Midinfrared beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source port U2B

Abstract

A new infrared beamline has been developed on a conventional dipole bending magnet port of the vacuum ultraviolet ring at the National Synchrotron Light Source. The port provides approximately 12 mrad horizontal and 8 mrad vertical aperture, which limits the useful spectral range to wavelengths less than 20 μm. Though the total flux across the midinfrared is less than that from a globar source, the calculated brightness is at least two orders of magnitude greater. Also, the synchrotron source delivers light in subnanosecond pulses. The developing experimental programs include studies of hydrogen and other materials at extremely high pressures, and time-resolved studies of infrared sensor materials. The measurement results presented here, characterizing the actual brightness advantage and spectroscopic performance, demonstrate the synchrotron’s remarkable advantage for microspectroscopic studies.