Hello! I am Patrick, a chemical physicist educated at the University of Edinburgh. I am now working towards my DPhil in physical and theoretical chemistry in probing electron correlation effects using ultrafast X-ray scattering.
I currently hold a stipendiary lectureship at Christ Church, University of Oxford in Physical Chemistry. I am responsible for organising/teaching the undergraduate physical chemistry tutorials of the MChem degree for years one, two, and three in college. I also am involved with the undergraduate admission interviews/assessments for the college. I teach the quantum chemistry supplementary subject for second year undergraduates in the Department of Chemistry at Oxford as well.
During my undergrad, I worked at Diamond Light Source, UK’s national synchrotron facility, where I performed research on soft X-ray optics and ray-tracing simulations. My master’s thesis focussed on developing new methodologies for simulating soft X-ray beamlines with plane grating monochromators. A copy can be downloaded here.
I am currently working on developing the theory required for probing electron correlation effects in atoms and molecules using scattering experiments done at X-ray free electron lasers. This would hopefully shed light on the fundamental electron dynamics as well as improve our current quantum chemistry methods.
Education
Master of Chemical Physics with Honours, First Class, University of Edinburgh, September 2024
Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (Physical and Theoretical Chemistry), St Anne’s College, University of Oxford, Ongoing
Academic Appointments
Stipendiary Lecturer in Physical Chemistry, Christ Church, University of Oxford, October 2025–Present
Committe Member, Royal Society of Chemistry Theoretical Chemistry Interest Group, January 2025–Present
Departmental Tutor, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, October 2024–Present
Publications
2025
Tan, Wai Jue; Majhi, Arindam; Singhapong, Wadwan; Walters, Andrew C.; van Spronsen, Matthijs A.; Held, Georg; Karagoz, Burcu; Grinter, David C.; Ferrer, Pilar; Venkat, Guru; Huang, Qiushi; Zhang, Zhe; Wang, Zhanshan; Wang, Patrick Yuheng; Sokolov, Andrey; Wang, Hongchang; Sawhney, Kawal
@article{Tan2025,
title = {High-efficiency multilayer grating for enhanced tender x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy},
author = {Wai Jue Tan and Arindam Majhi and Wadwan Singhapong and Andrew C. Walters and Matthijs A. van Spronsen and Georg Held and Burcu Karagoz and David C. Grinter and Pilar Ferrer and Guru Venkat and Qiushi Huang and Zhe Zhang and Zhanshan Wang and Patrick Yuheng Wang and Andrey Sokolov and Hongchang Wang and Kawal Sawhney},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-025-19440-6},
issn = {2045-2322},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-12-00},
urldate = {2025-12-00},
journal = {Sci Rep},
volume = {15},
number = {1},
publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media LLC},
abstract = {X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is a powerful tool for probing the chemical and electronic states of materials with elemental specificity and surface sensitivity. However, its application in the tender X-ray range (1–5 keV) for synchrotron radiation has remained limited due to the limited choice of optics capable of maintaining high reflectivity and efficiency in this energy window. To address this, multilayer (ML) grating structures have become increasingly popular, offering significantly higher efficiency than SL coatings in the tender X-ray region. This paper presents the development of ML laminar gratings optimised for enhancing efficiency in the tender X-ray range, and capable of retaining performance under intense X-ray exposure in the oxygen partial pressure of
10
mbar. The ML coating quality was verified through X-ray reflectivity (XRR), XPS and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structures (NEXAFS) measurements, while the performance of the grating was validated through beamline flux transmission and XPS measurements. The MLLG demonstrated
22
higher intensity in flux and XPS, significantly improving the signal-to-noise ratio. Most importantly, the MLLGs outperformed traditional designs by offering improved spectral resolution while maintaining measurement capability at varying
values without compromising the intensity. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the incorporation of nitrogen during deposition further enhances flux transmission.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is a powerful tool for probing the chemical and electronic states of materials with elemental specificity and surface sensitivity. However, its application in the tender X-ray range (1–5 keV) for synchrotron radiation has remained limited due to the limited choice of optics capable of maintaining high reflectivity and efficiency in this energy window. To address this, multilayer (ML) grating structures have become increasingly popular, offering significantly higher efficiency than SL coatings in the tender X-ray region. This paper presents the development of ML laminar gratings optimised for enhancing efficiency in the tender X-ray range, and capable of retaining performance under intense X-ray exposure in the oxygen partial pressure of
10
mbar. The ML coating quality was verified through X-ray reflectivity (XRR), XPS and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structures (NEXAFS) measurements, while the performance of the grating was validated through beamline flux transmission and XPS measurements. The MLLG demonstrated
22
higher intensity in flux and XPS, significantly improving the signal-to-noise ratio. Most importantly, the MLLGs outperformed traditional designs by offering improved spectral resolution while maintaining measurement capability at varying
values without compromising the intensity. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the incorporation of nitrogen during deposition further enhances flux transmission.
@article{wangAutomatedRobustMethod2025,
title = {An Automated and Robust Method for Modelling X-ray Beamlines with Plane Grating Monochromators},
author = {Patrick Yuheng Wang and Murilo Bazan Da Silva and Georg Held and Hongchang Wang and Kawal Sawhney and Andrew C. Walters},
doi = {10.1107/S1600577525003200},
issn = {1600-5775},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-07-01},
urldate = {2025-07-01},
journal = {Journal of Synchrotron Radiation},
volume = {32},
number = {4},
abstract = {The plane grating monochromator (PGM) is an optical instrument used in the majority of soft X-ray beamlines. Despite its ubiquity, the PGM efficiency can easily be overestimated, because the geometry of many modern PGMs can lead to unexpected blocking of the beam. We have developed a new workflow in Python for simulating PGMs, thus extending the capabilities of SHADOW3 , a well established ray tracing software tool. We have used our method to simulate the flux on branch C of the Versatile Soft X-ray (VerSoX) beamline B07 at Diamond Light Source. The simulation results demonstrate qualitative agreement with the experimental measurements, confirming the robustness of the proposed methodology.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The plane grating monochromator (PGM) is an optical instrument used in the majority of soft X-ray beamlines. Despite its ubiquity, the PGM efficiency can easily be overestimated, because the geometry of many modern PGMs can lead to unexpected blocking of the beam. We have developed a new workflow in Python for simulating PGMs, thus extending the capabilities of SHADOW3 , a well established ray tracing software tool. We have used our method to simulate the flux on branch C of the Versatile Soft X-ray (VerSoX) beamline B07 at Diamond Light Source. The simulation results demonstrate qualitative agreement with the experimental measurements, confirming the robustness of the proposed methodology.
Wang, Patrick Yuheng; Silva, Murilo Bazan Da; Hand, Matthew; Wang, Hongchang; Chang, Peter; Beilsten-Edmands, Victoria; Kim, Timur K.; Lee, Tien-Lin; Sawhney, Kawal; Walters, Andrew C.
@article{wangPGMwebOnlineTool2025,
title = {PGMweb : An Online Tool for Visualizing the X-ray Beam Path through Plane Grating Monochromators},
author = {Patrick Yuheng Wang and Murilo Bazan Da Silva and Matthew Hand and Hongchang Wang and Peter Chang and Victoria Beilsten-Edmands and Timur K. Kim and Tien-Lin Lee and Kawal Sawhney and Andrew C. Walters},
doi = {10.1107/S1600577524011603},
issn = {1600-5775},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
urldate = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Synchrotron Radiation},
volume = {32},
number = {1},
pages = {261–268},
abstract = {We present here a newly developed software tool (called PGMweb ) for computing and simulating the X-ray beam path through a plane grating monochromator (PGM), a key component in soft X-ray beamlines at modern synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities. A historical overview of the development of PGMs is presented, with special attention dedicated to the collimated PGM optical scheme found at several X-ray facilities worldwide. The analytical expressions that fully describe the geometry of a PGM are derived and have been implemented as functions in a Python library ( pyplanemono ). PGMweb is distributed as a web-based application that can be run in any modern browser without installation, making its use very straightforward for X-ray beamline designers and beamline scientists alike.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
We present here a newly developed software tool (called PGMweb ) for computing and simulating the X-ray beam path through a plane grating monochromator (PGM), a key component in soft X-ray beamlines at modern synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities. A historical overview of the development of PGMs is presented, with special attention dedicated to the collimated PGM optical scheme found at several X-ray facilities worldwide. The analytical expressions that fully describe the geometry of a PGM are derived and have been implemented as functions in a Python library ( pyplanemono ). PGMweb is distributed as a web-based application that can be run in any modern browser without installation, making its use very straightforward for X-ray beamline designers and beamline scientists alike.
As the semester goes on, I find myself to be quite often in a pickle to find spare time. Therefore, what I will be writing about is mostly what I need to know for my exams. Tedious as it may sound, there are still absolutely stunning proofs and derivations that can bring a smile to… Read more: Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and Fourier Analysis
