Generation of Femtosecond Pulses of Synchrotron Radiation

TLDR

Such synchrotron-based femtosecond x‑ray sources enable the application of x‑ray techniques on an ultrafast timescale to investigate structural dynamics in condensed matter. An ultrashort laser pulse modulates the energy of electrons in a 100‑fs slice of a 30‑ps bunch, allowing spatial separation and generation of femtosecond synchrotron pulses. Femtosecond synchrotron pulses were generated directly from an electron storage ring, producing ~300‑fs pulses at a bend‑magnet beamline spanning infrared to x‑ray wavelengths, and the same technique can yield ~100‑fs x‑ray pulses of substantially higher flux and brightness with an undulator.

Abstract

Femtosecond synchrotron pulses were generated directly from an electron storage ring. An ultrashort laser pulse was used to modulate the energy of electrons within a 100-femtosecond slice of the stored 30-picosecond electron bunch. The energy-modulated electrons were spatially separated from the long bunch and used to generate approximately 300-femtosecond synchrotron pulses at a bend-magnet beamline, with a spectral range from infrared to x-ray wavelengths. The same technique can be used to generate approximately 100-femtosecond x-ray pulses of substantially higher flux and brightness with an undulator. Such synchrotron-based femtosecond x-ray sources offer the possibility of applying x-ray techniques on an ultrafast time scale to investigate structural dynamics in condensed matter.