PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION OF SYNCHRONIZED FEMTOSECOND ELECTRON AND LASER SINGLE PULSES

A subpicosecond (700 fs at FWHM) electron pulse from the S-band (2.856 GHz) linear accelerator (linac) of the NERL (Nuclear Engineering Rese arch Laboratory) was synchronized with a femtosecond (100 fs at FWHM) laser pulse from a T-3 (table-top terawatts) laser with a picosecond t ime whose standard deviation is 3.7 ps. Then we generated a picosecond characteristic X-ray pulse by irradiating through the electron pulse a Cu target (K alpha, 8.1 keV, 1.54 Angstrom) and obstained the Bragg diffraction from a NaCl ionic monocrystal using a high sensitivity X-r ay imaging plate. Further, we discuss its applications to observe latt ice vibration of the monocrystal by using the synchronized laser (pump ) and X-ray (probe). (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.