Approaching the Lower Temporal Limit of Laser-Produced Plasma Sources for Table-Top Soft X-ray NEXAFS Measurements

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a table-top laser-produced plasma source with 23 ps pulses capable of high-resolution soft X-ray NEXAFS measurements, advancing temporal resolution in time-resolved X-ray absorption studies.

Contribution

It introduces a 23 ps laser-produced plasma source for NEXAFS, showing its capabilities and addressing stability issues for improved temporal resolution.

Findings

Achieved high-resolution NEXAFS with 23 ps laser pulses

Compared flux and resolution with longer-pulse sources

Identified stability issues related to gas jet nozzle degradation

Abstract

The increasing popularity of time-resolved X-ray absorption measurements for understanding dynamics in molecular and material systems has led to many advances in table-top sources for pulsed X-rays. We report on a table top laser-produced plasma (LPP) source that can perform soft X-ray (SXR), near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) measurements using a laser source with 23 ps pulse duration. The spectrometer's key specifications, such as brilliance, resolution, and stability, are characterized against the more commonly used longer-pulse-duration LPP sources. The 23 ps laser produced approximately an order of magnitude weaker SXR flux than the 8 ns laser for a higher power density due to the smaller total energy absorbed by the plasma. The increased repetition rate and an implemented self-referencing scheme still allowed for high-resolution, synchrotron-like NEXAFS measurements of Si3N4 and TiO2 thin films with 2.5 minute acquisition times. It was observed that degradation of the gas jet nozzle led to long-term instability of the source, which can be remediated using alternative nozzle designs. This work demonstrates the feasibility of achieving higher temporal resolution in future time-resolved X-ray absorption measurements using table-top laser-produced plasma sources