Femtosecond X-ray Pulses at 0.4 Å Generated by 90° Thomson Scattering: A Tool for Probing the Structural Dynamics of Materials

Abstract

Pulses of x-rays 300 femtoseconds in duration at a wavelength of 0.4 angstroms (30,000 electron volts) have been generated by 90° Thomson scattering between infrared terawatt laser pulses and highly relativistic electrons from an accelerator. In the right-angle scattering geometry, the duration of the x-ray burst is determined by the transit time of the laser pulse across the ∼90-micrometer waist of the focused electron beam. The x-rays are highly directed (∼0.6° divergence) and can be tuned in energy. This source of femtosecond x-rays will make it possible to combine x-ray techniques with ultrafast time resolution to investigate structural dynamics in condensed matter.