X-ray Methodologies and Instrumentation

The research programmes Condensed Matter Physics of Energy Materials and Chemical and Bio-Molecular Physics are strongly involved in utilizing and developing X-ray techniques for investigating the electronic structure of matter and materials. We run several laboratories and instruments within our division and we are active at synchrotron radiation and X-ray free-electron laser facilities around the world. We are especially active at MAX IV, BESSY II, and the European XFEL, where we participate in the development of new beamlines and end stations.

HELIOS

The HELIOS laboratory includes two femtosecond XUV sources and a THz source driven by two amplified femtosecond lasers. These sources are used for studying transient electronic structures and their couplings with nuclear and spin dynamics, providing insights into ultrafast processes at the atomic level.

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Kai Siegbahn Laboratory

The Kai Siegbahn laboratory includes a combined XPS/HAXPES instrument with monochromatic Al Kα (1.49 keV) and Ga Kα (9.25 keV) X-ray sources and a hemispherical electron analyzer. Solid samples, both conducting and non-conducting, can be measured under ultrahigh vacuum (5e-10 mbar) conditions. The instrument capabilities include cooling to liquid nitrogen temperatures and heating to 900°C. A four-probe sample connector allows measurements during applied potential or current in situ.

LigHt

The LigHt infrastructure introduces groundbreaking experimental methods that combine advanced spectroscopy and spectrometry. These methods are integrated for use on a wide range of inorganic and organic systems under operando conditions. The LigHt infrastructure, in conjunction with the tools available at the TANDEM lab, includes SIMS, XRD, and extended pressure HAXPES, enabling simultaneous studies of element concentration, chemical state, and structure.

Quantum-lab

The quantum-lab includes optical MOKE microscopy, AC and DC electrical transport measurements, STM, AFM, and a dilution refrigerator. It is designed for advanced studies in device physics, providing a comprehensive suite of tools for exploring quantum phenomena at low temperatures.

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Synchrotrons

We regularly access various synchrotron radiation facilities for studies of energy and quantum materials, and for investigations in atomic, molecular, optical physics, and in biophysics and the chemical sciences. This includes the development of operando capabilities at HAXPES, ARPES, XAS, RIXS, and HERFD beamlines. We have initiated and established two beamlines at the BESSY II synchrotron in Berlin through the Uppsala Berlin joint Laboratory (UBjL) and a high-resolution RIXS spectrometer at MAX IV.

X-ray free-electron lasers

We use X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) with their unprecedented peak brightness throughout the X-ray spectrum for time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy, scattering and diffraction. We are exploring new opportunities enabled by the intense XFEL pulses with both femtosecond and attosecond durations. We contribute to the development of new end stations and capabilities at XFELs including a 1-dimensional imaging RIXS spectrometer at the SQS instrument of the European XFEL.