Resonant Soft X-ray Spectroscopic Studies of Light Actinides and Copper Systems

Light actinides and copper systems were studied using resonant soft X-ray spectroscopy. An instrumental and experimental setup for soft X-ray spectroscopy meeting the requirements of a closed source for radioactivity was developed and described in detail. The setup was used for studies of single-crystal PuO2 oxidation. The existence of higher oxidation state than Pu(IV) in some surface areas of the single crystal were found from O 1s X-ray absorption measurements. Furthermore, from comparison with first principles calculations it was indicated that plutonium oxide with Pu fraction in a higher oxidation state than Pu(IV) consists of inequivalent sites with Pu(IV)O2 and Pu(V)O2 rather than a system where the Pu oxidation state is constantly fluctuating between Pu(IV) an Pu(V). It was shown that a combination of resonant O Kα X-ray emission and O 1s X-ray absorption spectroscopies can be used to study electron correlation effects in light-actinide dioxides. The electronic structure of copper systems was studied using resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering and absorption spectroscopy. It was found that X-ray absorption can be used to monitor changes in the oxidation state but as differences between systems with the same oxidation state are in many cases small, speciation is uncertain. Therefore, a method utilizing resonant inelastic X-ray scattering as fingerprint to characterize complex copper systems was developed. The data recorded at certain excitation energies revealed unambiguous spectral fingerprints for different divalent copper systems. These specific spectral fingerprints were then used to study copper films exposed to different solutions. In particular, it was shown that resonant inelastic X-ray scattering can be used in situ to distinguish between CuO and Cu(OH)2, which is difficult with other techniques