High-resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy with transition-edge sensors: present performance and future potential.
X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) is a powerful element-selective tool to analyze the oxidation states of atoms in complex compounds, determine their electronic configuration, and identify unknown compounds in challenging environments. Until now the low efficiency of wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometer technology has limited the use of XES, especially in combination with weaker laboratory X-ray sources. More efficient energy-dispersive detectors have either insufficient energy resolution because of the statistical limits described by Fano or too low counting rates to be of practical use. This paper updates an approach to high-resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy that uses a microcalorimeter detector array of superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs). TES arrays are discussed and compared with conventional methods, and shown under which circumstances they are superior. It is also shown that a TES array can be integrated into a table-top time-resolved X-ray source and a soft X-ray synchrotron beamline to perform emission spectroscopy with good chemical sensitivity over a very wide range of energies.
Department of Chemical Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
J
J
Uhlig
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
W B
WB
Doriese
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
J W
JW
Fowler
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
D S
DS
Swetz
Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
C
C
Jaye
Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
D A
DA
Fischer
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
C D
CD
Reintsema
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
D A
DA
Bennett
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
L R
LR
Vale
Department of Chemical Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
U
U
Mandal
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
G C
GC
O'Neil
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
L
L
Miaja-Avila
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
Y I
YI
Joe
Department of Chemical Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
A
A
El Nahhas
Department of Chemical Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
W
W
Fullagar
Department of Chemical Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
F Parnefjord
FP
Gustafsson
Department of Chemical Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
V
V
Sundström
Department of Chemical Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
D
D
Kurunthu
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
G C
GC
Hilton
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
D R
DR
Schmidt
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, MS 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
J N
JN
Ullom
X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES); X-ray spectroscopy; energy-dispersive X-ray detector; low-temperature detector; microcalorimeter; resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS)