Small-angle X-ray scattering in the era of fourth-generation light sources

Recently, fourth-generation synchrotron sources with several orders of magnitude higher brightness and higher degree of coherence compared with third-generation sources have come into operation. These new X-ray sources offer exciting opportunities for the investigation of soft matter and biological specimens by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and related scattering methods. The improved beam properties together with the advanced pixel array detectors readily enhance the angular resolution of SAXS and ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering in the pinhole collimation. The high degree of coherence is a major boost for the X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) technique, enabling the equilibrium dynamics to be probed over broader time and length scales. This article presents some representative examples illustrating the performance of SAXS and XPCS with the Extremely Brilliant Source at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The rapid onset of radiation damage is a significant challenge with the vast majority of samples, and appropriate protocols need to be adopted for circumventing this problem.

Automated summary

Recently, fourth-generation synchrotron sources with higher brightness and coherence compared to previous sources have opened up new possibilities for small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS). These advancements in beam properties and detector technology have improved the angular resolution and enabled the probing of equilibrium dynamics over broader scales. This article showcases the performance of SAXS and XPCS using the Extremely Brilliant Source at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, while also addressing the challenge of radiation damage in sample analysis.