A new microscopy of atomic motion in nanostructures

We propose to develop a new method to obtain direct space images, with ~30 nm resolution, of the atomic motion in GaN nanostructures. This new microscopy is based on the combination of Coherent Diffraction Imaging (to obtain direct space images) and resonant elastic scattering at forbidden reflections, which provides sensitivity to atomic motion, and is becoming possible thanks to the extreme brilliance of the new source. After a very promising first experiment, we would like to continue our investigation GaN nanopillars, where free surfaces, strain, crystal defects and inversion domain boundaries are expected to cause inhomogeneities of the atomic thermal motion. A first real space image was obtained by CDI at a forbidden reflection at room temperature. More time is requested to repeat the measurement at high temperature, to enhance the relative contribution of atomic thermal motion over the intrinsic local anisotropy of the crystal structure.