We present the results of an experiment where a short focal length (~ 1.3 cm)
permanent magnet electron lens is used to image micron-size features of a metal
sample in a single shot, using an ultra- high brightness ps-long 4 MeV electron
beam from a radiofrequency photoinjector. Magnifcation ratios in excess of 30x
were obtained using a triplet of compact, small gap (3.5 mm), Halbach-style
permanent magnet quadrupoles with nearly 600 T/m field gradients. These results
pave the way to- wards single shot time-resolved electron microscopy and open
new opportunities in the applications of high brightness electron beams.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure