A research group led by Professor Kazuto Yamauchi of the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University has developed the world's first method for freely controlling the beam size of X-rays, paving the way for the realization of an unprecedented multifunctional X-ray microscope. Open.The results of this joint research with Hokkaido University and RIKEN were published in Scientific Reports in April this year.
X-ray analysis represented by X-ray equipment is widely used not only in the medical field but also in various research and industrial fields.However, X-ray analysis and X-ray microscopes have the drawback of lacking the flexibility of measurement that electron microscopes have.In other words, in the case of X-rays, since one device can irradiate only a certain focused beam, the analysis range that can be performed by one device must be extremely limited.
In this research, we tried to solve this problem by developing a new shape-variable mirror that can change its shape freely. By combining four variable shape mirrors and changing these shapes, we created a condensing optical system with a different numerical aperture and succeeded in controlling the condensing spot size for the first time.
The first expectation of this success is the realization of a multifunctional X-ray microscope, which will carry out various X-ray analysis and X-ray microscopes without changing the experimental setup including the sample position with one experimental device. Things will be possible.In addition to this, during valuable beam time in advanced X-ray light sources such as X-ray free electron lasers, which are only two in the world (Japan and the United States), and ultra-low emittance radiation sources that each country is competing to develop. It is expected that a new and efficient experimental style will be introduced, in which materials are thoroughly examined by various analytical methods.
