Nuclear phase retrieval spectroscopy using resonant x-ray scattering

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel phase retrieval algorithm for x-ray scattering data that reconstructs phase information from 2D time- and energy-resolved spectra, enhancing spectral analysis in nuclear spectroscopy.

Contribution

The paper presents a new phase retrieval method specifically designed for resonant x-ray scattering off M"ossbauer nuclei, enabling phase reconstruction from experimental data.

Findings

Successful phase reconstruction from 2D spectra.

Improved energy spectrum reconstruction accuracy.

Potential applications in x-ray quantum optics and spectroscopy.

Abstract

Light-matter interaction is exploited in spectroscopic techniques to access information about molecular, atomic or nuclear constituents of the sample of interest. While scattered light carries both amplitude and phase information of the electromagnetic field, most of the time the latter is lost in intensity measurements. However, often the phase information is paramount to reconstruct the desired information of the target, as it is well known from coherent x-ray imaging. Here we introduce a new phase retrieval algorithm which allows us to reconstruct the field phase information from two-dimensional time- and energy-resolved spectra. We apply this method to the particular case of x-ray scattering off M\"ossbauer nuclei at a synchrotron radiation source. Knowledge of the phase allows also for an excellent reconstruction of the energy spectra from experimental data, which could not be achieved with this resolution otherwise. Our approach provides an efficient novel data analysis tool which will benefit x-ray quantum optics and M\"ossbauer spectroscopy with synchrotron radiation alike.