The values of the signal-to-noise ratio are determined, at which the method of processing X-ray diffraction data reveals reflections with intensity less than the noise component of the background. The possibilities of the method are demonstrated on weak reflections of α-quartz. The method of processing X-ray diffraction data makes it possible to increase the possibilities of X-ray phase analysis in determining the qualitative phase composition of multiphase materials with a small (down to 0.1 wt.%) content of several (up to eight) phases.

The main emphasis of the Laser Ion Generation, Handling and Transport (LIGHT) beamline at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH are phase-space manipulations of laser-generated ion beams. In recent years, the LIGHT collaboration has successfully generated and focused intense proton bunches with an energy of 8 MeV and a temporal duration shorter than 1 ns (FWHM). An interesting area of application that exploits the short ion bunch properties of LIGHT is the study of ion-stopping power in plasmas, a key process in inertial confinement fusion for understanding energy deposition in dense plasmas. The most challenging regime is found when the projectile velocity closely approaches the thermal plasma electron velocity ($v_{i}\approx v_{e,\text {th}}$), for which existing theories show high discrepancies. Since conclusive experimental data are scarce in this regime, we plan to conduct experiments on laser-generated plasma probed with ions generated with LIGHT at a higher temporal resolution than previously achievable. The high temporal resolution is important because the parameters of laser-generated plasmas are changing on the nanosecond time scale. To meet this goal, our recent studies have dealt with ions of lower kinetic energies. In 2021, laser accelerated carbon ions were transported with two solenoids and focused temporally with LIGHT's radio frequency cavity. A bunch length of 1.2 ns (FWHM) at an energy of 0.6 MeV u$^{-1}$ was achieved. In 2022, protons with an energy of 0.6 MeV were transported and temporally compressed to a bunch length of 0.8 ns. The proton beam was used to measure the energy loss in a cold foil. Both the ion and proton beams will also be employed for energy loss measurements in a plasma target.

Compact obscured nuclei (CONs) are relatively common in the centers of local (U)LIRGs, yet their nature remains unknown. Both AGN activity and extreme nuclear starbursts have been suggested as plausible nuclear power sources. The prevalence of outflows in these systems suggest that CONs represent a key phase in the nuclear feedback cycle, in which material is ejected from the central regions of the galaxy. Here, we present results from MUSE for the confirmed local CON galaxy NGC4418. For the first time we spatially map the spectral features and kinematics of the galaxy in the optical, revealing several previously unknown structures. In particular, we discover a bilateral outflow along the minor axis, an outflowing bubble, several knot structures and a receding outflow partially obscured by the galactic disk. Based on the properties of these features, we conclude that the CON in NGC4418 is most likely powered by an AGN.

In the past years, the results obtained by the WISSH quasar project provided a novel general picture on the distinctive multi-band properties of hyper-luminous (Lbol > 1047 erg/s) quasars at high redshift (z ∼ 2-4), unveiling interesting relations among active galactic nuclei, winds and interstellar medium, in these powerful sources at cosmic noon. Since 2022, we are performing a systematic and statistically-significant VLA study of the radio properties of WISSH. We carried out high-resolution VLA observations aiming at: 1) identifying young radio source from the broad-band spectral shape of these objects; 2) sample an unexplored high redshift/high luminosity regime, tracking possible evolutionary effects on the radio-loud/radio-quiet dichotomy; 3) quantifying orientation effects on the observed winds/outflows properties.