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Free electron LASer in Hamburg is the first free electron laser user facility operating in the vacuum ultraviolet and soft X-ray wavelength range. Many user experiments require knowledge of the spatial and temporal coherence properties of the radiation. In this paper, we present a theoretical analysis of the coherence properties of the radiation for the fundamental and for the higher odd frequency harmonics. We show that temporal and spatial coherence reach their maxima close to the free electron laser (FEL) saturation but may degrade significantly in the post-saturation regime. We also find that the pointing stability of short FEL pulses is limited due to the fact that nonazimuthal FEL eigenmodes are not sufficiently suppressed. We discuss possible ways for improving the degree of transverse coherence and the pointing stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-lying electronic states of silicon dimer (Si 2 ) and its cation (Si 2 + ) have been studied by single-photon photoelectron spectroscopy combining a flow-tube reactor, vacuum-ultraviolet synchrotron radiation, and a double imaging photoelectron/photoion spectrometer. The energy range covered in this study (7.0−9.5 eV) allowed to observe several photoionising transitions involving the three lowest electronic states of Si 2 ( X 3 Σ g − , D 3 Π u , a 1 Δ g ) and five of the six lowest states of Si 2 + ( X + 4 Σ g − , a + 2 Π u , b + 2 Δ g , c + 2 Σ g − , and e + 2 Π u ). Using ab initio calculations and Franck-Condon simulations, several electronic transitions are identified which bring new elements in the description of the dense electronic landscapes of the silicon dimer and its cation. Interestingly, one of the most intense transitions is spin-forbidden ( X + 4 Σ g − ← a 1 Δ g ) and is most probably observed through autoionisation processes by spin interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composite metal oxide-coated tungsten cathodes were formulated as efficient and reliable thermo-electron sources for vacuum ultraviolet ionizers. Cathode suspensions were prepared by adding metal chlorides forms of four different metals; scandium, yttrium, indium, and neodymium (Sc, Y, In and Nd) to the triple calcium, strontium, and barium (Ca, Sr, and Ba) suspension. The improvement of electron emission and reliability of the cathodes has been achieved by adding Sc, Y, In, and Nd. The metal salts were activated to the oxide cathodes by a finely programmed calcination process under ultra-high vacuum (∼10−6 torr) and the inert atmosphere. Compared to the reference suspensions, the electron emissions of neodymium and yttrium type cathodes were significantly enhanced. The optimized formulation is the cathode containing as low as 1 mole% of yttrium exhibiting the greatest performance among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-harmonic radiation in the extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray spectral regions can be used to generate attosecond pulses and to obtain structural and dynamic information in atoms and molecules. However, these sources typically suffer from a limited photon flux. An additional issue at lower photon energies is the appearance of satellites in the time domain, stemming from insufficient temporal gating and the spectral filtering required for the isolation of attosecond pulses. Such satellites limit the temporal resolution. The use of multi-colour driving fields has been proven to enhance the harmonic yield and provide additional control, using the relative delays between the different spectral components for waveform shaping. We describe here a two-colour high-harmonic source that combines a few-cycle near-infrared pulse with a multi-cycle second harmonic pulse, with both relative phase and carrier-envelope phase stabilization. We observe strong modulations in the harmonic flux, and present simulations and experimental results supporting the suppression of satellites in sub-femtosecond pulses at 20 eV compared to the single colour field case, an important requirement for attosecond pump-probe measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Absorption spectroscopy in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) domain was performed on the hydrogen-deuteride molecule with a novel Fourier-transform spectrometer based upon wavefront division interferometry. This unique instrument, which is a permanent endstation of the undulator-based beamline DESIRS on the synchrotron SOLEIL facility, opens the way to Fourier-transform spectroscopy in the VUV range. The HD spectral lines in the Lyman and Werner bands were recorded in the 87-112 nm range from a quasi-static gas sample in a windowless configuration and with a Doppler-limited resolution. Line positions of some 268 transitions in the [image omitted] Lyman bands and 141 transitions in the [image omitted] Werner bands were deduced with uncertainties of 0.04 cm-1 (1σ) which correspond to Δλ/λ ∼ 4 × 10-7. This extensive laboratory database is of relevance for comparison with astronomical observations of H2 and HD spectra from highly redshifted objects, with the goal of extracting a possible variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio (μ = mp/me) on a cosmological time scale. For this reason also calculations of the so-called sensitivity coefficients Ki were performed in order to allow for deducing constraints on Δμ/μ. The Ki coefficients, associated with the line shift that each spectral line undergoes as a result of a varying value for μ, were derived from calculations as a function of μ solving the Schrodinger equation using ab initio potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) absorption spectrum of difluoromethane (CH2F2) was studied using synchrotron radiation from the storage ring Indus-1, Indore, India. Spectra were recorded in the spectral region 1050-1500 Å (∼8.3-11.8 eV) at a resolution of 1.5 Å. Three absorption band systems were observed in this region. Overall features observed are in good agreement with previously published work. Some discrepancies in assignments of the observed vibronic bands carried out by previous workers have been resolved. The observed bands have been classified in terms of Rydberg series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene) (FEP) with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation from high pressures of helium in rotating dc arc plasmas was investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) detected defluorination and appearance of the functional groups (C=O, O–C=O and C–O) on the surface. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy showed the appearance of a band at 1884 cm-1 indicating the formation of the carboxylic acid fluoride moiety, –(C=O)–F. Improvement in film wettability was observed by contact angle measurements while SEM micrographs showed an increased amount of cracking on the surface with VUV exposure. Adhesion measurements of Cu sputter-coated onto the photo-modified surfaces resulted in failure within the fluoropolymer (cohesive failure) and not at the Cu-fluoropolymer interface. Cohesive failure occurred with shorter treatment times than for VUV exposure downstream from low pressure Ar microwave plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]