MOSCOW, June 25 The Kant Baltic Federal University (IKBFU) has developed a unique optical device for conducting scientific experiments at the research station 1.1 «Microfocus» of the fourth generation Russian synchrotron SKIF, the press service of the university reported.
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"Conducting experiments on coherent X-ray imaging, spectroscopy and sample research in extreme conditions using synchrotron beams with a size of no more than a few micrometers requires high precision in the installation of optical elements and the sample under study. Special devices, zoom lenses, were developed to position refractive X-ray lenses," said Anatoly Snigirev, Director of the International Research Center "Coherent X-ray Optics for MegaScience Installations" (IRC RO) BFU.
According to him, zooms allow remote change the number of refractive elements in the beam. The devices used at foreign synchrotrons are larger in size and weight, so they cannot be moved between sections of the experimental station.
Specialists from the Moscow Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences have produced a compact portable zoom lens. It is an X-ray zoom lens that uses an individual method of input and output of lenses. A fundamentally new mechanism, with the help of which the number of optical elements in the beam changes one by one, sequentially and independently of each other.
Thanks to this, the zoom lens provides a smooth change in focus and its position, and also allows more flexible control of the parameters of the synchrotron beam at a distance from several centimeters to hundreds of meters. Compact dimensions and low weight simplify the integration of the device into various experimental stations, both for focusing and imaging tasks, and for beam preparation and transport.
“Today, when independent programs for the construction of the most modern synchrotron radiation sources are being implemented in our country, our work has become especially in demand due to the need to equip research stations with high-quality Russian-made X-ray optics,” Snigirev added.
He noted that the development and production of domestic zoom lenses will be an important step in the development of modern X-ray optics in Russia, helping to strengthen the country's scientific and technological potential and increase its independence in the face of sanctions pressure.
“Our zoom lens, developed on the basis of unique design solutions, has no analogues abroad. This is not import substitution, but the strategic development of the national scientific and technical base, strengthening our position thanks to our own developments. The introduction of such advanced technologies at domestic scientific installations will significantly expand our research possibilities,» the scientist concluded.
The zoom lens for SKIF was equipped with X-ray refractive lenses developed and manufactured at the IKBFU, the press service specified.
SKIF is the Siberian ring photon source, a scientific installation of the " class. Megascience», which is being built in the Novosibirsk science city Koltsovo. Its launch will allow Russian scientists to conduct advanced research with bright and intense beams of synchrotron radiation in such areas as physics, chemistry, materials science, biology, medicine, geology and archaeology, IKBFU believes.
