmidt, Marc; Bozek, John D; Hau-Riege, Stefan P; Frank, Matthias; Hampton, Christina Y; Sierra, Raymond G; Starodub, Dmitri; Williams, Garth J; Hajdu, Janos; Timneanu, Nicusor; Seibert, M Marvin; Andreasson, Jakob; Rocker, Andrea; Jönsson, Olof; Svenda, Martin; Stern, Stephan; Nass, Karol; Andritschke, Robert; Schröter, Claus-Dieter; Krasniqi, Faton; Bott, Mario; Schmidt, Kevin E; Wang, Xiaoyu; Grotjohann, Ingo; Holton, James M; Barends, Thomas R M; Neutze, Richard; Marchesini, Stefano; Fromme, Raimund; Schorb, Sebastian; Rupp, Daniela; Adolph, Marcus; Gorkhover, Tais; Andersson, Inger; Hirsemann, Helmut; Potdevin, Guillaume; Graafsma, Heinz; Nilsson, Björn; Spence, John C H

    2011-02-03

    X-ray crystallography provides the vast majority of macromolecular structures, but the success of the method relies on growing crystals of sufficient size. In conventional measurements, the necessary increase in X-ray dose to record data from crystals that are too small leads to extensive damage before a diffraction signal can be recorded. It is particularly challenging to obtain large, well-diffracting crystals of membrane proteins, for which fewer than 300 unique structures have been determined despite their importance in all living cells. Here we present a method for structure determination where single-crystal X-ray diffraction 'snapshots' are collected from a fully hydrated stream of nanocrystals using femtosecond pulses from a hard-X-ray free-electron laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source. We prove this concept with nanocrystals of photosystem I, one of the largest membrane protein complexes. More than 3,000,000 diffraction patterns were collected in this study, and a three-dimensional data set was assembled from individual photosystem I nanocrystals (∼200 nm to 2 μm in size). We mitigate the problem of radiation damage in crystallography by using pulses briefer than the timescale of most damage processes. This offers a new approach to structure determination of macromolecules that do not yield crystals of sufficient size for studies using conventional radiation sources or are particularly sensitive to radiation damage.

  4. Area X-ray or UV camera system for high-intensity beams

    DOEpatents

    Chapman, Henry N.; Bajt, Sasa; Spiller, Eberhard A.; Hau-Riege, Stefan , Marchesini, Stefano

    2010-03-02

    A system in one embodiment includes a source for directing a beam of radiation at a sample; a multilayer mirror having a face oriented at an angle of less than 90 degrees from an axis of the beam from the source, the mirror reflecting at least a portion of the radiation after the beam encounters a sample; and a pixellated detector for detecting radiation reflected by the mirror. A method in a further embodiment includes directing a beam of radiation at a sample; reflecting at least some of the radiation diffracted by the sample; not reflecting at least a majority of the radiation that is not diffracted by the sample; and detecting at least some of the reflected radiation. A method in yet another embodiment includes directing a beam of radiation at a sample; reflecting at least some of the radiation diffracted by the sample using a multilayer mirror; and detecting at least some of the reflected radiation.

  5. Synthesis and characterization of Chitosan-CuO-MgO polymer nanocomposites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Praffulla, S. R.; Bubbly, S. G.

    2018-05-01

    In the present work, we have synthesized Chitosan-CuO-MgO nanocomposites by incorporating CuO and MgO nanoparticles in chitosan matrix. Copper oxide and magnesium oxide nanoparticles synthesized by precipitation method were characterized by X-ray diffraction and the diffraction patterns confirmed the monoclinic and cubic crystalline structures of CuO and MgO nanoparticles respectively. Chitosan-CuO-MgO composite films were prepared using solution- cast method with different concentrations of CuO and MgO nanoparticles (15 - 50 wt % with respect to chitosan) and characterized by XRD, FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction pattern shows that the crystallinity of the chitosan composite increases with increase in nanoparticle concentration. FTIR spectra confirm the chemical interaction between chitosan and metal oxide nanoparticles (CuO and MgO). UV absorbance of chitosan nanocomposites were up to 17% better than pure chitosan, thus confirming its UV shielding properties. The mechanical and electrical properties of the prepared composites are in progress.

  6. Uncovering three-dimensional gradients in fibrillar orientation in an impact-resistant biological armour.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Y; Paris, O; Terrill, N J; Gupta, H S

    2016-05-23

    The complex hierarchical structure in biological and synthetic fibrous nanocomposites entails considerable difficulties in the interpretation of the crystallographic texture from diffraction data. Here, we present a novel reconstruction method to obtain the 3D distribution of fibres in such systems. An analytical expression is derived for the diffraction intensity from fibres, explaining the azimuthal intensity distribution in terms of the angles of the three dimensional fibre orientation distributions. The telson of stomatopod (mantis shrimp) serves as an example of natural biological armour whose high impact resistance property is believed to arise from the hierarchical organization of alpha chitin nanofibrils into fibres and twisted plywood (Bouligand) structures at the sub-micron and micron scale. Synchrotron microfocus scanning X-ray diffraction data on stomatopod telson were used as a test case to map the 3D fibre orientation across the entire tissue section. The method is applicable to a range of biological and biomimetic structures with graded 3D fibre texture at the sub-micron and micron length scales.

  7. Design of Off-Axis PIAACMC Mirrors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pluzhnik, Eugene; Guyon, Olivier; Belikov, Ruslan; Kern, Brian; Bendek, Eduardo

    2015-01-01

    The Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization Complex Mask Coronagraph (PIAACMC) provides an efficient way to control diffraction propagation effects caused by the central obstruction/segmented mirrors of the telescope. PIAACMC can be optimized in a way that takes into account both chromatic diffraction effects caused by the telescope obstructed aperture and tip/tilt sensitivity of the coronagraph. As a result, unlike classic PIAA, the PIAACMC mirror shapes are often slightly asymmetric even for an on-axis configuration and require more care in calculating off-axis shapes when an off-axis configuration is preferred. A method to design off-axis PIAA mirror shapes given an on-axis mirror design is presented. The algorithm is based on geometrical ray tracing and is able to calculate off-axis PIAA mirror shapes for an arbitrary geometry of the input and output beams. The method is demonstrated using the third generation PIAACMC design for WFIRST-AFTA (Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope-Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets) telescope. Geometrical optics design issues related to the off-axis diffraction propagation effects are also discussed.

  8. Scattering apodizer for laser beams

    DOEpatents

    Summers, Mark A.; Hagen, Wilhelm F.; Boyd, Robert D.

    1985-01-01

    A method is disclosed for apodizing a laser beam to smooth out the production of diffraction peaks due to optical discontinuities in the path of the laser beam, such method comprising introduction of a pattern of scattering elements for reducing the peak intensity in the region of such optical discontinuities, such pattern having smoothly tapering boundaries in which the distribution density of the scattering elements is tapered gradually to produce small gradients in the distribution density, such pattern of scattering elements being effective to reduce and smooth out the diffraction effects which would otherwise be produced. The apodizer pattern may be produced by selectively blasting a surface of a transparent member with fine abrasive particles to produce a multitude of minute pits. In one embodiment, a scattering apodizer pattern is employed to overcome diffraction patterns in a multiple element crystal array for harmonic conversion of a laser beam. The interstices and the supporting grid between the crystal elements are obscured by the gradually tapered apodizer pattern of scattering elements.

  9. Printing colour at the optical diffraction limit.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Karthik; Duan, Huigao; Hegde, Ravi S; Koh, Samuel C W; Wei, Jennifer N; Yang, Joel K W

    2012-09-01

    The highest possible resolution for printed colour images is determined by the diffraction limit of visible light. To achieve this limit, individual colour elements (or pixels) with a pitch of 250 nm are required, translating into printed images at a resolution of ∼100,000 dots per inch (d.p.i.). However, methods for dispensing multiple colourants or fabricating structural colour through plasmonic structures have insufficient resolution and limited scalability. Here, we present a non-colourant method that achieves bright-field colour prints with resolutions up to the optical diffraction limit. Colour information is encoded in the dimensional parameters of metal nanostructures, so that tuning their plasmon resonance determines the colours of the individual pixels. Our colour-mapping strategy produces images with both sharp colour changes and fine tonal variations, is amenable to large-volume colour printing via nanoimprint lithography, and could be useful in making microimages for security, steganography, nanoscale optical filters and high-density spectrally encoded optical data storage.

  10. Energy exchange between a laser beam and charged particles using inverse transition radiation and method for its use

    DOEpatents

    Kimura, Wayne D.; Romea, Richard D.; Steinhauer, Loren C.

    1998-01-01

    A method and apparatus for exchanging energy between relativistic charged particles and laser radiation using inverse diffraction radiation or inverse transition radiation. The beam of laser light is directed onto a particle beam by means of two optical elements which have apertures or foils through which the particle beam passes. The two apertures or foils are spaced by a predetermined distance of separation and the angle of interaction between the laser beam and the particle beam is set at a specific angle. The separation and angle are a function of the wavelength of the laser light and the relativistic energy of the particle beam. In a diffraction embodiment, the interaction between the laser and particle beams is determined by the diffraction effect due to the apertures in the optical elements. In a transition embodiment, the interaction between the laser and particle beams is determined by the transition effect due to pieces of foil placed in the particle beam path.

  11. Overcoming turbulence-induced space-variant blur by using phase-diverse speckle.

    PubMed

    Thelen, Brian J; Paxman, Richard G; Carrara, David A; Seldin, John H

    2009-01-01

    Space-variant blur occurs when imaging through volume turbulence over sufficiently large fields of view. Space-variant effects are particularly severe in horizontal-path imaging, slant-path (air-to-ground or ground-to-air) geometries, and ground-based imaging of low-elevation satellites or astronomical objects. In these geometries, the isoplanatic angle can be comparable to or even smaller than the diffraction-limited resolution angle. We report on a postdetection correction method that seeks to correct for the effects of space-variant aberrations, with the goal of reconstructing near-diffraction-limited imagery. Our approach has been to generalize the method of phase-diverse speckle (PDS) by using a physically motivated distributed-phase-screen model. Simulation results are presented that demonstrate the reconstruction of near-diffraction-limited imagery under both matched and mismatched model assumptions. In addition, we present evidence that PDS could be used as a beaconless wavefront sensor in a multiconjugate adaptive optics system when imaging extended scenes.

  12. Luminescent properties under X-ray excitation of Ba(1-x)PbxWO4 disordered solid solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bakiz, B.; Hallaoui, A.; Taoufyq, A.; Benlhachemi, A.; Guinneton, F.; Villain, S.; Ezahri, M.; Valmalette, J.-C.; Arab, M.; Gavarri, J.-R.

    2018-02-01

    A series of polycrystalline barium-lead tungstate Ba1-xPbxWO4 with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 was synthesized using a classical solid-state method with thermal treatment at 1000 °C. These materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Raman (FT-Raman) spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction profile analyses were performed using Rietveld method. These materials crystallized in the scheelite tetragonal structure and behaved as quasi ideal solid solution. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the formation of the solid solution. Structural distortions were evidenced in X-ray diffraction profiles and in vibration Raman spectra. The scanning electron microscopy experiments showed large and rounded irregular grains. Luminescence experiments were performed under X-ray excitation. The luminescence emission profiles have been interpreted in terms of four Gaussian components, with a major contribution of blue emission. The integrated intensity of luminescence reached a maximum value in the composition range x = 0.3-0.6, in relation with distortions of crystal lattice.

  13. Uncovering three-dimensional gradients in fibrillar orientation in an impact-resistant biological armour

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Y.; Paris, O.; Terrill, N. J.; Gupta, H. S.

    2016-05-01

    The complex hierarchical structure in biological and synthetic fibrous nanocomposites entails considerable difficulties in the interpretation of the crystallographic texture from diffraction data. Here, we present a novel reconstruction method to obtain the 3D distribution of fibres in such systems. An analytical expression is derived for the diffraction intensity from fibres, explaining the azimuthal intensity distribution in terms of the angles of the three dimensional fibre orientation distributions. The telson of stomatopod (mantis shrimp) serves as an example of natural biological armour whose high impact resistance property is believed to arise from the hierarchical organization of alpha chitin nanofibrils into fibres and twisted plywood (Bouligand) structures at the sub-micron and micron scale. Synchrotron microfocus scanning X-ray diffraction data on stomatopod telson were used as a test case to map the 3D fibre orientation across the entire tissue section. The method is applicable to a range of biological and biomimetic structures with graded 3D fibre texture at the sub-micron and micron length scales.

  14. Insights into photosystem II from isomorphous difference Fourier maps of femtosecond X-ray diffraction data and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics structural models

    DOE PAGES

    Wang, Jimin; Askerka, Mikhail; Brudvig, Gary W.; ...

    2017-01-12

    Understanding structure–function relations in photosystem II (PSII) is important for the development of biomimetic photocatalytic systems. X-ray crystallography, computational modeling, and spectroscopy have played central roles in elucidating the structure and function of PSII. Recent breakthroughs in femtosecond X-ray crystallography offer the possibility of collecting diffraction data from the X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) before radiation damage of the sample, thereby overcoming the main challenge of conventional X-ray diffraction methods. However, the interpretation of XFEL data from PSII intermediates is challenging because of the issues regarding data-processing, uncertainty on the precise positions of light oxygen atoms next to heavy metalmore » centers, and different kinetics of the S-state transition in microcrystals compared to solution. Lastly, we summarize recent advances and outstanding challenges in PSII structure–function determination with emphasis on the implementation of quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics techniques combined with isomorphous difference Fourier maps, direct methods, and high-resolution spectroscopy.« less

  15. Insights into Photosystem II from Isomorphous Difference Fourier Maps of Femtosecond X-ray Diffraction Data and Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Structural Models.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jimin; Askerka, Mikhail; Brudvig, Gary W; Batista, Victor S

    2017-02-10

    Understanding structure-function relations in photosystem II (PSII) is important for the development of biomimetic photocatalytic systems. X-ray crystallography, computational modeling, and spectroscopy have played central roles in elucidating the structure and function of PSII. Recent breakthroughs in femtosecond X-ray crystallography offer the possibility of collecting diffraction data from the X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) before radiation damage of the sample, thereby overcoming the main challenge of conventional X-ray diffraction methods. However, the interpretation of XFEL data from PSII intermediates is challenging because of the issues regarding data-processing, uncertainty on the precise positions of light oxygen atoms next to heavy metal centers, and different kinetics of the S-state transition in microcrystals compared to solution. Here, we summarize recent advances and outstanding challenges in PSII structure-function determination with emphasis on the implementation of quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics techniques combined with isomorphous difference Fourier maps, direct methods, and high-resolution spectroscopy.

  16. Insights into photosystem II from isomorphous difference Fourier maps of femtosecond X-ray diffraction data and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics structural models

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, Jimin; Askerka, Mikhail; Brudvig, Gary W.

    Understanding structure–function relations in photosystem II (PSII) is important for the development of biomimetic photocatalytic systems. X-ray crystallography, computational modeling, and spectroscopy have played central roles in elucidating the structure and function of PSII. Recent breakthroughs in femtosecond X-ray crystallography offer the possibility of collecting diffraction data from the X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) before radiation damage of the sample, thereby overcoming the main challenge of conventional X-ray diffraction methods. However, the interpretation of XFEL data from PSII intermediates is challenging because of the issues regarding data-processing, uncertainty on the precise positions of light oxygen atoms next to heavy metalmore » centers, and different kinetics of the S-state transition in microcrystals compared to solution. Lastly, we summarize recent advances and outstanding challenges in PSII structure–function determination with emphasis on the implementation of quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics techniques combined with isomorphous difference Fourier maps, direct methods, and high-resolution spectroscopy.« less

  17. Enabling X-ray free electron laser crystallography for challenging biological systems from a limited number of crystals

    DOE PAGES

    Uervirojnangkoorn, Monarin; Zeldin, Oliver B.; Lyubimov, Artem Y.; ...

    2015-03-17

    There is considerable potential for X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) to enable determination of macromolecular crystal structures that are difficult to solve using current synchrotron sources. Prior XFEL studies often involved the collection of thousands to millions of diffraction images, in part due to limitations of data processing methods. We implemented a data processing system based on classical post-refinement techniques, adapted to specific properties of XFEL diffraction data. When applied to XFEL data from three different proteins collected using various sample delivery systems and XFEL beam parameters, our method improved the quality of the diffraction data as well as themore » resulting refined atomic models and electron density maps. Moreover, the number of observations for a reflection necessary to assemble an accurate data set could be reduced to a few observations. In conclusion, these developments will help expand the applicability of XFEL crystallography to challenging biological systems, including cases where sample is limited.« less

  18. Enabling X-ray free electron laser crystallography for challenging biological systems from a limited number of crystals

    DOE PAGES

    Uervirojnangkoorn, Monarin; Zeldin, Oliver B.; Lyubimov, Artem Y.; ...

    2015-03-17

    There is considerable potential for X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) to enable determination of macromolecular crystal structures that are difficult to solve using current synchrotron sources. Prior XFEL studies often involved the collection of thousands to millions of diffraction images, in part due to limitations of data processing methods. We implemented a data processing system based on classical post-refinement techniques, adapted to specific properties of XFEL diffraction data. When applied to XFEL data from three different proteins collected using various sample delivery systems and XFEL beam parameters, our method improved the quality of the diffraction data as well as themore » resulting refined atomic models and electron density maps. Moreover, the number of observations for a reflection necessary to assemble an accurate data set could be reduced to a few observations. These developments will help expand the applicability of XFEL crystallography to challenging biological systems, including cases where sample is limited.« less

  19. Uncovering three-dimensional gradients in fibrillar orientation in an impact-resistant biological armour

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Y.; Paris, O.; Terrill, N. J.; Gupta, H. S.

    2016-01-01

    The complex hierarchical structure in biological and synthetic fibrous nanocomposites entails considerable difficulties in the interpretation of the crystallographic texture from diffraction data. Here, we present a novel reconstruction method to obtain the 3D distribution of fibres in such systems. An analytical expression is derived for the diffraction intensity from fibres, explaining the azimuthal intensity distribution in terms of the angles of the three dimensional fibre orientation distributions. The telson of stomatopod (mantis shrimp) serves as an example of natural biological armour whose high impact resistance property is believed to arise from the hierarchical organization of alpha chitin nanofibrils into fibres and twisted plywood (Bouligand) structures at the sub-micron and micron scale. Synchrotron microfocus scanning X-ray diffraction data on stomatopod telson were used as a test case to map the 3D fibre orientation across the entire tissue section. The method is applicable to a range of biological and biomimetic structures with graded 3D fibre texture at the sub-micron and micron length scales. PMID:27211574

  20. Scattering apodizer for laser beams

    DOEpatents

    Summers, M.A.; Hagen, W.F.; Boyd, R.D.

    1984-01-01

    A method is disclosed for apodizing a laser beam to smooth out the production of diffraction peaks due to optical discontinuities in the path of the laser beam, such method comprising introduction of a pattern of scattering elements for reducing the peak intensity in the region of such optical discontinuities, such pattern having smoothly tapering boundaries in which the distribution density of the scattering elements is tapered gradually to produce small gradients in the distribution density, such pattern of scattering elements being effective to reduce and smooth out the diffraction effects which would otherwise be produced. The apodizer pattern may be produced by selectively blasting a surface of a transparent member with fine abrasive particles to produce a multitude of minute pits. In one embodiment, a scattering apodizer pattern is employed to overcome diffraction patterns in a multiple element crystal array for harmonic conversion of a laser beam. The interstices and the supporting grid between the crystal elements are obscured by the gradually tapered apodizer pattern of scattering elements.

  1. Diffractive optics development using a modified stack-and-draw technique.

    PubMed

    Pniewski, Jacek; Kasztelanic, Rafal; Nowosielski, Jedrzej M; Filipkowski, Adam; Piechal, Bernard; Waddie, Andrew J; Pysz, Dariusz; Kujawa, Ireneusz; Stepien, Ryszard; Taghizadeh, Mohammad R; Buczynski, Ryszard

    2016-06-20

    We present a novel method for the development of diffractive optical elements (DOEs). Unlike standard surface relief DOEs, the phase shift is introduced through a refractive index variation achieved by using different types of glass. For the fabrication of DOEs we use a modified stack-and-draw technique, originally developed for the fabrication of photonic crystal fibers, resulting in a completely flat element that is easy to integrate with other optical components. A proof-of-concept demonstration of the method is presented-a two-dimensional binary optical phase grating in the form of a square chessboard with a pixel size of 5 μm. Two types of glass are used: low refractive index silicate glass NC21 and high refractive index lead-silicate glass F2. The measured diffraction characteristics of the fabricated component are presented and it is shown numerically and experimentally that such a DOE can be used as a fiber interconnector that couples light from a small-core fiber into the several cores of a multicore fiber.

  2. Hydrogenation properties of Li{sub x}Sr{sub 1−x}AlSi studied by quantum-chemical methods (0≤x≤1) and in-situ neutron powder diffraction (x=1)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kunkel, Nathalie, E-mail: nathalie.kunkel@chimie-paristech.fr; FR 8.1 Universität des Saarlandes, Postach 151150, 66041 Saarbrücken; Reichert, Christian

    2015-01-15

    In-situ neutron powder diffraction studies of the Half-Heusler phase LiAlSi under high deuterium pressures and first principle calculations of solid solutions of Li{sub x}Sr{sub 1−x}AlSi and their hydrides Li{sub x}Sr{sub 1−x}AlSiH were carried out. In contrast to an earlier study, there is no experimental evidence for hydrogen (deuterium) uptake up to gas pressures of 15 MPa and temperatures of 550 °C. Instead a slow decomposition reaction according to LiAlSi+1/2H{sub 2}=LiH+Al+Si was found by in-situ neutron powder diffraction. Theoretical calculations by DFT methods on hypothetical solid solutions of Li{sub x}Sr{sub 1−x}AlSi show the LiAlSi type to be the energetically most stablemore » structure for 0.7« less

  3. Enabling X-ray free electron laser crystallography for challenging biological systems from a limited number of crystals

    PubMed Central

    Uervirojnangkoorn, Monarin; Zeldin, Oliver B; Lyubimov, Artem Y; Hattne, Johan; Brewster, Aaron S; Sauter, Nicholas K; Brunger, Axel T; Weis, William I

    2015-01-01

    There is considerable potential for X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) to enable determination of macromolecular crystal structures that are difficult to solve using current synchrotron sources. Prior XFEL studies often involved the collection of thousands to millions of diffraction images, in part due to limitations of data processing methods. We implemented a data processing system based on classical post-refinement techniques, adapted to specific properties of XFEL diffraction data. When applied to XFEL data from three different proteins collected using various sample delivery systems and XFEL beam parameters, our method improved the quality of the diffraction data as well as the resulting refined atomic models and electron density maps. Moreover, the number of observations for a reflection necessary to assemble an accurate data set could be reduced to a few observations. These developments will help expand the applicability of XFEL crystallography to challenging biological systems, including cases where sample is limited. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05421.001 PMID:25781634

  4. Nondestructive method and apparatus for imaging grains in curved surfaces of polycrystalline articles

    DOEpatents

    Carpenter, Donald A.

    1995-01-01

    A nondestructive method, and associated apparatus, are provided for determining the grain flow of the grains in a convex curved, textured polycrystalline surface. The convex, curved surface of a polycrystalline article is aligned in a horizontal x-ray diffractometer and a monochromatic, converging x-ray beam is directed onto the curved surface of the polycrystalline article so that the converging x-ray beam is diffracted by crystallographic planes of the grains in the polycrystalline article. The diffracted x-ray beam is caused to pass through a set of horizontal, parallel slits to limit the height of the beam and thereafter. The linear intensity of the diffracted x-ray is measured, using a linear position sensitive proportional counter, as a function of position in a direction orthogonal to the counter so as to generate two dimensional data. An image of the grains in the curved surface of the polycrystalline article is provided based on the two-dimensional data.

  5. Nondestructive method and apparatus for imaging grains in curved surfaces of polycrystalline articles

    DOEpatents

    Carpenter, D.A.

    1995-05-23

    A nondestructive method, and associated apparatus, are provided for determining the grain flow of the grains in a convex curved, textured polycrystalline surface. The convex, curved surface of a polycrystalline article is aligned in a horizontal x-ray diffractometer and a monochromatic, converging x-ray beam is directed onto the curved surface of the polycrystalline article so that the converging x-ray beam is diffracted by crystallographic planes of the grains in the polycrystalline article. The diffracted x-ray beam is caused to pass through a set of horizontal, parallel slits to limit the height of the beam and thereafter. The linear intensity of the diffracted x-ray is measured, using a linear position sensitive proportional counter, as a function of position in a direction orthogonal to the counter so as to generate two dimensional data. An image of the grains in the curved surface of the polycrystalline article is provided based on the two-dimensional data. 7 Figs.

  6. Reducing aberration effect of Fourier transform lens by modifying Fourier spectrum of diffractive optical element in beam shaping optical system.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Fang; Zhu, Jing; Song, Qiang; Yue, Weirui; Liu, Jingdan; Wang, Jian; Situ, Guohai; Huang, Huijie

    2015-10-20

    In general, Fourier transform lenses are considered as ideal in the design algorithms of diffractive optical elements (DOEs). However, the inherent aberrations of a real Fourier transform lens disturb the far field pattern. The difference between the generated pattern and the expected design will impact the system performance. Therefore, a method for modifying the Fourier spectrum of DOEs without introducing other optical elements to reduce the aberration effect of the Fourier transform lens is proposed. By applying this method, beam shaping performance is improved markedly for the optical system with a real Fourier transform lens. The experiments carried out with a commercial Fourier transform lens give evidence for this method. The method is capable of reducing the system complexity as well as improving its performance.

  7. Sparse-View Ultrasound Diffraction Tomography Using Compressed Sensing with Nonuniform FFT

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Accurate reconstruction of the object from sparse-view sampling data is an appealing issue for ultrasound diffraction tomography (UDT). In this paper, we present a reconstruction method based on compressed sensing framework for sparse-view UDT. Due to the piecewise uniform characteristics of anatomy structures, the total variation is introduced into the cost function to find a more faithful sparse representation of the object. The inverse problem of UDT is iteratively resolved by conjugate gradient with nonuniform fast Fourier transform. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method that the main characteristics of the object can be properly presented with only 16 views. Compared to interpolation and multiband method, the proposed method can provide higher resolution and lower artifacts with the same view number. The robustness to noise and the computation complexity are also discussed. PMID:24868241

  8. New methods for indexing multi-lattice diffraction data

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gildea, Richard J.; Waterman, David G.; CCP4, Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0FA

    2014-10-01

    A new indexing method is presented which is capable of indexing multiple crystal lattices from narrow wedges of data. The efficacy of this method is demonstrated with both semi-synthetic multi-lattice data and real multi-lattice data recorded from microcrystals of ∼1 µm in size. A new indexing method is presented which is capable of indexing multiple crystal lattices from narrow wedges of diffraction data. The method takes advantage of a simplification of Fourier transform-based methods that is applicable when the unit-cell dimensions are known a priori. The efficacy of this method is demonstrated with both semi-synthetic multi-lattice data and real multi-latticemore » data recorded from crystals of ∼1 µm in size, where it is shown that up to six lattices can be successfully indexed and subsequently integrated from a 1° wedge of data. Analysis is presented which shows that improvements in data-quality indicators can be obtained through accurate identification and rejection of overlapping reflections prior to scaling.« less

  9. Diffraction of dust acoustic waves by a circular cylinder

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, S.-H.; Heinrich, J. R.; Merlino, R. L.

    2008-09-01

    The diffraction of dust acoustic (DA) waves around a long dielectric rod is observed using video imaging methods. The DA waves are spontaneously excited in a dusty plasma produced in a direct current glow discharge plasma. The rod acquires a negative charge that produces a coaxial dust void around it. The diameter of the void is the effective size of the "obstacle" encountered by the waves. The wavelength of the DA waves is approximately the size of the void. The observations are considered in relation to the classical problem of the diffraction of sound waves from a circular cylinder, a problem first analyzed by Lord Rayleigh [Theory of Sound, 2nd ed. (MacMillan, London, 1896)].

  10. Hyper-spectral imaging in scanning-confocal-fluorescence microscopy using a novel broadband diffractive optic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Peng; Ebeling, Carl G.; Gerton, Jordan; Menon, Rajesh

    In this paper, we demonstrate hyper-spectral imaging of fluorescent microspheres in a scanning-confocal-fluorescence microscope by spatially dispersing the spectra using a novel broadband diffractive optic, and applying a nonlinear optimization technique to extract the full-incident spectra. This broadband diffractive optic has a designed optical efficiency of over 90% across the entire visible spectrum. We used this technique to create two-color images of two fluorophores and also extracted their emission spectra with good fidelity. This method can be extended to image both spatially and spectrally overlapping fluorescent samples. Full control in the number of emission spectra and the feasibility of enhanced imaging speed are demonstrated as well.

  11. Spatial Phase Coding for Incoherent Optical Processors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tigin, D. V.; Lavrentev, A. A.; Gary, C. K.

    1994-01-01

    In this paper we introduce spatial phase coding of incoherent optical signals for representing signed numbers in optical processors and present an experimental demonstration of this coding technique. If a diffraction grating, such as an acousto-optic cell, modulates a stream of light, the image of the grating can be recovered from the diffracted beam. The position of the grating image, or more precisely its phase, can be used to denote the sign of the number represented by the diffracted light. The intensity of the light represents the magnitude of the number. This technique is more economical than current methods in terms of the number of information channels required to represent a number and the amount of post processing required.

  12. Disentangling atomic-layer-specific x-ray absorption spectra by Auger electron diffraction spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsui, Fumihiko; Matsushita, Tomohiro; Kato, Yukako; Hashimoto, Mie; Daimon, Hiroshi

    2009-11-01

    In order to investigate the electronic and magnetic structures of each atomic layer at subsurface, we have proposed a new method, Auger electron diffraction spectroscopy, which is the combination of x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and Auger electron diffraction (AED) techniques. We have measured a series of Ni LMM AED patterns of the Ni film grown on Cu(001) surface for various thicknesses. Then we deduced a set of atomic-layer-specific AED patterns in a numerical way. Furthermore, we developed an algorithm to disentangle XANES spectra from different atomic layers using these atomic-layer-specific AED patterns. Surface and subsurface core level shift were determined for each atomic layer.

  13. Structure of rare-earth chalcogenide glasses by neutron and x-ray diffraction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Drewitt, James W. E.; Salmon, Philip S.; Zeidler, Anita

    The method of neutron diffraction with isomorphic substitution was used to measure the structure of the rare-earth chalcogenide glasses (R 2X 3) 0.07(Ga 2X 3) 0.33(GeX 2) 0.60 with R = La or Ce and X = S or Se. X-ray diffraction was also used to measure the structure of the sulphide glass. The results are consistent with networks that are built from GeX 4 and GaX 4 tetrahedra, and give R-S and R-Se coordination numbers of 8.0(2) and 8.5(4), respectively. The minimum nearest-neighbour R-R distance associated with rare-earth clustering is discussed.

  14. Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of N-acetylglucosamine-phosphate mutase from Candida albicans

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nishitani, Yuichi; Maruyama, Daisuke; Nonaka, Tsuyoshi

    2006-04-01

    Preliminary X-ray diffraction studies on N-acetylglucosamine-phosphate mutase from C. albicans are reported. N-acetylglucosamine-phosphate mutase (AGM1) is an essential enzyme in the synthesis of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) in eukaryotes and belongs to the α-d-phosphohexomutase superfamily. AGM1 from Candida albicans (CaAGM1) was purified and crystallized by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals obtained belong to the primitive monoclinic space group P2{sub 1}, with unit-cell parameters a = 60.2, b = 130.2, c = 78.0 Å, β = 106.7°. The crystals diffract X-rays to beyond 1.8 Å resolution using synchrotron radiation.

  15. Structure of rare-earth chalcogenide glasses by neutron and x-ray diffraction

    DOE PAGES

    Drewitt, James W. E.; Salmon, Philip S.; Zeidler, Anita; ...

    2017-04-28

    The method of neutron diffraction with isomorphic substitution was used to measure the structure of the rare-earth chalcogenide glasses (R 2X 3) 0.07(Ga 2X 3) 0.33(GeX 2) 0.60 with R = La or Ce and X = S or Se. X-ray diffraction was also used to measure the structure of the sulphide glass. The results are consistent with networks that are built from GeX 4 and GaX 4 tetrahedra, and give R-S and R-Se coordination numbers of 8.0(2) and 8.5(4), respectively. The minimum nearest-neighbour R-R distance associated with rare-earth clustering is discussed.

  16. Low-energy electron point projection microscopy/diffraction study of suspended graphene

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hsu, Wei-Hao; Chang, Wei-Tse; Lin, Chun-Yueh; Chang, Mu-Tung; Hsieh, Chia-Tso; Wang, Chang-Ran; Lee, Wei-Li; Hwang, Ing-Shouh

    2017-11-01

    In this work, we present our study of suspended graphene with low-energy electrons based on a point projection microscopic/diffractive imaging technique. Both exfoliated and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene samples were studied in an ultra-high vacuum chamber. This method allows imaging of individual adsorbates at the nanometer scale and characterizing graphene layers, graphene lattice orientations, ripples on graphene membranes, etc. We found that long-duration exposure to low-energy electron beams induced aggregation of adsorbates on graphene when the electron dose rate was above a certain level. We also discuss the potential of this technique to conduct coherent diffractive imaging for determining the atomic structures of biological molecules adsorbed on suspended graphene.

  17. Color image cryptosystem using Fresnel diffraction and phase modulation in an expanded fractional Fourier transform domain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Hang; Liu, Zhengjun; Chen, Qi; Blondel, Walter; Varis, Pierre

    2018-05-01

    In this letter, what we believe is a new technique for optical color image encryption by using Fresnel diffraction and a phase modulation in an extended fractional Fourier transform domain is proposed. Different from the RGB component separation based method, the color image is converted into one component by improved Chirikov mapping. The encryption system is addressed with Fresnel diffraction and phase modulation. A pair of lenses is placed into the fractional Fourier transform system for the modulation of beam propagation. The structure parameters of the optical system and parameters in Chirikov mapping serve as extra keys. Some numerical simulations are given to test the validity of the proposed cryptosystem.

  18. Diffraction based overlay metrology for α-carbon applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saravanan, Chandra Saru; Tan, Asher; Dasari, Prasad; Goelzer, Gary; Smith, Nigel; Woo, Seouk-Hoon; Shin, Jang Ho; Kang, Hyun Jae; Kim, Ho Chul

    2008-03-01

    Applications that require overlay measurement between layers separated by absorbing interlayer films (such as α- carbon) pose significant challenges for sub-50nm processes. In this paper scatterometry methods are investigated as an alternative to meet these stringent overlay metrology requirements. In this article, a spectroscopic Diffraction Based Overlay (DBO) measurement technique is used where registration errors are extracted from specially designed diffraction targets. DBO measurements are performed on detailed set of wafers with varying α-carbon (ACL) thicknesses. The correlation in overlay values between wafers with varying ACL thicknesses will be discussed. The total measurement uncertainty (TMU) requirements for these layers are discussed and the DBO TMU results from sub-50nm samples are reviewed.

  19. Evaluating diffraction based overlay metrology for double patterning technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saravanan, Chandra Saru; Liu, Yongdong; Dasari, Prasad; Kritsun, Oleg; Volkman, Catherine; Acheta, Alden; La Fontaine, Bruno

    2008-03-01

    Demanding sub-45 nm node lithographic methodologies such as double patterning (DPT) pose significant challenges for overlay metrology. In this paper, we investigate scatterometry methods as an alternative approach to meet these stringent new metrology requirements. We used a spectroscopic diffraction-based overlay (DBO) measurement technique in which registration errors are extracted from specially designed diffraction targets for double patterning. The results of overlay measurements are compared to traditional bar-in-bar targets. A comparison between DBO measurements and CD-SEM measurements is done to show the correlation between the two approaches. We discuss the total measurement uncertainty (TMU) requirements for sub-45 nm nodes and compare TMU from the different overlay approaches.

  20. High-frequency techniques for RCS prediction of plate geometries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Balanis, Constantine A.; Polka, Lesley A.

    1992-01-01

    The principal-plane scattering from perfectly conducting and coated strips and rectangular plates is examined. Previous reports have detailed Geometrical Theory of Diffraction/Uniform Theory of Diffraction (GTD/UTD) solutions for these geometries. The GTD/UTD solution for the perfectly conducting plate yields monostatic radar cross section (RCS) results that are nearly identical to measurements and results obtained using the Moment Method (MM) and the Extended Physical Theory of Diffraction (EPTD). This was demonstrated in previous reports. The previous analysis is extended to bistatic cases. GTD/UTD results for the principal-plane scattering from a perfectly conducting, infinite strip are compared to MM and EPTD data. A comprehensive overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the GTD/UTD and of the EPTD and a detailed analysis of the results from both methods are provided. Several previous reports also presented preliminary discussions and results for a GTD/UTD model of the RCS of a coated, rectangular plate. Several approximations for accounting for the finite coating thickness, plane-wave incidence, and far-field observation were discussed. Here, these approximations are replaced by a revised wedge diffraction coefficient that implicitly accounts for a coating on a perfect conductor, plane-wave incidence, and far-field observation. This coefficient is computationally more efficient than the previous diffraction coefficient because the number of Maliuzhinets functions that must be calculated using numerical integration is reduced by a factor of 2. The derivation and the revised coefficient are presented in detail for the hard polarization case. Computations and experimental data are also included. The soft polarization case is currently under investigation.

  1. Feasibility of detecting near-surface feature with Rayleigh-wave diffraction

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Xia, J.; Nyquist, Jonathan E.; Xu, Y.; Roth, M.J.S.; Miller, R.D.

    2007-01-01

    Detection of near-surfaces features such as voids and faults is challenging due to the complexity of near-surface materials and the limited resolution of geophysical methods. Although multichannel, high-frequency, surface-wave techniques can provide reliable shear (S)-wave velocities in different geological settings, they are not suitable for detecting voids directly based on anomalies of the S-wave velocity because of limitations on the resolution of S-wave velocity profiles inverted from surface-wave phase velocities. Therefore, we studied the feasibility of directly detecting near-surfaces features with surface-wave diffractions. Based on the properties of surface waves, we have derived a Rayleigh-wave diffraction traveltime equation. We also have solved the equation for the depth to the top of a void and an average velocity of Rayleigh waves. Using these equations, the depth to the top of a void/fault can be determined based on traveltime data from a diffraction curve. In practice, only two diffraction times are necessary to define the depth to the top of a void/fault and the average Rayleigh-wave velocity that generates the diffraction curve. We used four two-dimensional square voids to demonstrate the feasibility of detecting a void with Rayleigh-wave diffractions: a 2??m by 2??m with a depth to the top of the void of 2??m, 4??m by 4??m with a depth to the top of the void of 7??m, and 6??m by 6??m with depths to the top of the void 12??m and 17??m. We also modeled surface waves due to a vertical fault. Rayleigh-wave diffractions were recognizable for all these models after FK filtering was applied to the synthetic data. The Rayleigh-wave diffraction traveltime equation was verified by the modeled data. Modeling results suggested that FK filtering is critical to enhance diffracted surface waves. A real-world example is presented to show how to utilize the derived equation of surface-wave diffractions. ?? 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Discrete diffraction managed solitons: Threshold phenomena and rapid decay for general nonlinearities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choi, Mi-Ran; Hundertmark, Dirk; Lee, Young-Ran

    2017-10-01

    We prove a threshold phenomenon for the existence/non-existence of energy minimizing solitary solutions of the diffraction management equation for strictly positive and zero average diffraction. Our methods allow for a large class of nonlinearities; they are, for example, allowed to change sign, and the weakest possible condition, it only has to be locally integrable, on the local diffraction profile. The solutions are found as minimizers of a nonlinear and nonlocal variational problem which is translation invariant. There exists a critical threshold λcr such that minimizers for this variational problem exist if their power is bigger than λcr and no minimizers exist with power less than the critical threshold. We also give simple criteria for the finiteness and strict positivity of the critical threshold. Our proof of existence of minimizers is rather direct and avoids the use of Lions' concentration compactness argument. Furthermore, we give precise quantitative lower bounds on the exponential decay rate of the diffraction management solitons, which confirm the physical heuristic prediction for the asymptotic decay rate. Moreover, for ground state solutions, these bounds give a quantitative lower bound for the divergence of the exponential decay rate in the limit of vanishing average diffraction. For zero average diffraction, we prove quantitative bounds which show that the solitons decay much faster than exponentially. Our results considerably extend and strengthen the results of Hundertmark and Lee [J. Nonlinear Sci. 22, 1-38 (2012) and Commun. Math. Phys. 309(1), 1-21 (2012)].

  3. Non-destructive Quantitative Phase Analysis and Microstructural Characterization of Zirconium Coated U-10Mo Fuel Foils via Neutron Diffraction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cummins, Dustin Ray; Vogel, Sven C.; Hollis, Kendall Jon

    2016-10-18

    This report uses neutron diffraction to investigate the crystal phase composition of uranium-molybdenum alloy foils (U-10Mo) for the CONVERT MP-1 Reactor Conversion Project, and determines the effect on alpha-uranium contamination following the deposition of a Zr metal diffusion layer by various methods: plasma spray deposition of Zr powders at LANL and hot co-rolling with Zr foils at BWXT. In summary, there is minimal decomposition of the gamma phase U-10Mo foil to alpha phase contamination following both plasma spraying and hot co-rolling. The average unit cell volume, i.e. lattice spacing, of the Zr layer can be mathematically extracted from the diffractionmore » data; co-rolled Zr matches well with literature values of bulk Zr, while plasma sprayed Zr shows a slight increase in the lattice spacing, indicative of interstitial oxygen in the lattice. Neutron diffraction is a beneficial alternative to conventional methods of phase composition, i.e. x ray diffraction (XRD) and destructive metallography. XRD has minimal penetration depth in high atomic number materials, particularly uranium, and can only probe the first few microns of the fuel plate; neutrons pass completely through the foil, allowing for bulk analysis of the foil composition and no issues with addition of cladding layers, as in the final, aluminum-clad reactor fuel plates. Destructive metallography requires skilled technicians, cutting of the foil into small sections, hazardous etching conditions, long polishing and microscopy times, etc.; the neutron diffraction system has an automated sample loader and can fit larger foils, so there is minimal analysis preparation; the total spectrum acquisition time is ~ 1 hour per sample. The neutron diffraction results are limited by spectra refinement/calculation times and the availability of the neutron beam source. In the case of LANSCE at Los Alamos, the beam operates ~50% of the year. Following the lessons learned from these preliminary results, optimizations to the process and analysis can be made, and neutron diffraction can become a viable and efficient technique for gamma/alpha phase composition determination for nuclear fuels.« less

  4. Direct Measurement of the Topological Charge in Elliptical Beams Using Diffraction by a Triangular Aperture.

    PubMed

    Melo, Leandro A; Jesus-Silva, Alcenísio J; Chávez-Cerda, Sabino; Ribeiro, Paulo H Souto; Soares, Willamys C

    2018-04-23

    We introduce a simple method to characterize the topological charge associated with the orbital angular momentum of a m-order elliptic light beam. This method consists in the observation of the far field pattern of the beam carrying orbital angular momentum, diffracted from a triangular aperture. We show numerically and experimentally, for Mathieu, Ince-Gaussian, and vortex Hermite-Gaussian beams, that only isosceles triangular apertures allow us to determine in a precise and direct way, the magnitude m of the order and the number and sign of unitary topological charges of isolated vortices inside the core of these beams.

  5. A simple method for evaluating the wavefront compensation error of diffractive liquid-crystal wavefront correctors.

    PubMed

    Cao, Zhaoliang; Mu, Quanquan; Hu, Lifa; Lu, Xinghai; Xuan, Li

    2009-09-28

    A simple method for evaluating the wavefront compensation error of diffractive liquid-crystal wavefront correctors (DLCWFCs) for atmospheric turbulence correction is reported. A simple formula which describes the relationship between pixel number, DLCWFC aperture, quantization level, and atmospheric coherence length was derived based on the calculated atmospheric turbulence wavefronts using Kolmogorov atmospheric turbulence theory. It was found that the pixel number across the DLCWFC aperture is a linear function of the telescope aperture and the quantization level, and it is an exponential function of the atmosphere coherence length. These results are useful for people using DLCWFCs in atmospheric turbulence correction for large-aperture telescopes.

  6. [Design method of convex master gratings for replicating flat-field concave gratings].

    PubMed

    Zhou, Qian; Li, Li-Feng

    2009-08-01

    Flat-field concave diffraction grating is the key device of a portable grating spectrometer with the advantage of integrating dispersion, focusing and flat-field in a single device. It directly determines the quality of a spectrometer. The most important two performances determining the quality of the spectrometer are spectral image quality and diffraction efficiency. The diffraction efficiency of a grating depends mainly on its groove shape. But it has long been a problem to get a uniform predetermined groove shape across the whole concave grating area, because the incident angle of the ion beam is restricted by the curvature of the concave substrate, and this severely limits the diffraction efficiency and restricts the application of concave gratings. The authors present a two-step method for designing convex gratings, which are made holographically with two exposure point sources placed behind a plano-convex transparent glass substrate, to solve this problem. The convex gratings are intended to be used as the master gratings for making aberration-corrected flat-field concave gratings. To achieve high spectral image quality for the replicated concave gratings, the refraction effect at the planar back surface and the extra optical path lengths through the substrate thickness experienced by the two divergent recording beams are considered during optimization. This two-step method combines the optical-path-length function method and the ZEMAX software to complete the optimization with a high success rate and high efficiency. In the first step, the optical-path-length function method is used without considering the refraction effect to get an approximate optimization result. In the second step, the approximate result of the first step is used as the initial value for ZEMAX to complete the optimization including the refraction effect. An example of design problem was considered. The simulation results of ZEMAX proved that the spectral image quality of a replicated concave grating is comparable with that of a directly recorded concave grating.

  7. Discrete mathematical model of wave diffraction on pre-fractal impedance strips. TM mode case

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nesvit, K. V.

    2013-10-01

    In this paper a transverse magnetic (TM) wave diffraction problem on pre-fractal impedance strips is considered. The overall aim of this work is to develop a discrete mathematical model of the boundary integral equations (IEs) with the help of special quadrature formulas with the nodes in the zeros of Chebyshev polynomials and to perform a numerical experiments with the help of an efficient discrete singularities method (DSM).

  8. UTD analysis of electromagnetic scattering by flat structures. Ph.D. Thesis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sikta, F. A.; Peters, L., Jr.

    1981-01-01

    The different scattering mechanisms that contribute to the radar cross of finite flat plates were identified and analyzed. The geometrical theory of diffraction, the equivalent current and the corner diffraction are used for this study. A study of the cross polarized field for a monopole mounted on a plate is presented, using novel edge wave mechanism in the analysis. The results are compared with moment method solutions as well as measured data.

  9. X-Ray Diffraction Study of Elemental Erbium to 65 GPa

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pravica, M.G.; Lipinska-Kalita, K.; Quine, Z.

    2006-02-02

    We have investigated phase transitions in elemental erbium in a diamond anvil cell up to 65 GPa using x-ray powder diffraction methods. We present preliminary evidence of a series of phase transitions that appear to follow the expected hcp {yields} Sm-type {yields} dhcp {yields} distorted fcc sequence. In particular, we believe that we have evidence for the predicted dhcp {yields} distorted fcc transition between 43 GPa and 65 GPa.

  10. Overlay improvement methods with diffraction based overlay and integrated metrology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nam, Young-Sun; Kim, Sunny; Shin, Ju Hee; Choi, Young Sin; Yun, Sang Ho; Kim, Young Hoon; Shin, Si Woo; Kong, Jeong Heung; Kang, Young Seog; Ha, Hun Hwan

    2015-03-01

    To accord with new requirement of securing more overlay margin, not only the optical overlay measurement is faced with the technical limitations to represent cell pattern's behavior, but also the larger measurement samples are inevitable for minimizing statistical errors and better estimation of circumstance in a lot. From these reasons, diffraction based overlay (DBO) and integrated metrology (IM) were mainly proposed as new approaches for overlay enhancement in this paper.

  11. X-ray diffraction analysis of residual stress in zirconia dental composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allahkarami, Masoud

    Dental restoration ceramic is a complex system to be characterized. Beside its essential biocompatibility, and pleasant appearance, it requires being mechanically strong in a catastrophic loading environment. Any design is restricted with geometry boundary and material property limits. Inspired by natural teeth, a multilayer ceramic is a smart way of achieving an enhanced restoration. Bi-layers of zirconia core covered by porcelain are known as one of the best multilayer restorations. Residual stresses may be introduced into a bi-layer dental ceramic restoration during its entire manufacturing process due to thermal expansion and elastic property mismatch. It is impossible to achieve a free of residual stresses bi-layer zirconia-porcelain restoration. The idea is to take the advantage of residual stress in design in such a way to prevent the crack initiation and progression. The hypothesis is a compressive residual stress at external contact surface would be enabling the restoration to endure a greater tensile stress. Optimizing the layers thickness, manufacturing process, and validating 3D simulations require development of new techniques of thickness, residual stresses and phase transformation measurement. In the present work, a combined mirco-tomography and finite element based method were adapted for thickness measurement. Two new 2D X-ray diffraction based techniques were adapted for phase transformation area mapping and combined phase transformation and residual stress measurement. Concerning the complex geometry of crown, an efficient method for X-ray diffraction data collection mapping on a given curved surface was developed. Finally a novel method for 3D dimensional x-ray diffraction data collection and visualization were introduced.

  12. A new method to evaluate the quality of single crystal Cu by an X-ray diffraction butterfly pattern method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Xu Zhenming; Guo Zhenqi; Li Jianguo

    2004-12-15

    A new method for the evaluation of the quality of an Ohno continuous cast (OCC) Cu single crystal by X-ray diffraction (XRD) butterfly pattern was brought forward. Experimental results show that the growth direction of single crystal Cu is inclined from both sides of the single crystal Cu rod to the axis and is axially symmetric. The degree of deviation from the [100] orientation from the crystal axis is less than 5 deg. with a casting speed 10-40 mm/min. The orientation of single crystal Cu does not have a fixed direction but is in a regular range. Moreover, the orientationmore » of stray grains in the single crystal Cu is random from continuous casting.« less

  13. A low order flow/acoustics interaction method for the prediction of sound propagation using 3D adaptive hybrid grids

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kallinderis, Yannis, E-mail: kallind@otenet.gr; Vitsas, Panagiotis A.; Menounou, Penelope

    2012-07-15

    A low-order flow/acoustics interaction method for the prediction of sound propagation and diffraction in unsteady subsonic compressible flow using adaptive 3-D hybrid grids is investigated. The total field is decomposed into the flow field described by the Euler equations, and the acoustics part described by the Nonlinear Perturbation Equations. The method is shown capable of predicting monopole sound propagation, while employment of acoustics-guided adapted grid refinement improves the accuracy of capturing the acoustic field. Interaction of sound with solid boundaries is also examined in terms of reflection, and diffraction. Sound propagation through an unsteady flow field is examined using staticmore » and dynamic flow/acoustics coupling demonstrating the importance of the latter.« less

  14. Highly efficient volume hologram multiplexing in thick dye-doped jelly-like gelatin.

    PubMed

    Katarkevich, Vasili M; Rubinov, Anatoli N; Efendiev, Terlan Sh

    2014-08-01

    Dye-doped jelly-like gelatin is a thick-layer self-developing photosensitive medium that allows single and multiplexed volume phase holograms to be successfully recorded using pulsed laser radiation. In this Letter, we present a method for multiplexed recording of volume holograms in a dye-doped jelly-like gelatin, which provides significant increase in their diffraction efficiency. The method is based on the recovery of the photobleached dye molecule concentration in the hologram recording zone of gel, thanks to molecule diffusion from other unexposed gel areas. As an example, an optical recording of a multiplexed hologram consisting of three superimposed Bragg gratings with mean values of the diffraction efficiency and angular selectivity of ∼75% and ∼21', respectively, is demonstrated by using the proposed method.

  15. Advances in edge-diffraction modeling for virtual-acoustic simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Calamia, Paul Thomas

    In recent years there has been growing interest in modeling sound propagation in complex, three-dimensional (3D) virtual environments. With diverse applications for the military, the gaming industry, psychoacoustics researchers, architectural acousticians, and others, advances in computing power and 3D audio-rendering techniques have driven research and development aimed at closing the gap between the auralization and visualization of virtual spaces. To this end, this thesis focuses on improving the physical and perceptual realism of sound-field simulations in virtual environments through advances in edge-diffraction modeling. To model sound propagation in virtual environments, acoustical simulation tools commonly rely on geometrical-acoustics (GA) techniques that assume asymptotically high frequencies, large flat surfaces, and infinitely thin ray-like propagation paths. Such techniques can be augmented with diffraction modeling to compensate for the effect of surface size on the strength and directivity of a reflection, to allow for propagation around obstacles and into shadow zones, and to maintain soundfield continuity across reflection and shadow boundaries. Using a time-domain, line-integral formulation of the Biot-Tolstoy-Medwin (BTM) diffraction expression, this thesis explores various aspects of diffraction calculations for virtual-acoustic simulations. Specifically, we first analyze the periodic singularity of the BTM integrand and describe the relationship between the singularities and higher-order reflections within wedges with open angle less than 180°. Coupled with analytical approximations for the BTM expression, this analysis allows for accurate numerical computations and a continuous sound field in the vicinity of an arbitrary wedge geometry insonified by a point source. Second, we describe an edge-subdivision strategy that allows for fast diffraction calculations with low error relative to a numerically more accurate solution. Third, to address the considerable increase in propagation paths due to diffraction, we describe a simple procedure for identifying and culling insignificant diffraction components during a virtual-acoustic simulation. Finally, we present a novel method to find GA components using diffraction parameters that ensures continuity at reflection and shadow boundaries.

  16. Photoelectron diffraction from single oriented molecules: Towards ultrafast structure determination of molecules using x-ray free-electron lasers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kazama, Misato; Fujikawa, Takashi; Kishimoto, Naoki; Mizuno, Tomoya; Adachi, Jun-ichi; Yagishita, Akira

    2013-06-01

    We provide a molecular structure determination method, based on multiple-scattering x-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) calculations. This method is applied to our XPD data on several molecules having different equilibrium geometries. Then it is confirmed that, by our method, bond lengths and bond angles can be determined with a resolution of less than 0.1 Å and 10∘, respectively. Differently from any other scenario of ultrafast structure determination, we measure the two- or three-dimensional XPD of aligned or oriented molecules in the energy range from 100 to 200 eV with a 4π detection velocity map imaging spectrometer. Thanks to the intense and ultrashort pulse properties of x-ray free-electron lasers, our approach exhibits the most probable method for obtaining ultrafast real-time structural information on small to medium-sized molecules consisting of light elements, i.e., a “molecular movie.”

  17. X-Ray photoelectron diffraction and photoelectron holography as methods for investigating the local atomic structure of the surface of solids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuznetsov, M. V.; Ogorodnikov, I. I.; Vorokh, A. S.

    2014-01-01

    The state-of-the-art theory and experimental applications of X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) and photoelectron holography (PH) are discussed. These methods are rapidly progressing and serve to examine the surface atomic structure of solids, including nanostructures formed on surfaces during adsorption of gases, epitaxial film growth, etc. The depth of analysis by these methods is several nanometres, which makes it possible to characterize the positions of atoms localized both on and beneath the surface. A remarkable feature of the XPD and PH methods is their sensitivity to the type of examined atoms and, in the case of high energy resolution, to the particular chemical form of the element under study. The data on experimental applications of XPD and PH to studies of various surface structures are analyzed and generalized. The bibliography includes 121 references.

  18. Removal of central obscuration and spider arm effects with beam-shaping coronagraphy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abe, L.; Murakami, N.; Nishikawa, J.; Tamura, M.

    2006-05-01

    This paper describes a method for removing the effect of a centrally obscured aperture with additional spider arms in arbitrary geometrical configurations. The proposed method is based on a two-stage process where the light beam is first shaped to remove the central obscuration and spider arms, in order to feed a second, highly efficient coronagraph. The beam-shaping stage is a combination of a diffraction mask in the first focal plane and a complex amplitude filter located in the conjugate pupil. This paper specifically describes the case of using Lyot occulting masks and circular phase-shifting masks as diffracting components. The basic principle of the method is given along with an analytical description and numerical simulations. Substantial improvement in the performance of high-contrast coronagraphs can be obtained with this method, even if the beam-shaping filter is not perfectly manufactured.

  19. 2010 Diffraction Methods in Structural Biology

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dr. Ana Gonzalez

    2011-03-10

    Advances in basic methodologies have played a major role in the dramatic progress in macromolecular crystallography over the past decade, both in terms of overall productivity and in the increasing complexity of the systems being successfully tackled. The 2010 Gordon Research Conference on Diffraction Methods in Structural Biology will, as in the past, focus on the most recent developments in methodology, covering all aspects of the process from crystallization to model building and refinement, complemented by examples of structural highlights and complementary methods. Extensive discussion will be encouraged and it is hoped that all attendees will participate by giving oralmore » or poster presentations, the latter using the excellent poster display area available at Bates College. The relatively small size and informal atmosphere of the meeting provides an excellent opportunity for all participants, especially younger scientists, to meet and exchange ideas with leading methods developers.« less

  20. Adaptive characterization of recrystallization kinetics in IF steel by electron backscatter diffraction.

    PubMed

    Kim, Dong-Kyu; Park, Won-Woong; Lee, Ho Won; Kang, Seong-Hoon; Im, Yong-Taek

    2013-12-01

    In this study, a rigorous methodology for quantifying recrystallization kinetics by electron backscatter diffraction is proposed in order to reduce errors associated with the operator's skill. An adaptive criterion to determine adjustable grain orientation spread depending on the recrystallization stage is proposed to better identify the recrystallized grains in the partially recrystallized microstructure. The proposed method was applied in characterizing the microstructure evolution during annealing of interstitial-free steel cold rolled to low and high true strain levels of 0.7 and 1.6, respectively. The recrystallization kinetics determined by the proposed method was found to be consistent with the standard method of Vickers microhardness. The application of the proposed method to the overall recrystallization stages showed that it can be used for the rigorous characterization of progressive microstructure evolution, especially for the severely deformed material. © 2013 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2013 Royal Microscopical Society.

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