Capturing dynamics with Eiger, a fast-framing X-ray detector

Eiger is the next-generation single-photon-counting pixel detector following the widely used Pilatus detector. Its smaller pixel size of 75 m 75 m, higher frame rate of up to 22 kHz, and practically zero dead-time (4 s) between exposures will further various measurement methods at synchrotron sources. In this article Eigers suitability for X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) is demonstrated. By exploiting its high frame rate, complementary small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and XPCS data are collected in parallel to determine both the structure factor and collective diffusion coefficient of a nano-colloid suspension. For the first time, correlation times on the submillisecond time scale are accessible with a large-area pixel detector. © 2012 International Union of Crystallography Printed in Singapore-all rights reserved.