Quartz-based flat-crystal resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectrometer with sub-10 meV energy resolution

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel flat-crystal RIXS spectrometer achieving sub-10 meV energy resolution, significantly enhancing the ability to study low-energy magnetic excitations in materials.

Contribution

The paper presents a new flat-crystal optics-based RIXS spectrometer with sub-10 meV resolution, surpassing the previous spherical crystal limit and enabling detailed studies of low-energy magnetic phenomena.

Findings

Achieved 3.9 meV energy resolution close to the theoretical limit.

Demonstrated polarization analysis without energy resolution loss.

Successfully measured phonons and magnons in test materials.

Abstract

Continued improvement of the energy resolution of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectrometers is crucial for fulfilling the potential of this technique in the study of electron dynamics in materials of fundamental and technological importance. In particular, RIXS is the only alternative tool to inelastic neutron scattering capable of providing fully momentum resolved information on dynamic spin structures of magnetic materials, but is limited to systems whose magnetic excitation energy scales are comparable to the energy resolution. The state-of-the-art spherical diced crystal analyzer optics provides energy resolution as good as 25 meV but has already reached its theoretical limit. Here, we demonstrate a novel sub-10meV RIXS spectrometer based on flat-crystal optics at the Ir-L$_3$ absorption edge (11.215$\sim$ keV) that achieves an analyzer energy resolution of 3.9$\sim$meV, very close to the theoretical value of 3.7$\sim$meV. In addition, the new spectrometer allows efficient polarization analysis without loss of energy resolution. The performance of the instrument is demonstrated using longitudinal acoustical and optical phonons in diamond, and magnon in Sr$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$. The novel sub-10$\sim$meV RIXS spectrometer thus provides a window into magnetic materials with small energy scales.