Dark-field x-ray microscopy with structured illumination*

We propose a structured illumination technique for dark-field x-ray microscopy, enabling real-time, high-resolution, and bulk-sensitive observation of quantum solids. Unlike traditional tomography, our method projects a scanning x-ray silhouette, generated through a micro coded aperture, onto materials under a Bragg condition. This eliminates the need for sample rotation or rastering, ensuring a highly stable imaging process. This lens-based full-field x-ray diffraction method offers a range of contrast mechanisms, allowing for the observation of various phenomena in quantum materials. We present the concept of the microscope along with its imaging methods, and validate our findings with experimental data on nematic order obtained from a synchrotron undulator beamline.