Title:
X-ray spectroscopy with high spatial and temporal resoltuion
Project management at the University of Würzburg:
Participating scientists:
Abstract:
Studying structure and dynamics on an atomic scale is indispensable for a deeper understanding of several processes in physics, chemistry and biology. Due to their short wavelength x-rays are ideally suited to gain structural information. The natural time scale of atomic motion is the femtosecond region (1fs=10-15 ) not accessible with convenional x-ray sources.
In the last few years we have witnessed a tremendous progress in laser technology. Nowadays, ultrashort pulses from compact table top laser systems can be converted in x-ray pulses by nonlinear interactions. With high harmonic generation ultrahsort laser pulses at 800nm have been converted into spatially coherent soft x-ray pulses down to 3nm. The major objectives of this project are the set up of a soft x-ray source based on high harmonic generation and the demonstration of its feasability for time resolved x-ray spectroscopy.
With soft x-ray radiation ultrafast time-resolved experiments are now feasible, in which the atomic motion in molecular systems can not only be studied in real-time but also be controlled on that time scale. This of course also allows to spatially characterize the dynamic of complex molecules in the liquid phase.
Projekt period: from 08.2002 to 08.2004
Funding institution:
DFG ,Granting date: 01.07.2002