Active and Adaptive X-Ray Optics at Diamond Light Source

Abstract

Introduction Reflective mirrors are used on most synchrotron and free electron laser (XFEL) beamlines to transport X-rays from the source to the sample. They are achromatic and provide larger acceptance and less absorption compared to compound refractive lenses. Mirrors whose surface profile can be controllably changed are called “active optics.” This enables users to vary the beam profile or focal position. X-ray beamlines use two categories of active optics: mechanically actuated mirrors, which typically use one or two independent bending motors for cylindrical or elliptical bending [1]; and piezoelectric bimorph deformable mirrors. Bimorph deformable X-ray mirrors have been used to focus X-rays at synchrotron and XFEL beamlines since early research in the 1990s by Susini et al. [2] and Signorato et al. [3] at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (France). Soon afterwards, bimorph mirrors were commercialized by Thales-SESO (France) and deployed at several labs, including the Advanced Photon Source (USA) and Diamond Light Source (UK), called “Diamond” from here on. Research by Diamond’s Optics & Metrology (O&M) group shows that the widely held bad impression of bimorph mirrors as unreliable and excessively complex is outdated and unfounded. With fast, precise metrology techniques developed at Diamond, the difficulties encountered by the early users of bimorph mirrors have been overcome, and Diamond has combined bimorph actuators with specialized substrates for several novel applications. Finally, Diamond’s improvements can help realize the true potential of bimorph mirrors to act as closed-loop, adaptive X-ray optics with real-time correction. Such dynamic optics could match the profile of an X-ray beam to a series of rapidly changing samples of different shapes and sizes, or provide fast, stable wavefront correction.