Attosecond X-ray pulses at high repetition rates revolutionize atomic imaging
The researchers successfully created single-spike hard X-ray pulses with energies exceeding 100 microjoules and pulse durations of only a few hundred attoseconds. Attoseconds, which equal one quintillionth (10^-18) of a second, allow scientists to examine electron motion in matter with unparalleled precision.
"These high-power attosecond X-ray pulses could open new avenues for studying matter at the atomic scale," stated Jiawei Yan, physicist at European XFEL and lead author of the study published in 'Nature Photonics.' "With these unique X-rays, we can perform truly damage-free measurements of structural and electronic properties. This paves the way for advanced studies like attosecond crystallography, allowing us to observe electronic dynamics in real space."
Traditionally, producing ultra-short hard X-ray pulses required severely reducing the electron bunch charge to tens of picocoulombs, limiting energy and practical applications. The European XFEL team developed a novel self-chirping technique, leveraging collective electron beam effects and sophisticated beam transport systems. This method generates attosecond X-ray pulses at terawatt-scale peak power and megahertz repetition rates without sacrificing electron bunch charge.
"By combining ultra-short pulses with megahertz repetition rates, we can now collect data much faster and observe processes that were previously hidden from view," explained Gianluca Geloni, group leader of the FEL physics group at European XFEL. "This development promises to transform research across multiple scientific fields, especially for atomic-scale imaging of protein molecules and materials and investigating nonlinear X-ray phenomena."
Research Report:Terawatt-attosecond hard X-ray free-electron laser at high repetition rate
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