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The availability of ultrafast pulses of coherent hard x rays from the Linac Coherent Light Source opens new opportunities for studies of atomic-scale dynamics in amorphous materials. Here, we show that single ultrafast coherent x-ray pulses can be used to observe the speckle contrast in the high-angle diffraction from liquid Ga and glassy Ni(2)Pd(2)P and B(2)O(3). We determine the thresholds above which the x-ray pulses disturb the atomic arrangements. Furthermore, high contrast speckle is observed in scattering patterns from the glasses integrated over many pulses, demonstrating that the source and optics are sufficiently stable for x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy studies of dynamics over a wide range of time scales.

In this paper we analyze the degradation of protein X-ray diffraction images by diffuse light distortion (DLD). In order to correct the degradation, a new multiple point spread function (PSF) model is introduced and used to restore X-ray diffraction image data (XRD). Raw PSFs are collected from isolated spots in high-resolution areas on the diffraction patterns which represent the orientation of DLDs. An adaptive ridge regression (ARR) technique is used to remove noise from the raw PSF data. A target Gaussian function is used to model the raw PSFs. A maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) algorithm combined with a multi-PSF model is employed to restore high intensity, asymmetrical protein X-ray diffraction data. Experimental results using a single and multiple PSFs are presented and discussed. We show that using a multiple PSF model in the deconvolution algorithm improved the quality of the XRD and as a result the spot integration error (chi-squared) and corresponding electron density mapare improved.

The strained Si/Si[sub 1-x]Ge[sub x]/Si layer heterostructure heat treated from 700°C to 950°C in Ar (annealing) or 0[sub 2]-C[sub 2]H[sub 2]Cl[sub 2] (oxidation) was characterized using high-resolution x-ray diffraction in combination with Rutherford backscattering. Only small changes to the structure are observed up to 800 °C, within the resolution limits of diffraction and backscattering. Severe strain relaxation occurs at 950 °C and the heterostructure tends to relax more during annealing in Ar than during oxidation in 0[sub 2]-C[sub 2]H[sub 2]Cl[sub 2]. The strain relaxation is mainly caused by interdiffusion of Si and Ge rather than formation of misfit dislocations. Diffusion of Si interstitials generated during oxidation into the heterostructure is suggested as the cause responsible for the less pronounced interdiffusion of Si and Ge in the oxidized samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La0.6Ca0.4−xBaxO⋅n/2(Fe1−yCoy)2O3(x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2) permanent ferrite materials were prepared by ceramic technique. The topography and the structure were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The magnetic properties were measured using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and digital magnetometer. Single M-phase and flake-like grains were obtained for samples without Ba substitution(x = 0), and the magnetic properties of the pre-sintering La–Ca–Co ferrite were as follows: Br = 440 mT, Hcb = 296 kA/m, Hcj = 426 kA/m, (BH)max = 36.6 kJ/m3 and Hk/Hcj = 0.83. When Ca was substituted by Ba, pre-sintered powder presents single M-phase structure and close three-dimensional size of grains, resulting in an improved rectangle ratio of sintered magnet. The rectangle ratio of sintered magnet reaches a maximum of 0.93 when x = 0.1. By optimizing process parameters, M-type La–Ca–Ba–Co sintered magnet was prepared with Br = 445 mT, Hcb = 337 kA/m, Hcj = 420 kA/m, (BH)max = 38.6 kJ/m3 and Hk/Hcj = 0.95. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimental observation of the depression effect in gas devices designed for X-ray free-electron lasers (FELs) is reported. The measurements were carried out at the Linac Coherent Light Source using a two-bunch FEL beam at 6.5 keV with 122.5 ns separation passing through an argon gas cell. The relative intensities of the two pulses of the two-bunch beam were measured, after and before the gas cell, from X-ray scattering off thin targets by using fast diodes with sufficient temporal resolution. At a cell pressure of 140 hPa, it was found that the after-to-before ratio of the intensities of the second pulse was about 17% ± 6% higher than that of the first pulse, revealing lower effective attenuation of the gas cell due to heating by the first pulse and subsequent gas density reduction in the beam path. This measurement is important in guiding the design and/or mitigating the adverse effects in gas devices for highrepetition- rate FELs such as the LCLS-II and the European XFEL or other future high-repetition-rate upgrades to existing FEL facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of surface hillocks (also known as pancake defects) on GaN-on-Si wafers grown by MOVPE has been investigated. FIB/TEM observations confirmed that the appearance of the hillocks is due to the formation of Ga-rich precipitates within the AlGaN buffer layer. XRD (002) FWHM measurements also show that the surface hillocks are associated with a high degree of crystal tilt in the AlN nucleation layer. Two factors are considered to be the cause of such a phase separation: (1) a high density of surface steps associated with the regions of large crystal tilt which act as nucleation centers and (2) a lower mobility of Al adatoms at the growth surface compared with Ga, leading to a preferential incorporation of Ga in the precipitates. The impact of these precipitates on the wafer bow of the structures is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strongly correlated electron systems often exhibit very strong interactions between structural and electronic degrees of freedom that lead to complex and interesting phase diagrams. For technological applications of these materials it is important to learn how to drive transitions from one phase to another. A key question here is the ultimate speed of such phase transitions, and to understand how a phase transition evolves in the time domain. Here we apply time-resolved X-ray diffraction to directly measure the changes in long-range order during ultrafast melting of the charge and orbitally ordered phase in a perovskite manganite. We find that although the actual change in crystal symmetry associated with this transition occurs over different timescales characteristic of the many electronic and vibrational coordinates of the system, the dynamics of the phase transformation can be well described using a single time-dependent 'order parameter' that depends exclusively on the electronic excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the oldest known magnetic material, magnetite (Fe3O4) has fascinated mankind for millennia. As the first oxide in which a relationship between electrical conductivity and fluctuating/localized electronic order was shown, magnetite represents a model system for understanding correlated oxides in general. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism of the insulator-metal, or Verwey, transition has long remained inaccessible. Recently, three-Fe-site lattice distortions called trimerons were identified as the characteristic building blocks of the low-temperature insulating electronically ordered phase. Here we investigate the Verwey transition with pump-probe X-ray diffraction and optical reflectivity techniques, and show how trimerons become mobile across the insulator-metal transition. We find this to be a two-step process. After an initial 300 fs destruction of individual trimerons, phase separation occurs on a 1.5±0.2 ps timescale to yield residual insulating and metallic regions. This work establishes the speed limit for switching in future oxide electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urceolatol ( 1 ), a novel bromobenzaldehyde dimer, together with one known bromophenol, 3-bromo-4,5-dihydroxy-benzaldehyde ( 2 ), were isolated from the red alga Polysiphonia urceolata. The structure and absolute stereochemistry of 1 were elucidated to be (5 R ,10 R )-2,7-dibromo-3,8-dihydroxy-5,10-dimethoxyl-5,10-dihydrochromeno[5,4,3-cde]chromene, on the basis of spectroscopic techniques and X-ray diffraction analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we employ different substrate temperatures during the deposition process and observe a highly ordered structure and strong orientation of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) molecules on Si/SiO[SUB2] by using X-ray-diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis. The results show the effect of CuPc morphology at different substrate temperatures on the organic field-effect-transistor performance. When the substrate temperature for deposition of CuPc is 120 °C, a mobility of 3.75 × 10[SUP-3] cm[SUP2]/V s can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The nonlinear lattice dynamics of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3, as initiated by strong mid-infrared femtosecond pulses made resonant with a specific lattice vibration, are measured with ultrafast X-ray diffraction at the LCLS free electron laser. Our experiments show that large amplitude excitation of an infrared-active stretching mode leads also to a displacive motion along the coordinate of a second, anharmonically coupled, Raman mode. This rectification of the vibrational field is described within the framework of the Ionic Raman Scattering theory and explains how direct lattice excitation in the nonlinear regime can induce a structural phase transition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Measurements of the spatial and temporal coherence of single, femtosecond x-ray pulses generated by the first hard x-ray free-electron laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source, are presented. Single-shot measurements were performed at 780 eV x-ray photon energy using apertures containing double pinholes in "diffract-and-destroy" mode. We determined a coherence length of 17 µm in the vertical direction, which is approximately the size of the focused Linac Coherent Light Source beam in the same direction. The analysis of the diffraction patterns produced by the pinholes with the largest separation yields an estimate of the temporal coherence time of 0.55 fs. We find that the total degree of transverse coherence is 56% and that the x-ray pulses are adequately described by two transverse coherent modes in each direction. This leads us to the conclusion that 78% of the total power is contained in the dominant mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long wavelength vibrational modes in the ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga0.91Mn0.09As are investigated using time resolved x-ray diffraction. At room temperature, we measure oscillations in the x-ray diffraction intensity corresponding to coherent vibrational modes with well-defined wavelengths. When the correlation of magnetic impurities sets in, we observe the transition of the lattice into a disordered state that does not support coherent modes at large wavelengths. Our measurements point toward a magnetically induced broadening of long wavelength vibrational modes in momentum space and their quasilocalization in the real space. More specifically, long wavelength vibrational modes cannot be assigned to a single wavelength but rather should be represented as a superposition of plane waves with different wavelengths. Our findings have strong implications for the phonon-related processes, especially carrier-phonon and phonon-phonon scattering, which govern the electrical conductivity and thermal management of semiconductor-based devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-resolved femtosecond x-ray diffraction patterns from laser-excited molecular iodine are used to create a movie of intramolecular motion with a temporal and spatial resolution of 30 fs and 0.3 Å. This high fidelity is due to interference between the nonstationary excitation and the stationary initial charge distribution. The initial state is used as the local oscillator for heterodyne amplification of the excited charge distribution to retrieve real-space movies of atomic motion on ångstrom and femtosecond scales. This x-ray interference has not been employed to image internal motion in molecules before. Coherent vibrational motion and dispersion, dissociation, and rotational dephasing are all clearly visible in the data, thereby demonstrating the stunning sensitivity of heterodyne methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-ray diffractive imaging with laterally coherent x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) pulses is increasingly utilized to obtain ultrafast snapshots of matter. Here we report the amazing disappearance of single-shot charge and magnetic diffraction patterns recorded with resonantly tuned, narrow bandwidth XFEL pulses. Our experimental results reveal the exquisite sensitivity of single-shot charge and magnetic diffraction patterns of a magnetic film to the onset of field-induced stimulated elastic x-ray forward scattering. The loss in diffraction contrast, measured over 3 orders of magnitude in intensity, is in remarkable quantitative agreement with a recent theory that is extended to include diffraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]