1. Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
2. European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), BP 220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
3. Department of Engineering Materials, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Mappin Street, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK
4. *Present address: School of Engineering, University of Durham, Durham DH1 3LE, UK

Correspondence to: Robert F. Pettifer¹ Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to R.F.P. (Email: r.pettifer@warwick.ac.uk).

Abstract

The frequencies of extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS)¹ measurements, which are oscillations occurring on the high-energy side of an X-ray absorption edge, can be used to identify interatomic distances in materials. We have used a dispersive X-ray spectrometer^{2, 3, 4, 5}, which has no moving components, to make rapid measurements with minimal energy drift of the difference in EXAFS from the Fe K edge in an iron-cobalt thin film undergoing periodic strain through magnetostriction^{6, 7}. We show that magnetostriction can be detected by differential X-ray absorption. The magnitude of the recorded signal relative to the noise shows a sensitivity to mean differential atomic motion of one femtometre: a factor of 100 times more sensitive than that normally available^{8, 9}.

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