The Phase-Contrast Imaging Instrument at the Matter in Extreme Conditions Endstation at LCLS

We describe the Phase-Contrast Imaging instrument at the Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) endstation of the Linac Coherent Light Source. The instrument can image phenomena with a spatial resolution of a few hundreds of nanometers and at the same time reveal the atomic structure through X-ray diffraction, with a temporal resolution better than 100 femtosecond. It was specifically designed for studies relevant to High-Energy-Density Science and can monitor, e.g., shock fronts, phase transitions, or void collapses. This versatile instrument was commissioned last year and is now available to the MEC user community

Photon diagnostics at the FLASH THz beamline

The THz beamline at FLASH, DESY, provides both tunable (1–300 THz) narrow-bandwidth (∼10%) and broad-bandwidth intense (up to 150 uJ) THz pulses delivered in 1 MHz bursts and naturally synchronized with free-electron laser X-ray pulses. Combination of these pulses, along with the auxiliary NIR and VIS ultrashort lasers, supports a plethora of dynamic investigations in physics, material science and biology. The unique features of the FLASH THz pulses and the accelerator source, however, bring along a set of challenges in the diagnostics of their key parameters: pulse energy, spectral, temporal and spatial profiles. Here, these challenges are discussed and the pulse diagnostic tools developed at FLASH are presented. In particular, a radiometric power measurement is presented that enables the derivation of the average pulse energy within a pulse burst across the spectral range, jitter-corrected electro-optical sampling for the full spectro-temporal pulse characterization, spatial beam profiling along the beam transport line and at the sample, and a lamellar grating based Fourier transform infrared spectrometer for the on-line assessment of the average THz pulse spectra. Corresponding measurement results provide a comprehensive insight into the THz beamline capabilities

14 kilowatt burst average power from 2-stage cascaded Yb: YAG thin-disk mulipass amplifier

A total output power of 14kW is presented in a burst operation mode at 100 kHz intra-burst repetition rate from a two-stage cascaded thin disk multipass amplifier. This yields a pulse energy of 140m

Excess quantum noise in optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification

Noise evolution in an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA) differs essentially from that of an optical parametric or a conventional laser amplifier, in that an incoherent pedestal is produced by superfluorescence that can overwhelm the signal under strong saturation. Using a model for the nonlinear dynamics consistent with quantum mechanics, we numerically study the evolution of excess noise in an OPCPA. The observed dynamics explain the macroscopic characteristics seen previously in experiments in the practically important saturation regime

Effect of Auger recombination on transient optical properties in XUV and soft X-ray irradiated silicon nitride

Spatially encoded measurements of transient optical transmissivity became a standard tool for temporal diagnostics of free-electron-laser (FEL) pulses, as well as for the arrival time measurements in X-ray pump and optical probe experiments. The modern experimental techniques can measure changes in optical coefficients with a temporal resolution better than 10 fs. This, in an ideal case, would imply a similar resolution for the temporal pulse properties and the arrival time jitter between the FEL and optical laser pulses. However, carrier transport within the material and out of its surface, as well as carrier recombination may, in addition, significantly decrease the number of carriers. This would strongly affect the transient optical properties, making the diagnostic measurement inaccurate. Below we analyze in detail the effects of those processes on the optical properties of XUV and soft X-ray irradiated Si$_3$N$_4$, on sub-picosecond timescales. Si$_3$N$_4$ is a wide-gap insulating material widely used for FEL pulse diagnostics. Theoretical predictions are compared with the published results of two experiments at FERMI and LCLS facilities, and with our own recent measurement. The comparison indicates that three body Auger recombination strongly affects the optical response of Si$_3$N$_4$ after its collisional ionization stops. By deconvolving the contribution of Auger recombination, in future applications one could regain a high temporal resolution for the reconstruction of the FEL pulse properties measured with a Si$_3$N$_4$-based diagnostics tool