Abstract: Macroscopic properties of advanced materials are governed by hierarchically-organized structures such as grains, subgrains, dislocations, and phase domains, spanning nanometers to millimeters. Understanding their dynamic interactions is key to property control and multiscale model validation. Dark Field X-ray Microscopy (DFXM) is a synchrotron-based diffraction imaging technique that enables non-destructive, three-dimensional mapping of orientation and strain in bulk materials, with submicron spatial and microstrain-level angular resolution. Using an objective lens to magnify diffracted X-rays, DFXM delivers full-field imaging of individual grains with high temporal resolution, enabling in situ studies of grain growth, dislocation dynamics, recovery, and recrystallization. Recent methodological advances have integrated DFXM with upstream grain mapping techniques such as 3DXRD, DCT, and labDCT, enabling seamless, multiscale targeting without dismounting the sample. At the ESRF, the upgraded ID03 beamline, part of the EBSL2 program, now supports both monochromatic and pink-beam modes, enhancing time-resolved and multimodal capabilities. We demonstrate the potential of this approach through recent studies on metal alloys and semiconductors, highlighting how DFXM, combined with grain mapping, reveals new insights into structure–property relationships across length and time scales.

Bio: Can Yildirim is a scientist at the ID03 Hard X-ray Microscopy beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, France. He earned his Ph.D. in condensed matter physics from the University of Liège and Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, where he studied glasses using ab initio molecular dynamics. He completed postdoctoral research at ESRF’s ID06-HXM beamline in a project funded by OCAS (ArcelorMittal), followed by a position at CEA-Leti, where he worked on semiconductor defects for infrared detectors. He leads an independent research group supported by an ERC Starting Grant, focusing on thermomechanical behavior in metals and the development of advanced diffraction imaging techniques at synchrotron facilities. His work combines multiple X-ray methods across scales, with a strong emphasis on pioneering Dark Field X-ray Microscopy (DFXM). His research spans structural metals, semiconductors, and energy materials. Dr. Yildirim holds a habilitation (HDR) in physics from Université Grenoble Alpes. He serves on beamtime review panels for the ESRF and European XFEL and contributes to scientific outreach through the organization of conferences, including the 3DMS Specialty Congress of TMS and the MSE Congress in Europe. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications, with an h-index of 17 and an i10-index of 27 as of June 2025.