SPring-8, the large synchrotron radiation facility

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Kristina Kvashnina

Language: English

Affiliation: Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf &The Rossendorf Beamline at European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

Title: High energy resolution X-ray spectroscopy on f-electron systems

Abstract:
Gaining insights into the properties and behaviour of materials at the atomic and molecular level is crucial for advancing materials science and fostering innovation in new technologies. Understanding the role of electrons in driving chemical reactions has long been a focal point of research. One of the most direct methods for probing the chemical and electronic structure of materials is done by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) or X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) in high energy resolution fluorescence detection (HERFD) mode and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS). This contribution will provide an overview of the recently performed HERFD-XANES and RIXS studies on cerium (Ce)^[1,2], uranium (U)^[3], thorium (Th)^[4,5] and plutonium (Pu)^[6,7] contained materials at the Rossendorf Beamline (ROBL) of the European Synchrotron (ESRF) in Grenoble (France). I will show that the experimental data, analysed by electronic structure calculations can provide detailed information about the electronic states and bonding characteristics of atoms within materials, helping researchers to elucidate the relationship between chemical composition, atomic structure, and material properties.

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