Time-Resolved X-Ray Scattering

Ultrafast x-ray diffraction (UXRD) has become more and more prevalent in various scientific disciplines that are interested in directly observing atomic motion in real time. The timescale, amplitude and phase of collective atomic motion can be determined with high accuracy, even when the induced amplitude is smaller than thermal fluctuations. The structural rearrangements induced by an ultrafast stimulus (charge carriers excitation or heat deposition by a laser pulse) can be recorded in real time. Here we report on a new laser-driven plasma-x-ray source (PXS) and discuss different applications which will be addressed in UXRD experiments.