Ultrafast X-ray scattering in solids

Abstract

X-rays are a valuable probe for studying structural dynamics in solids because of their short wavelength, long penetration depth and relatively strong interaction with core electrons. Recent advances in accelerator- and laser-based pulsed X-ray sources have opened up the possibility of probing nonequilibrium dynamics in real time with atomic-scale spatial resolution. The timescale of interest is a single vibrational period, which can be as fast as a few femtoseconds. To date, almost all such experiments on this timescale have been carried out optically, which only indirectly measure atomic motion through changes in the dielectric function. X-rays have the advantage that they are a direct probe of the atomic positions. © Springer-Verlag Berlin/Heidelberg 2006.