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Latimer, Matthew J.

Publications and source records attributed to Latimer, Matthew J..

Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering using a miniature dispersive Rowland refocusing spectrometer

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) beamlines worldwide are steadily increasing their emphasis on full photon-in/photon-out spectroscopies, such as resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS), resonant X-ray emission spectroscopy (RXES) and high energy resolution fluorescence detection XAS (HERFD-XAS). In such cases, each beamline must match the choice of emission spectrometer to the scientific mission of its users. Previous work has recently reported a miniature tender X-ray spectrometer using a dispersive Rowland refocusing (DRR) geometry that functions with high energy resolution even with a large X-ray spot size on the sample. This instrument has been used in the laboratory in multiple studies of non-resonant X-ray emission spectroscopy using a conventional X-ray tube, though only for preliminary measurements at a low-intensity microfocus synchrotron beamline. This paper reports an extensive study of the performance of a miniature DRR spectrometer at an unfocused wiggler beamline, where the incident monochromatic flux allows for resonant studies which are impossible in the laboratory. Here, the results support the broader use of the present design and also suggest that the DRR method with an unfocused beam could have important applications for materials with low radiation damage thresholds and that would not survive analysis on focused beamlines.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Local structure of Sr 2 CuO 3.3 , a 95 K cuprate superconductor without CuO 2 planes

The local structure of the highly “overdoped” 95 K superconductor Sr 2 CuO 3.3 determined by Cu K X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) at 62 K in magnetically oriented samples shows that 1) the magnetization is perpendicular to the c axis; 2) at these levels of precision the Cu sublattice is tetragonal in agreement with the crystal structure; the O sublattice has 3) continuous -Cu-O- chains that orient perpendicular to an applied magnetic field; 4) approximately half-filled -Cu-O- chains that orient parallel to this field; 5) a substantial number of apical O vacancies; 6) O ions at some apical positions with expanded Cu-O distances; and 7) interstitial positions that imply highly displaced Sr ions. These results contradict the universally accepted features of cuprates that require intact CuO 2 planes, magnetization along the c axis, and a termination of the superconductivity when the excess charge on the CuO 2 Cu ions exceeds 0.27. These radical differences in charge and structure demonstrate that this compound constitutes a separate class of Cu-O–based superconductors in which the superconductivity originates in a different, more complicated structural unit than CuO 2 planes while retaining exceptionally high transition temperatures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗