Disorder in solids studied on an ultrashort timescale using femtosecond X-ray diffraction

Abstract

We've studied the sub-picosecond response of an organometallic Langmuir-Blodgett film to an ultrashort laser excitation using ultrafast time-resolved x-ray diffraction. The ultrafast and monochromatic Kα x-ray source is produced from the interaction of an intense 100 fs laser pulse with a silicon solid target. Disordering in the film has been found to rise in less than 1 ps at pumping fluences larger than 20 J/cm2.