Researchers have demonstrated a new X-ray technique that can produce detailed images and reveal a material’s chemical properties using a single optical component, possibly making advanced X-ray experiments faster and simpler.The study showed that the approach could image circular samples about 27 times faster than a conventional point-by-point scan while collecting a complete spectroscopy dataset in about 220 seconds.Instead of relying on multiple optical elements, the researchers used a reflection zone plate (RZP). This precisely nanostructured reflective optic can reflect, focus, and separate soft X-rays at the same time.The international team from Germany, Switzerland and Japan carried out the experiments at the P04 beamline of the PETRA III synchrotron radiation source at DESY in Hamburg.Narrow X-ray beam creates 2D imageStandard X-ray imaging shows the shape and location of features within a sample, while spectroscopy reveals information about its chemical composition, electronic structure and molecular bonding. Combining both techniques typically requires multiple optical components that must be carefully aligned, the researchers noted. In the new approach, the RZP performs all of these functions in a single compact system.To test whether the system could produce clear images, the researchers first examined standard test patterns containing Siemens stars, star-shaped targets commonly used to measure image sharpness, and the letters “RIXS.”Rather than scanning one tiny point at a time, the team lighted the sample with a narrow X-ray line. The team then moved the sample in small steps across the beam, like a document passing through a scanner. A computer stitched the individual image strips together to create a complete two-dimensional image.The technique resolved features measuring about 14 to 24 micrometers (μm), several times smaller than the width of a human hair. Because the system scanned an entire line instead of individual points, it imaged circular objects about 27 times faster while maintaining comparable image quality.Distortion-free imagesThe researchers said the achievement was notable because such imaging was previously thought to be unworkable due to the Abbe sine condition. This optical principle predicts image distortions under certain conditions. They overcame the problem by operating the reflection zone plate in the paraxial regime, allowing it to collect only X-rays traveling within a narrow angular range. This lowered optical distortions and enabled sharp imaging of larger objects.”The strong dispersion of the RZP allows several spectroscopic features to be measured simultaneously,” said Dr. Christoph Braig. “Importantly, both the elastic and inelastic signals can be recorded in the same optical configuration.”After testing the imaging method, the team replaced the test pattern with a thin jet of acetonitrile dissolved in ethanol to demonstrate chemical analysis. Instead of lighting the sample with a single X-ray energy, they used a beam containing many energies at once, creating what the researchers described as an X-ray “rainbow.”The RZP measured the energies of incoming and outgoing X-rays at the same time, allowing the researchers to capture a complete two-dimensional resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) map without changing the experimental system. The system recorded emitted X-rays between 388.6 and 401.8 electron volts (eV), resolving elastic, inelastic, and vibrational features near the nitrogen K-edge. The entire dataset was collected in about 220 seconds, considerably faster than standard methods.”Our experiments show that a RZP can provide both spatial and spectroscopic information using a compact optical arrangement,” said Jens Rehanek. “This could make advanced soft X-ray measurements more efficient and easier to implement.”Last and corresponding author Zhong Yin of the Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation Science Laboratory (SRIS) at Tohoku University said combining reflection, focusing, imaging and spectral dispersion into a single optical element offers “a compact and efficient route to soft X-ray spectromicroscopy” and could open new opportunities to study materials at the atomic scale.The findings were published in Optics Express.