Recently, researchers from the Atomic Physics Center at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have independently developed a broadband high-resolution crystal spectrometer for measuring the fine structure of inner-shell multi-hole ion X-rays. The relevant achievement was published on April 3rd in the spectroscopy journal Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy.
Analyzing the fine structure of inner-shell multi-hole ion X-rays is not only an effective approach to studying quantum electrodynamics and understanding quantum many-body interactions but also holds significant importance and potential applications in various research fields such as astrophysics, high-energy density physics, and laser-produced plasma physics. Conventional X-ray detectors (such as high-purity germanium and silicon drift detectors) have a high measurement bandwidth, but due to the influence of electron-hole pair statistics, their energy spectrum resolution is only around 102, which cannot resolve the fine structure of X-rays.
Researchers from the Institute of Modern Physics proposed a curved crystal spectrometer geometry tailored to the characteristics of multi-hole ion X-ray spectra and mathematically proved its feasibility. This geometry ensures measurement bandwidth while preserving spectrometer resolution.
Based on this geometry, the team at the Institute of Modern Physics independently developed the crystal spectrometer, achieving a single-exposure bandwidth of 0.25-1.2 keV within a dynamic range of 0.6-18 keV. The energy spectrum resolution throughout the dynamic range exceeds 103, and the detection efficiency is two orders of magnitude higher than that of traditional flat crystal spectrometers.
This achievement lays the foundation for conducting experiments on the peculiar electromagnetic transitions of multi-hole ions at the Lanzhou Heavy Ion Accelerator Cooler Storage Ring (HIRFL-CSR), the Low Energy Accelerator Facility (LEAF), and the High Intensity Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF).
Related Paper Information: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sab.2024.106918
The mechanical structure and typical test results of the spectrometer. Image provided by the Institute of Modern Physics.
