Current status of 50-picosecond resolved x-ray diffraction at Photon Factory Advanced Ring (PF-AR)

Abstract

Ultra-fast time-resolved x-ray crystallography using electron-accelerator- based x-ray sources has been becoming a general and powerful tool to explore structural dynamics of crystalline state in material and biological sciences. Photon Factory Advanced Ring (PF-AR) is a full-time single-bunch synchrotron radiation source operated for such time-resolved x-ray studies using pulsed x-rays. Here we report instrumentation, feasibility, and applications of time-resolved x-ray diffraction at PF-AR. The time-resolved x-ray diffraction equipment consists of an x-ray pulse selector, an x-ray diffractometer, a femtosecond laser system and their timing modules which provide synchronized x-ray pulses with 50-picosecond duration (rms) and 150-femtosecond laser pulses for laser-pump-x-ray-probe experiment. The current status of the beam lines NW2 and NW14, and their applications are described. © 2005 IOP Publishing Ltd.