Microbeam production using compound refractive lenses: beam characterization and applications

Parabolic compound refractive lenses (PCRLs) are high quality hard x-ray imaging optics that can be used to image a synchrotron source onto a sample in a strongly demagnifying setup. This allows to produce an intensive microbeam with lateral extensions in the (sub-)micrometer range. Aluminium PCRLs can be operated in an energy range from about 10keV to 60keV and withstand the high heat load of the white beam of an ESRF undulator source. The microbeam properties using monochromatic and single undulator harmonic (pink) radiation are discussed, focusing on beam size, depth of field, background, flux, and gain. The large depth of focus allows to scan fairly large samples (a few millimeters in thickness) with a beam of constant lateral extension. This makes tomographic scanning techniques, such as fluorescence microtomography possible. As applications, fluorescence microtomography of plant samples with sub-cellular resolution and the mapping of trace elements in single cancer cells is shown.