As of November 30, 2007

for international journal X-Ray Spectrometry (John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Phase-contrast X-ray micro-tomography unveils tiny Cretaceous plant mesofossils (November 22, 2007)

At the TOMCAT beamline of the Swiss Light Source at the Paul Scherrer Institute, a phase-contrast X-ray tomographic microscope was recently applied to some very interesting research - the identification and classification of small fossil seeds (0.5~1.8 mm long) of the Early Cretaceous in Portugal and North America.  The conclusion is that these seeds belong to Gnetales and to Bennettitales.  The experiment used a very fast tomography method, the algorithm of which was introduced by Bronnikov, and refined by Gureyev.  For more information, see the paper, "Phase-contrast X-ray microtomography links Cretaceous seeds with Gnetales and Bennettitales", E. M. Friis et al., Nature, 450, 549-552 (2007).

Ultrafast 3D imaging in soft X-ray region (November 1, 2007)

Lensless Fourier transform holography (FTH) is known as an imaging method suitable for high resolution X-ray microscopy with coherent X-rays.  In FTH, there had been a limit on the spatial resolution, mainly because of the contradiction between the requirement on the numerical aperture and the realistic resolving power of high spatial frequency fringes that appeared in the hologram.  Multiplexing, i.e., the use of multiple object and reference signals, can be one promising solution, because it extends the effective field of view.  Recently, a research group led by Professor J. Stöh, a director of Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL), has developed the technique further so that the measurement can be done by a single shot.  Using patterned masks to provide multiple X-ray sources, the team demonstrated the ability to record images simultaneously at different parts of the sample.  3D imaging of ultrafast processes could become a reality if the method is combined with so-called pump-probe experiments.  For more information, see the paper, "Extended field of view soft x-ray Fourier transform holography: toward imaging ultrafast evolution in a single shot", W. F. Schlotter et al., Optics Letters, 32, 3110-3112 (2007).

Table-top X-ray diffraction microscopy (August 31, 2007)

The use of coherent X-rays makes it possible to replace lenses by signal processing in X-ray imaging techniques, as demonstrated for the first time in 1999 (See, J. Miao et al., Nature, 400, 342 (1999)).  The current state-of-the-art technique uses radiation produced by a free-electron laser, which, in a single shot, images with a temporal resolution of 25 fs and a spatial resolution of 90 nm.  Very recently, a group led by Professors H. Kapteyn and M. Murnane (University of Colorado, Boulder, USA) has succeeded in performing this kind of measurement in an ordinary laboratory, instead of at a synchrotron facility, using 29 nm soft X-rays generated as 25-31^th order harmonics from a 1.3 mJ, 25 fs, Ti:S laser.  The team collected scattering from the sample by means of an X-ray CCD camera.  The spatial resolution of the reconstructed images is 214 nm.  For more information, see the paper, "Lensless Diffractive Imaging Using Tabletop Coherent High-Harmonic Soft-X-Ray Beams", R. L. Sandberg et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 098103 (2007)

Pittcon 2008 releases topics for Conferee Networking Sessions (November 9, 2007)

The Pittsburgh Conference has released the topics for the Conferee Networking Sessions (CNS) which will be offered at Pittcon 2008, March 2-7, 2008, in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.  The sessions were first introduced at Pittcon 2007, and the number has been increased to 27 for Pittcon 2008.  Some of the topics included in the 2008 program are "Management and Certification of Reference Standards", "Analysis of Explosives and Energetics: From Forensic/Trace to Production Support", "Green Chemistry/Green Chemists in the Office, Lab and Schools: What Can I Do to Make our World "Greener�h", " Information Management and Data Handling in the Laboratory", " Chemical Imaging:  Instrumental and Analysis" etc.  For further information, visit http://www.pittcon.org/

FLASH achieves 6.5nm wavelength (October 14, 2007)

FLASH, which is the European free-electron laser (FEL) facility located in DESY's campus in Hamburg, recently achieved a world first by generating flashes of laser light at the wavelength of 6.5 nm, which is much shorter than the previous record of 13.5 nm that the same facility established one year ago.  During the past several months, the linear accelerator (260 m) has been extended by a further 12 m by installing the 6th superconducting module.  This has enabled the acceleration of the electron beam up to 1 GeV, the designed energy.  The FLASH facility has been available for user experiments since August 2005.  Until 2009, it will be the only facility in the world that can provide FEL in the soft X-ray region.  The next user run will begin in mid-November this year and last 13 months.  The international expert committee has already selected 32 projects.  The present 6.5 nm soft X-ray laser will be used for the experiments.  For further information, contact Petra Folkerts, Phone: +49 40-8998-4977, Fax: +49 40-8998-2020, presse@desy.de, http://www.xfel.eu

Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials fully operational (October 2, 2007)

The Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory has been declared fully operational.  The CNM building opened for research in May 2006 and, since then, approximately 50 user projects have been able to take advantage of the facility.  Very recently, the hard X-ray nanoprobe beamline was completed, and a Beowulf-class supercomputer array with 12 teraflop capacity installed.  For further information, contact Steve McGregor, Phone: +1-630-252-5580, media@anl.gov, http://www.anl/gov/

Oxford Instruments launches INCAx-act with PentaFET Precision (November 26, 2007)

Oxford Instruments has announced the launch of its silicon drift detector (SDD), INCAx-act with PentaFET Precision.  The detector uses a unique silicon drift sensor in combination with the external FET and digital pulse processor.  Oxford Instruments claims the detector is particularly superior in the low energy region - near carbon lines - and is the world�fs only SDD to offer ISO 15632:2002 resolution compliance.  For further information, visit http://www.oxford-instruments.com/

Samsung's X-ray flat panel detector (November 22, 2007)

Samsung Electronics has announced recently that it has completed development of a flat panel X-ray detector for radiology machines, in collaboration with Vatech Ltd, a Korean medical machinery manufacturing company.  The new detector measures 45 cm �~ 46cm and boasts 3072 �~ 3072 pixels, providing ultra-high quality images.  For further information, visit http://www.samsung.com/us/

Bruker AXS announces Microstar Ultra II (November 15, 2007)

Bruker AXS has announced its new Microstar Ultra II, the newest version of a bright X-ray source mainly designed for structural biology.  The source employs new electron optics (Ultra Focus^TM, patent pending) to enhance intensity to the equivalent of a doubling of the anode rotation frequency.  For further information, visit http://www.bruker-axs.com/

Shin-Etsu releases lead-free X-ray shields (November 12, 2007)

Shin-Etsu Polymer has recently announced the release of completely lead-free X-ray shielding sheet (950mm �~ 950mm �~ 4.5mm(t)).  The product is made of a barium-base inorganic material and resins; and it is flexible and suitable for any type of machining.  The price is 20,000 JPY/sheet.  For further information, visit http://www.shinpoly.co.jp/english/index.html

Toshiba prepares advanced multi-slice CT system (November 9, 2007)

X-ray computer tomography (CT) is a method of visualizing the inside of objects.  In medical applications of CT, it is important to shorten the exposure time in order to minimize the X-ray dose, with the result that detector arrays have been employed in place of a single detector.  These are called multi-slice CT systems, and Toshiba Medical Systems Corp. is competitive in this technology. The maximum number of arrays employed so far has been 64, but Toshiba very recently developed a system with 256 arrays, the prototype of which it presented at an open meeting.  The product will be announced in the near future. In April 2007, Toshiba released its most recent model, the Activion 16 system, which has 64 arrays.  For further information, visit http://www.toshiba-medical.co.jp/tmd/english/index.html

Thermo Fisher Scientific introduces X-Ray Master Sensor (November 7, 2007)

Thermo Fisher Scientific recently announced the introduction of its X-Ray Master Sensor, which provides non-contacting, scanning measurement of weight, thickness or composition of a material on a moving web.  The sensor is equipped with a stable low-noise X-ray source, which is digitally tuned across the ranges 10 to 30 keV depending on the material to be measured.  For further information, visit http://www.thermo.com/

PANalytical's new MiniPal 4 Sulfur (October 1, 2007)

The new MiniPal 4 Sulfur is the latest in PANalytical's line of compact, benchtop energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometers for petrochemicals.  The instrument is one of the smallest full-function spectrometers available.  It is equipped with a 12-position sample changer; three tube filters, a helium gas attachment for light element analysis and a 15 kV silver anode tube, the latter selected to give optimum performance for phosphorous, sulfur and chlorine analysis.  The system also features a new silicon drift detector.  For further information, visit http://www.panalytical.com/

Amptek adds silicon drift detector to its range (July 15, 2007)

The XR-100SDD Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) is Amptek's latest addition to its line of compact X-ray detectors.  The detector does not need liquid N₂ and has an energy resolution of 139 eV (FWHM) at 5.9 keV when the peaking time is set as 9.6 ��s, which corresponds to the maximum counting rate of 100,000 counts/sec.  It is possible to obtain X-ray spectra at an even higher counting rate, such as 500,000 counts/sec, with a reasonably small sacrifice of energy resolution (~190eV).  The product will be available in early 2008.  For further information, visit http://www.amptek.com/

Rigaku announces XRF training course (November 5, 2007)

Rigaku's next training session (3 days) for X-ray fluorescence analysis will take place on February 5-8, 2008.  For further information, visit http://www.rigaku.com/index_en.html

SpectroscopyNow.com

For additional news about X-ray analysis and other spectroscopy sciences, browse the Wiley website.

Kenji Sakurai
Director, X-Ray Physics Group, National Institute for
Materials Science (NIMS)
and Professor, Doctoral Program in Materials Science and
Engineering, Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences,
 University of Tsukuba
1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 Japan
Phone : +81-29-859-2821, Fax : +81-29-859-2801
sakurai@yuhgiri.nims.go.jp
http://www.nims.go.jp/xray/lab/

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