High-resolution X-ray diffraction beamline at the LNLS for the study of charge, orbital and magnetic structures

Abstract

A high-resolution X-ray diffraction beamline at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) has been commissioned for the study of crystalline magnetic materials. The beamline optics is based on a Rh-coated vertical-focusing X-ray mirror and a sagittal-focusing double-crystal monochromator. The primary instrument is a six-circle diffractometer equipped with energy and polarization analysers and a closed-cycle He cryostat. The beamline source is a bending magnet of the 1.37 GeV storage ring of the LNLS, delivering approximately 4 × 1010 photons s-1 at 8 keV at the sample position. Resonant and non-resonant scattering are the main techniques used to study charge, orbital and magnetic structures. Examples of magnetic scattering in Ho and NiO single crystals, as well as orbital ordering in manganites thin films, are presented.