A Versatile Multilayer Polarimeter for the Soft X-Ray Region

As modern undulators can generate light with arbitrary polarization states, experiments exploiting this feature in the range of soft x-rays have become increasingly widespread. For the success of these experiments characterising the polarization at the sample position is vital. Therefore a versatile, multi-purpose, UHV compatible, multilayer polarimeter has been designed and developed for measuring the Stokes vector of a soft x-ray beam. This high-precision, ultra high vacuum compatible instrument is supported by a Hexapod to simplify its alignment. Furthermore, the instrument has its own independent control system and has been designed for portability so that it can be moved with relative ease between different synchrotron facilities. The polarization analysis requires the rotation of a phase retarder and a polarization analyser, both about a common axis of the photon beam. The polarimeter employs reflection / transmission multilayers as phase retarders / analysers. Several sets of multilayers are installed inside the UHV chamber so that they may be exchanged in-situ without breaking the vacuum. The polarimeter doubles-up as a reflectometer / ellipsometer that enable determination of the polarization properties of optical elements including multilayers with very small surface roughness and several hundred bi-layers. The design details of the polarimeter and the results of first experiments to characterise the polarization of a beamline will be presented.