Clocking femtosecond X rays

• Published in: Physical review letters Vol. 94; no. 11; pp. 114801.1 - 114801.4
• Main Authors: CAVALIERI, A. L, FRITZ, D. M, SIDDONS, D. P, LOWNEY, D. P, MACPHEE, A. G, WEINSTEIN, D, FALCONE, R. W, PAHL, R, ALS-NIELSEN, J, BLOME, C, DÜSTERER, S, ISCHEBECK, R, LEE, S. H, SCHLARB, H, SCHULTE-SCHREPPING, H, TSCHENTSCHER, Th, SCHNEIDER, J, HIGNETTE, O, SETTE, F, SOKOLOWSKI-TINTEN, K, CHAPMAN, H. N, LEE, R. W, HANSEN, T. N, BUCKSBAUM, P. H, SYNNERGREN, O, LARSSON, J, TECHERT, S, SHEPPARD, J, WARK, J. S, BERGH, M, CALEMAN, C, HULDT, G, VAN DER SPOEL, D, TIMNEANU, N, REIS, D. A, HAJDU, J, AKRE, R. A, BONG, E, EMMA, P, KREJCIK, P, ARTHUR, J, BRENNAN, S, GAFFNEY, K. J, LINDENBERG, A. M, LUENING, K, RUDATI, J, HASTINGS, J. B, MILLS, D. M, FUOSS, P. H, STEPHENSON, G. B, KAO, C. C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ridge, NY American Physical Society 25-03-2005
• Subjects: Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics; Atom- och molekylfysik och optik; Charged-particle beams; Electromagnetism; electron and ion optics; Exact sciences and technology; Free-electron lasers; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Fysik; Natural Sciences; Naturvetenskap; Nonlinear optics; Optics; Physical Sciences; Physics; Radiation by moving charges; Relativistic electron and positron beams; Ultrafast processes; optical pulse generation and pulse compression; Arrival time; Time resolution; Particle beam bunching; X-ray optics; Measuring methods; fs range; Ultrafast optics
• ISSN: 0031-9007; 1079-7114; 1079-7114
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.114801

Linear-accelerator-based sources will revolutionize ultrafast x-ray science due to their unprecedented brightness and short pulse duration. However, time-resolved studies at the resolution of the x-ray pulse duration are hampered by the inability to precisely synchronize an external laser to the accelerator. At the Sub-Picosecond Pulse Source at the Stanford Linear-Accelerator Center we solved this problem by measuring the arrival time of each high energy electron bunch with electro-optic sampling. This measurement indirectly determined the arrival time of each x-ray pulse relative to an external pump laser pulse with a time resolution of better than 60 fs rms.