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X-ray Free-electron Lasers (x-ray + free-electron_laser)
Selected AbstractsFuture possibilities of the Linac Coherent Light SourceJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 3 2004M. Cornacchia A study of the potential for the development of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) beyond the specifications of the baseline design is presented. These future developments include delivery of X-ray pulses in the 1,fs regime, extension of the spectral range, increase of the FEL power, exploitation of the spontaneous emission, and a more flexible time structure. As this potential is exploited, the LCLS can maintain its role as a world-leading instrument for many years beyond its commissioning in 2008 and initial operation as the world's first X-ray free-electron laser. [source] Ultrafast X-ray diffraction in liquid, solution and gas: present status and future prospectsACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION A, Issue 2 2010Jeongho Kim In recent years, the time-resolved X-ray diffraction technique has been established as an excellent tool for studying reaction dynamics and protein structural transitions with the aid of 100,ps X-ray pulses generated from third-generation synchrotrons. The forthcoming advent of the X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) will bring a substantial improvement in pulse duration, photon flux and coherence of X-ray pulses, making time-resolved X-ray diffraction even more powerful. This technical breakthrough is envisioned to revolutionize the field of reaction dynamics associated with time-resolved diffraction methods. Examples of candidates for the first femtosecond X-ray diffraction experiments using highly coherent sub-100,fs pulses generated from XFELs are presented in this paper. They include the chemical reactions of small molecules in the gas and solution phases, solvation dynamics and protein structural transitions. In these potential experiments, ultrafast reaction dynamics and motions of coherent rovibrational wave packets will be monitored in real time. In addition, high photon flux and coherence of XFEL-generated X-ray pulses give the prospect of single-molecule diffraction experiments. [source] Coherent X-ray scattering and lensless imaging at the European XFEL FacilityJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 6 2007I. A. Vartanyants Coherent X-ray diffraction imaging is a rapidly advancing form of lensless microscopy. The phase information of the diffraction pattern is embedded in a sufficiently sampled coherent diffraction pattern. Using advanced computational methods, this diffraction pattern can be inverted to produce an image of a sample with diffraction-limited resolution. It is attractive to use high-power coherent X-ray beams produced by future X-ray free-electron lasers for imaging nanoscale condensed matter, materials and biological samples. Here, the scientific case, requirements and the possible realisation of the coherent X-ray diffraction imaging beamlines at the European XFEL Facility are presented. [source] Dynamical diffraction of ultrashort X-ray free-electron laser pulsesJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 5 2001S. D. Shastri Calculations are presented for the femtosecond time-evolution of intensities of beams diffracted by perfect Bragg crystals illuminated with radiation expected from X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) operating through the self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) process. After examining the case of transient diffraction of an electromagnetic delta-function impulse through flat, single- and double-crystal monochromators, the propagation of a 280,fs-duration SASE XFEL pulse of 8,keV photons through the same optics is discussed. The alteration of the sub-femtosecond spiky microbunched temporal structure of the XFEL pulse after it passes through the system is shown for both low-order (broad bandwidth) and high-order (narrow bandwidth) crystal reflections. Finally, the shot-to-shot statistical fluctuations of the integrated diffracted intensity is simulated. Implications of these results for XFEL applications are addressed. [source] Excited-state molecular structures captured by X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy: a decade and beyondACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION A, Issue 2 2010Lin X. Chen Transient molecular structures along chemical reaction pathways are important for predicting molecular reactivity, understanding reaction mechanisms, as well as controlling reaction pathways. During the past decade, X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy (XTA, or LITR-XAS, laser-initiated X-ray absorption spectroscopy), analogous to the commonly used optical transient absorption spectroscopy, has been developed. XTA uses a laser pulse to trigger a fundamental chemical process, and an X-ray pulse(s) to probe transient structures as a function of the time delay between the pump and probe pulses. Using X-ray pulses with high photon flux from synchrotron sources, transient electronic and molecular structures of metal complexes have been studied in disordered media from homogeneous solutions to heterogeneous solution,solid interfaces. Several examples from the studies at the Advanced Photon Source in Argonne National Laboratory are summarized, including excited-state metalloporphyrins, metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) states of transition metal complexes, and charge transfer states of metal complexes at the interface with semiconductor nanoparticles. Recent developments of the method are briefly described followed by a future prospective of XTA. It is envisioned that concurrent developments in X-ray free-electron lasers and synchrotron X-ray facilities as well as other table-top laser-driven femtosecond X-ray sources will make many breakthroughs and realise dreams of visualizing molecular movies and snapshots, which ultimately enable chemical reaction pathways to be controlled. [source] |