Ultrafast switching of hard X‐rays. (24th January 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gaal, Peter; Schick, Daniel; Herzog, Marc; Bojahr, André; Shayduk, Roman; Goldshteyn, Jevgeni; Leitenberger, Wolfram; Vrejoiu, Ionela; Khakhulin, Dmitry; Wulff, Michael; Bargheer, Matias
• Is Part Of: Journal of synchrotron radiation. Volume 21:Part 2(2014)
• Page Start: 380
• Page End: 385
• Publication Date: 2014-01-24
• Subjects: Synchrotron radiation -- Periodicals; Free electron lasers -- Periodicals; 539.73505
• DOI: 10.1107/S1600577513031949
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0909-0495

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>A new concept for shortening hard X‐ray pulses emitted from a third‐generation synchrotron source down to few picoseconds is presented. The device, called the PicoSwitch, exploits the dynamics of coherent acoustic phonons in a photo‐excited thin film. A characterization of the structure demonstrates switching times of ≤ 5 ps and a peak reflectivity of ∼10⁻³. The device is tested in a real synchrotron‐based pump–probe experiment and reveals features of coherent phonon propagation in a second thin film sample, thus demonstrating the potential to significantly improve the temporal resolution at existing synchrotron facilities.</p> </abstract>