ALICE: A diffractometer/reflectometer for soft X-ray resonant magnetic scattering at BESSY II

Although the chamber named ALICE was designed for the analysis of magnetic hetero- and nanostructures via resonant magnetic x-ray scattering, the instrument is not limited to this technique. Static measurements involve the possibility to use scattering and spectroscopy synchrotron based techniques (photon-in photon-out, photon-in electron-out, and coherent scattering). Dynamic experiments require either laser or magnetic field pulses to excite the spin system followed by x-ray probe in the time domain from nano- to femtosecond delay times. In this temporal range, the demagnetization/remagnetization dynamics and magnetization precession in a number of magnetic materials (metals, alloys, and magnetic multilayers) can be probed in an element specific manner. The versatility of the instrument was tested by a series of pilot experiments, pointing out ALICE as one of the most demanded instruments at the Helmholtz-Zentrum in Berlin.