The Whys and How of Ultrafast X-ray Science
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Published: 2007
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DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe invention of ultrafast optical lasers with pulse durations comparable to vibrational periods in solids and motions of molecules undergoing structural changes has provided a look at the dynamics that govern important processes in nature. X-rays, on the other hand, with wave-lengths comparable to the distances between atoms, have been the key tool for the study of the average structure of liquids and solids at atomic resolution. With recent developments in ultrafast x-ray sources, the combination of appropriate temporal resolution and spatial resolution is opening new scientific opportunities for direct observation of atomic-scale dynamics. The Sub-Picosecond Pulse Source at SLAC is just such a source. The science and technology of ultrafast x-ray studies will be discussed in this context, as will the extension of these studies to opportunities afforded by the Linear Coherent Light Source x-ray free-electron laser.