The Takagi–Taupin equations are solved in their simplest form (zero deformation) to obtain the Bragg-diffracted and transmitted complex amplitudes. The case of plane-parallel crystal plates is discussed using a matrix model. The equations are implemented in an open-source Python library crystalpy adapted for numerical applications such as crystal reflectivity calculations and ray tracing.

Conic sections are commonly used in reflective X-ray optics. Hyperbolic mirrors can focus a converging light source and are frequently paired with elliptical or parabolic mirrors in Wolter type configurations. This paper derives the closed-form expression for a mirror-centered hyperbolic shape, with zero-slope at the origin. Combined with the slope and curvature, such an expression facilitates metrology, manufacturing and mirror-bending calculations. Previous works consider ellipses, parabolas, magnifying hyperbolas or employ lengthy approximations. Here, the exact shape function is given in terms of the mirror incidence angle and the source and image distances.

Hard X-ray microscopes with 20–30 nm spatial resolution ranges are an advanced tool for the inspection of materials at the nanoscale. However, the limited efficiency of the focusing optics, for example, a Fresnel zone plate (ZP) lens, can significantly reduce the power of a nanoprobe. Despite several reports on ZP lenses that focus hard X-rays with 20 nm resolution – mainly constructed by zone-doubling techniques – a systematic investigation into the limiting factors has not been reported. We report the structural effects on the focusing and imaging efficiency of 20–30 nm-resolution ZPs, employing a modified beam-propagation method. The zone width and the duty cycle (zone width/ring pitch) were optimized to achieve maximum efficiency, and a comparative analysis of the zone materials was conducted. The optimized zone structures were used in the fabrication of Pt-hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) ZPs. The highest focusing efficiency of the Pt-HSQ-ZP with a resolution of 30 nm was 10% at 7 keV and >5% in the range 6–10 keV, whereas the highest efficiency of the Pt-HSQ-ZP with a resolution of 20 nm was realized at 7 keV with an efficiency of 7.6%. Optical characterization conducted at X-ray beamlines demonstrated significant enhancement of the focusing and imaging efficiency in a broader range of hard X-rays from 5 keV to 10 keV, demonstrating the potential application in hard X-ray focusing and imaging.

Autonomous methods to align beamlines can decrease the amount of time spent on diagnostics, and also uncover better global optima leading to better beam quality. The alignment of these beamlines is a high-dimensional expensive-to-sample optimization problem involving the simultaneous treatment of many optical elements with correlated and nonlinear dynamics. Bayesian optimization is a strategy of efficient global optimization that has proved successful in similar regimes in a wide variety of beamline alignment applications, though it has typically been implemented for particular beamlines and optimization tasks. In this paper, we present a basic formulation of Bayesian inference and Gaussian process models as they relate to multi-objective Bayesian optimization, as well as the practical challenges presented by beamline alignment. We show that the same general implementation of Bayesian optimization with special consideration for beamline alignment can quickly learn the dynamics of particular beamlines in an online fashion through hyperparameter fitting with no prior information. We present the implementation of a concise software framework for beamline alignment and test it on four different optimization problems for experiments on X-ray beamlines at the National Synchrotron Light Source II and the Advanced Light Source, and an electron beam at the Accelerator Test Facility, along with benchmarking on a simulated digital twin. We discuss new applications of the framework, and the potential for a unified approach to beamline alignment at synchrotron facilities.

The Australian Synchrotron Imaging and Medical Beamline (IMBL) uses a superconducting multipole wiggler (SCMPW) source, dual crystal Laue monochromator and 135 m propagation distance to enable imaging and computed tomography (CT) studies of large samples with mono-energetic radiation. This study aimed to quantify two methods for CT dose reduction: wiggler source operation at reduced magnetic field strength, and beam modulation with spatial filters placed upstream from the sample. Transmission measurements with copper were used to indirectly quantify the influence of third harmonic radiation. Operation at lower wiggler magnetic field strength reduces dose rates by an order of magnitude, and suppresses the influence of harmonic radiation, which is of significance near 30 keV. Beam shaping filters modulate the incident beam profile for near constant transmitted signal, and offer protection to radio-sensitive surface organs: the eye lens, thyroid and female breast. Their effect is to reduce the peripheral dose and the dose to the scanned volume by about 10% for biological samples of 35–50 mm diameter and by 20–30% for samples of up to 160 mm diameter. CT dosimetry results are presented as in-air measurements that are specific to the IMBL, and as ratios to in-air measurements that may be applied to other beamlines. As CT dose calculators for small animals are yet to be developed, results presented here and in a previous study may be used to estimate absorbed dose to organs near the surface and the isocentre.

SPring-8-II is a major upgrade project of SPring-8 that was inaugurated in October 1997 as a third-generation synchrotron radiation light source. This upgrade project aims to achieve three goals simultaneously: achievement of excellent light source performance, refurbishment of aged systems, and significant reduction in power consumption for the entire facility. A small emittance of 50 pm rad will be achieved by (1) replacing the existing double-bend lattice structure with a five-bend achromat one, (2) lowering the stored beam energy from 8 to 6 GeV, (3) increasing the horizontal damping partition number from 1 to 1.3, and (4) enhancing horizontal radiation damping by installing damping wigglers in long straight sections. The use of short-period in-vacuum undulators allows ultrabrilliant X-rays to be provided while keeping a high-energy spectral range even at the reduced electron-beam energy of 6 GeV. To reduce power consumption, the dedicated, aged injector system has been shut down and the high-performance linear accelerator of SACLA, a compact X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) facility, is used as the injector of the ring in a time-shared manner. This allows the simultaneous operation of XFEL experiments at SACLA and full/top-up injection of the electron beam into the ring. This paper overviews the concept of the SPring-8-II project, the system design of the light source and the details of the accelerator component design.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) has announced that...

HMRC has appointed

Tranglo, a global cross-border payments company, has expanded...

PayPoint has announced its partnership with

Italy-based unicorn Satispay has announced...

UK-based USI Money has announced its...

InComm Payments has acquired the digital gift card provider

XMDS Holding has launched XPP, a new umbrella organisation...

Foreign exchange brand Travelex has announced its partners...

The Lufthansa Group has teamed up with

Mirakl has announced its partnership with

Paymentology has entered into a referral partnership with...

PayComplete has unveiled a report that...

Tide, a UK-based business...

The inaugural edition of the Global Payments and Fintech Trends Report offers a comprehensive overview of the key trends in fintech and payments for the year 2024 and beyond.

The Global Overview of Payment Providers Report provides insights into the leading companies and trends in the field of payments.

The inaugural edition of the Emerging Technologies and Trends in Identity Verification (IDV), KYC, and KYB Report 2024 offers a comprehensive overview of the key technology trends and best practices in digital onboarding for consumers and businesses in 2024.

The 1st edition of the Fintech for Marketplaces and Platforms Report covers essential ecommerce trends and future perspectives.

The first edition of the Unlocking the Potential of A2A Payments Report 2024 provides the latest insights into the A2A space.

 ‘The Road Ahead: Towards Seamless Payments Interoperability’, an eBook from Thunes, Visa, and The Paypers, explores how payments interoperability is reshaping the future of cross-border transactions.

The Next-Gen Technologies to Detect Fraud and Financial Crime Report 2024 highlights how banks, fintechs, and PSPs leverage AI and emerging tech to detect and combat advanced fraud.

Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein has introduced its first...

Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Courier”; Credit: LIAM DANIEL / LIONSGATE / ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Tina Turner performing, used in the documentary "Tina." ; Credit: Dave Hogan/Getty Images/HBO

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Still from "Godzilla vs. Kong"; Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

MELISSA MCCARTHY and OCTAVIA SPENCER in "Thunder Force."; Credit: HOPPER STONE/NETFLIX © 2021 

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

William Jackson Harper and Aya Cash in “We Broke Up.”; Credit: Vertical Entertainment

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Archival still from the documentary "Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street"; Credit: HBO

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Tadanobu Asano (L) and Chin Han (R) in "Mortal Kombat."; Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Jason Statham's character H in the film "Wrath of Man"; Credit: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Chris Rock as Detective Zeke Banks in the film "Spiral."; Credit: Lionsgate

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Toni Collette (center) in the film "Dream Horse."

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe and Emily Blunt return in “A Quiet Place, Part II.”; Credit: Paramount Pictures

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson in "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It"; Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

ANTHONY RAMOS as Usnavi and MELISSA BARRERA as Vanessa in “IN THE HEIGHTS.”; Credit: Macall Polay/Warner Bros. Pictures’

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Still of Rita Moreno in the documentary “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.”; Credit: Roadside Attractions

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Sung Kang (L) and Vin Diesel (R) in the film “F9: The Fast Saga"; Credit: Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Canada-based fintech firm Nuvei has partnered with

Payment orchestration platform FinMont has partnered with...