Gas gun shock experiments with single-pulse x-ray phase contrast imaging and diffraction at the Advanced Photon Source

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the use of advanced synchrotron x-ray techniques, including phase contrast imaging and diffraction, for ultrafast, high-resolution in situ shock experiments on bulk materials at the Advanced Photon Source.

Contribution

It introduces the feasibility of bulk-scale gas gun shock experiments with single-pulse x-ray diagnostics, achieving unprecedented temporal and spatial resolutions.

Findings

Ultrafast, multiframe PCI measurements with <100 ps temporal resolution.

Single-pulse Laue diffraction at high spatial resolution.

Identification of technical challenges in x-ray detection and dynamic loading.

Abstract

The highly transient nature of shock loading and pronounced microstructure effects on dynamic materials response call for {\it in situ}, temporally and spatially resolved, x-ray-based diagnostics. Third-generation synchrotron x-ray sources are advantageous for x-ray phase contrast imaging (PCI) and diffraction under dynamic loading, due to their high photon energy, high photon fluxes, high coherency, and high pulse repetition rates. The feasibility of bulk-scale gas gun shock experiments with dynamic x-ray PCI and diffraction measurements was investigated at the beamline 32ID-B of the Advanced Photon Source. The x-ray beam characteristics, experimental setup, x-ray diagnostics, and static and dynamic test results are described. We demonstrate ultrafast, multiframe, single-pulse PCI measurements with unprecedented temporal ($<$100 ps) and spatial ($\sim$2 $\mu$m) resolutions for bulk-scale shock experiments, as well as single-pulse dynamic Laue diffraction. The results not only substantiate the potential of synchrotron-based experiments for addressing a variety of shock physics problems, but also allow us to identify the technical challenges related to image detection, x-ray source, and dynamic loading.