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AXSIS: Exploring the frontiers in attosecond X-ray science, imaging and spectroscopy

Kaertner, FX; Ahr, F; Calendron, A-L; Cankaya, H; Carbajo, S; Chang, G; Cirmi, G; ... Fromme, P; + view all (2016) AXSIS: Exploring the frontiers in attosecond X-ray science, imaging and spectroscopy. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment , 829 pp. 24-29. 10.1016/j.nima.2016.02.080. Green open access

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Abstract

X-ray crystallography is one of the main methods to determine atomic-resolution 3D images of the whole spectrum of molecules ranging from small inorganic clusters to large protein complexes consisting of hundred-thousands of atoms that constitute the macromolecular machinery of life. Life is not static, and unravelling the structure and dynamics of the most important reactions in chemistry and biology is essential to uncover their mechanism. Many of these reactions, including photosynthesis which drives our biosphere, are light induced and occur on ultrafast timescales. These have been studied with high time resolution primarily by optical spectroscopy, enabled by ultrafast laser technology, but they reduce the vast complexity of the process to a few reaction coordinates. In the AXSIS project at CFEL in Hamburg, funded by the European Research Council, we develop the new method of attosecond serial X-ray crystallography and spectroscopy, to give a full description of ultrafast processes atomically resolved in real space and on the electronic energy landscape, from co-measurement of X-ray and optical spectra, and X-ray diffraction. This technique will revolutionize our understanding of structure and function at the atomic and molecular level and thereby unravel fundamental processes in chemistry and biology like energy conversion processes. For that purpose, we develop a compact, fully coherent, THz-driven attosecond X-ray source based on coherent inverse Compton scattering off a free-electron crystal, to outrun radiation damage effects due to the necessary high X-ray irradiance required to acquire diffraction signals. This highly synergistic project starts from a completely clean slate rather than conforming to the specifications of a large free-electron laser (FEL) user facility, to optimize the entire instrumentation towards fundamental measurements of the mechanism of light absorption and excitation energy transfer. A multidisciplinary team formed by laser-, accelerator,- X-ray scientists as well as spectroscopists and biochemists optimizes X-ray pulse parameters, in tandem with sample delivery, crystal size, and advanced X-ray detectors. Ultimately, the new capability, attosecond serial X-ray crystallography and spectroscopy, will be applied to one of the most important problems in structural biology, which is to elucidate the dynamics of light reactions, electron transfer and protein structure in photosynthesis.

Type: Article
Title: AXSIS: Exploring the frontiers in attosecond X-ray science, imaging and spectroscopy
Location: INFN, ITALY
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2016.02.080
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2016.02.080
Language: English
Additional information: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: Science & Technology, Technology, Physical Sciences, Instruments & Instrumentation, Nuclear Science & Technology, Physics, Nuclear, Physics, Particles & Fields, Physics, Terahertz accelerator, Optical undulator, Attosecond X-ray source, X-ray imaging, X-ray spectroscopy, FREE-ELECTRON LASER, SERIAL FEMTOSECOND CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, PROTEIN NANOCRYSTALLOGRAPHY, OPTICAL RECTIFICATION, EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY, TERAHERTZ PULSES, HIGH-ENERGY, ACCELERATION, GENERATION, RESOLUTION
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10041265
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