Dynamics of rare gas solids irradiated by electron beams.

The remarkable success of x-ray free-electron lasers and their ability to image biological macromolecules while outrunning secondary radiation damage due to photoelectrons, by using femtosecond pulses, raise the question of whether this can be done using pulsed high-energy electron beams. In this paper, we use excited state molecular dynamics simulations, with tabulated potentials, for rare gas solids to investigate the effect of radiation damage due to inelastic scattering (by plasmons, excitons, and heat) on the pair distribution function. We use electron energy loss spectra to characterize the electronic excitations responsible for radiation damage.

Is radiation damage the limiting factor in high-resolution single particle imaging with X-ray free-electron lasers?

The prospect of single particle imaging with atomic resolution is one of the scientific drivers for the development of X-ray free-electron lasers. The assumption since the beginning has been that damage to the sample caused by intense X-ray pulses is one of the limiting factors for achieving subnanometer X-ray imaging of single particles and that X-ray pulses need to be as short as possible. Based on the molecular dynamics simulations of proteins in X-ray fields of various durations (5 fs, 25 fs, and 50 fs), we show that the noise in the diffracted signal caused by radiation damage is less than what can be expected from other sources, such as sample inhomogeneity and X-ray shot-to-shot variations. These findings show a different aspect of the feasibility of high-resolution single particle imaging using free-electron lasers, where employing X-ray pulses of longer durations could still provide a useful diffraction signal above the noise due to the Coulomb explosion.

Explosions of xenon clusters in ultraintense femtosecond x-ray pulses from the LCLS free electron laser.

Explosions of large Xe clusters ( ~ 11,000) irradiated by femtosecond pulses of 850 eV x-ray photons focused to an intensity of up to 10(17) W/cm(2) from the Linac Coherent Light Source were investigated experimentally. Measurements of ion charge-state distributions and energy spectra exhibit strong evidence for the formation of a Xe nanoplasma in the intense x-ray pulse. This x-ray produced Xe nanoplasma is accompanied by a three-body recombination and hydrodynamic expansion. These experimental results appear to be consistent with a model in which a spherically exploding nanoplasma is formed inside the Xe cluster and where the plasma temperature is determined by photoionization heating.

Saturated ablation in metal hydrides and acceleration of protons and deuterons to keV energies with a soft-x-ray laser.

Studies of materials under extreme conditions have relevance to a broad area of research, including planetary physics, fusion research, materials science, and structural biology with x-ray lasers. We study such extreme conditions and experimentally probe the interaction between ultrashort soft x-ray pulses and solid targets (metals and their deuterides) at the FLASH free-electron laser where power densities exceeding 10(17) W/cm(2) were reached. Time-of-flight ion spectrometry and crater analysis were used to characterize the interaction. The results show the onset of saturation in the ablation process at power densities above 10(16) W/cm(2). This effect can be linked to a transiently induced x-ray transparency in the solid by the femtosecond x-ray pulse at high power densities. The measured kinetic energies of protons and deuterons ejected from the surface reach several keV and concur with predictions from plasma-expansion models. Simulations of the interactions were performed with a nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium code with radiation transfer. These calculations return critical depths similar to the observed crater depths and capture the transient surface transparency at higher power densities.

Cryptotomography: reconstructing 3D Fourier intensities from randomly oriented single-shot diffraction patterns.

We reconstructed the 3D Fourier intensity distribution of monodisperse prolate nanoparticles using single-shot 2D coherent diffraction patterns collected at DESY's FLASH facility when a bright, coherent, ultrafast x-ray pulse intercepted individual particles of random, unmeasured orientations. This first experimental demonstration of cryptotomography extended the expansion-maximization-compression framework to accommodate unmeasured fluctuations in photon fluence and loss of data due to saturation or background scatter. This work is an important step towards realizing single-shot diffraction imaging of single biomolecules.

Soft x-ray free electron laser microfocus for exploring matter under extreme conditions.

We have focused a beam (BL3) of FLASH (Free-electron LASer in Hamburg: lambda = 13.5 nm, pulse length 15 fs, pulse energy 10-40 microJ, 5 Hz) using a fine polished off-axis parabola having a focal length of 270 mm and coated with a Mo/Si multilayer with an initial reflectivity of 67% at 13.5 nm. The OAP was mounted and aligned with a picomotor controlled six-axis gimbal. Beam imprints on poly(methyl methacrylate) - PMMA were used to measure focus and the focused beam was used to create isochoric heating of various slab targets. Results show the focal spot has a diameter of < or =1 microm. Observations were correlated with simulations of best focus to provide further relevant information.

Interaction of ultrashort x-ray pulses with B4C , SiC, and Si.

The interaction of 32.5 and 6 nm ultrashort x-ray pulses with the solid materials B4C , SiC, and Si is simulated with a nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium radiation transfer code. We study the ionization dynamics as a function of depth in the material and modifications of the opacity during irradiation, and estimate the crater depth. Furthermore, we compare the estimated crater depth with experimental data, for fluences up to 2.2 J/cm2. Our results show that, at 32.5 nm irradiation, the opacity changes by less than a factor of 2 for B4C and Si and by a factor of 3 for SiC, for fluences up to 200 J/cm2. At a laser wavelength of 6 nm, the model predicts a dramatic decrease in opacity due to the weak inverse bremsstrahlung, increasing the crater depth for high fluences.

Observation of structural anisotropy and the onset of liquidlike motion during the nonthermal melting of InSb.

The melting dynamics of laser excited InSb have been studied with femtosecond x-ray diffraction. These measurements observe the delayed onset of diffusive atomic motion, signaling the appearance of liquidlike dynamics. They also demonstrate that the root-mean-squared displacement in the [111] direction increases faster than in the [110] direction after the first 500 fs. This structural anisotropy indicates that the initially generated fluid differs significantly from the equilibrium liquid.

Clocking femtosecond X rays.

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.

Atomic-scale visualization of inertial dynamics.

The motion of atoms on interatomic potential energy surfaces is fundamental to the dynamics of liquids and solids. An accelerator-based source of femtosecond x-ray pulses allowed us to follow directly atomic displacements on an optically modified energy landscape, leading eventually to the transition from crystalline solid to disordered liquid. We show that, to first order in time, the dynamics are inertial, and we place constraints on the shape and curvature of the transition-state potential energy surface. Our measurements point toward analogies between this nonequilibrium phase transition and the short-time dynamics intrinsic to equilibrium liquids.

Diffractive Higgs boson production at the Fermilab Tevatron and the CERN Large Hadron Collider.

Improved possibilities to find the Higgs boson in diffractive events, having less hadronic activity, depend on whether the cross section is large enough. Based on the soft color interaction models that successfully describe diffractive hard scattering at DESY HERA and the Fermilab Tevatron, we find that only a few diffractive Higgs events may be produced at the Tevatron, but we predict a substantial rate at the CERN Large Hadron Collider.