Femtosecond Single-Shot Imaging of Nanoscale Ferromagnetic Order in<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>Co</mml:mi><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mi>Pd</mml:mi></mml:math>Multilayers Using Resonant X-Ray Holography

Abstract

We present the first single-shot images of ferromagnetic, nanoscale spin order taken with femtosecond x-ray pulses. X-ray-induced electron and spin dynamics can be outrun with pulses shorter than 80 fs in the investigated fluence regime, and no permanent aftereffects in the samples are observed below a fluence of 25 mJ/cm(2). Employing resonant spatially muliplexed x-ray holography results in a low imaging threshold of 5 mJ/cm(2). Our results open new ways to combine ultrafast laser spectroscopy with sequential snapshot imaging on a single sample, generating a movie of excited state dynamics.