X-ray free-electron laser sets new record for shortest high-energy pulses
Researchers at the Linac Coherent Light Source at the U. S. Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have measured the shortest high-energy X-ray pulses ever.
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Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have measured the shortest high-energy X-ray pulses ever recorded at an X-ray free-electron laser. The results are published in Nature Photonics.
By Erin Woodward, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Add to Preferred Sources Nature Photonics (2026).
The pulses had photon energies of about 9 kiloelectronvolts (keV) and clocked in at durations of 100 to 400 attoseconds, mere billionths of a billionth of a second. This was the first diagnostic that proves the pulses are indeed only a few hundred attoseconds long. " The study's lead author, Ichiro Inoue, professor at the University of Tokyo, proposed using amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) to indirectly measure the duration of LCLS.
The rest of the beam was focused to a spot just 150 nanometers wide on a copper foil, generating ASE that was captured by another detector. In 2019, a team led by Marinelli generated attosecond X-rays in the low-energy, or "soft," X-ray regime (below 5 keV).
High-energy X-rays (above 5 keV), on the other hand, penetrate deeper into materials and can be used to capture images with enough resolution to pinpoint the location of electrons with atomic-scale accuracy. For a plasma physicist, that's just amazing. " Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100, 000 subscribers who rely on Phys. org for daily insights.
Ichiro Inoue et al, Experimental demonstration of attosecond hard X-ray pulses, Nature Photonics (2026).
Fonte original: Phys. org Physics