We present a new measurement of lattice disassembly times in femtosecond-laser-heated polycrystalline Au nanofoils. The results are compared with molecular dynamics simulations incorporating a highly optimized, embedded-atom-method interatomic potential. For absorbed energy densities of 0.9-4.3  MJ/kg, the agreement between the experiment and simulation reveals a single-crystal-like behavior of homogeneous melting and corroborates the applicability of the interatomic potential in the nonequilibrium warm dense matter regime. For energy densities below 0.9  MJ/kg, the measurement is consistent with nanocrystal behavior where melting is initiated at the grain boundaries.

Summary form only given. Central to the calculation of structural, dynamical and thermal properties of matter is the interatomic potential that is little known particularly for non-simple metals under extreme conditions. A direct manifestation of interatomic potential is lattice stability that can readily be determined by observing the disassembly of an excited sample. Here we report the study of fs-laser excited Au. In our experiment, 30nm-thick freestanding gold foils are irradiated by 400nm, 45fs (FWHM) laser pulses to produce isochoric heated warm dense states with excitation energy densities ranging from ~0.5-7.5MJ/kg (1010-1.5×1011J/m3). The disassembly of the sample is monitored with Frequency Domain Interferometry (FDI) using an 800nm, chirped laser probe pulse. The first finding is the dependence of disassembly time on excitation energy density. This provides the first test of predictions obtained from MD simulations1 using a glue model interatomic potential2. An equally significant finding is the appearance of surface melting that precedes bulk melting at energy densities above 3MJ/kg. Interestingly, the melting of two uppermost surface layers in Au has also been predicted in the glue model simulations2. The melting occurs at ~100K below the bulk melting temperature and remains confined to the two layers. It should be noted that our results are not only of fundamental importance for understanding and modeling the properties of warm dense matter, but also key to the understanding of high intensity laser ablation of solids.

In this Letter we report the experimental demonstration of a new temporal shaping technique for x-ray free-electron lasers (FELs). This technique is based on the use of a spectrally shaped infrared (IR) laser and allows optical control of the x-ray generation process. By accurately manipulating the spectral amplitude and phase of the IR laser, we can selectively modify the electron bunch longitudinal emittance thus controlling the duration of the resulting x-ray pulse down to the femtosecond time scale. Unlike other methods currently in use, optical shaping is directly applicable to the next generation of high-average power x-ray FELs such as the Linac Coherent Light Source-II or the European X-FEL, and it enables pulse shaping of FELs at the highest repetition rates. Furthermore, this laser-shaping technique paves the way for flexible tailoring of complex multicolor FEL pulse patterns required for nonlinear multidimensional x-ray spectroscopy as well as novel multicolor diffraction imaging schemes.

Understanding the emergence of collective behavior in correlated electron systems remains at the forefront of modern condensed matter physics. Disentangling the degrees of freedom responsible for collective behavior can lead to insights into the microscopic origins of emergent properties and phase transitions. Utilizing an optical pump, resonant soft x-ray diffraction probe we are able to track, in real time, the dynamics of the charge density wave (CDW) in ${\mathrm{TbTe}}_{3}$, a model system that violates traditional views of a Fermi surface nested CDW. We observe coherent oscillations corresponding to the CDW amplitude mode at $2.4$ THz and a coherent optical phonon mode at $\ensuremath{\sim}1.7\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{THz}$. We show how such observations reveal the anisotropic energy optimization between in-plane Te charge density modulations and the three-dimensional lattice coupling.

To study the rapid evolution of AC conductivity from ultrafast laser excited warm dense matter (WDM), a spatial chirp single-shot method is developed utilizing a crossing angle pump-probe configuration. The pump beam is shaped individually in two spatial dimensions so that it can provide both sufficient laser intensity to excite the material to warm dense matter state and a uniform time window of up to 1 ps with sub-100 fs FWHM temporal resolution. Temporal evolution of AC conductivity in laser excited warm dense gold was also measured.

During commissioning and operation of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) x-ray Free Electron Laser (FEL) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory electron and x-ray beam size, shape, centroid motion have been studied. The studies, sources, and remediation are summarized in this paper.

The Facility for Advanced Accelerator and Experimental Tests (FACET) at SLAC installed a 10-TW Ti : sapphire laser system for pre-ionized plasma wakefield acceleration experiments. High energy (500 mJ), short (50 fs) pulses of 800 nm laser light at 1 Hz are used at the FACET experimental area to produce a plasma column. The laser pulses are stretched to 250 fs before injection into a vapor cell, where the laser is focused by an axicon lens to form a plasma column that can be sustained over the desired radius and length. A 20 GeV electron bunch interacts with this preformed plasma to generate a non-linear wakefield, thus accelerating a trailing witness bunch with gradients on the order of several GV m(-1). The experimental setup and the methods for producing the pre-ionized plasma for plasma wakefield acceleration experiments performed at FACET are described.

A new laser laboratory has been constructed at SLAC to test and characterize photocathode gun physics and develop diagnostics for ultrafast FEL applications. At the heart of the laboratory is a dual-purpose Ti:Sapphire oscillator/regen laser that can deliver either 1.5-3.5 ps or 25 fs pulse durations. The primary objectives of the photocathode research are to identify reliable Cu cathode cleaning recipes and to produce high quantum efficiency with low beam emittance. The ultrafast applications program is presently aimed at developing spectral- encoding systems for shot-to-shot pulse arrival time diagnostics with 10's of fs timing resolution. In this paper we review the laser system and update status of the physics programs.

The ultrafast evolution of microstructure is key to understanding high-pressure and strain-rate phenomena. However, the visualization of lattice dynamics at scales commensurate with those of atomistic simulations has been challenging. Here, we report femtosecond x-ray diffraction measurements unveiling the response of copper to laser shock-compression at peak normal elastic stresses of ~73 gigapascals (GPa) and strain rates of 10(9) per second. We capture the evolution of the lattice from a one-dimensional (1D) elastic to a 3D plastically relaxed state within a few tens of picoseconds, after reaching shear stresses of 18 GPa. Our in situ high-precision measurement of material strength at spatial (<1 micrometer) and temporal (<50 picoseconds) scales provides a direct comparison with multimillion-atom molecular dynamics simulations.

The LCLS accelerator is presently in a commissioning phase[1] and produces a 14GeV beam with normalized emittances on the order of one mm-mr, and peak current exceeding 3000 Amps. The design of the beam measurement system relies heavily on optical transition radiation profile monitors, in conjunction with transverse RF cavities, and conventional energy spectrometers. It has been found that the high peak currents and small longitudinal phase space of the beam generate strong coherent optical emission that limits the quantitative use of OTR and other prompt optical diagnostics, requiring the use of wire scanners or fluorescent screen based measurements. We present the results of beam measurements, measurements of the coherent optical effects, and future plans for the diagnostics.

The LCLS hard X-ray Free Electron Laser at SLAC reported first lasing in April 2009. Since then two successful user runs have been completed at the two soft X-ray stations. The first hard X-ray station has started commissioning in July 2010. Beam diagnostics play an essential role for tuning the machine and delivering the requested beam properties to the users. An overview of the LCLS photon diagnostics will be presented including some selected commissioning results. Plans for future improvements and upgrades will be briefly discussed.

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is an x-ray Free-Electron Laser (FEL) project that has just achieved its first lasing at 1.5 {angstrom} radiation wavelength. The very bright electron beam required to drive this FEL is susceptible to a microbunching instability in the magnetic bunch compressors that may increase the slice energy spread beyond the FEL tolerance. To control the slice energy spread and to suppress the microbunching instability, a laser heater (LH) system is installed in the LCLS injector area at 135 MeV, right before the RF deflector that is used for the time-resolved electron diagnostics. This unique component is used to add a small level of intrinsic energy spread to the electron beam in order to Landau damp the microbunching instability before it potentially breaks up the high brightness electron beam. The system was fully installed and tested in the fall of 2008, and effects of heating on the electron beam and the x-ray FEL were studied during the 2009 commissioning period. The laser heater system is composed of a 4-dipole chicane; a 9-period, planar, permanent-magnet, adjustable-gap undulator at the center of the chicane; one OTR screen on each side of the undulator for electron/laser spatial alignment; and an IR laser (up to 15-MW power) which co-propagates with the electron beam inside the undulator generating a 758-nm energy modulation along the bunch. The final two dipoles of the 4-dipole chicane time-smear this modulation leaving only a thermal-like intrinsic energy spread within the bunch. Table 1 lists the main parameters for this system. The very bright electron beam required for an x-ray free-electron laser (FEL), such as the LCLS, is susceptible to a microbunching instability in the magnetic bunch compressors, prior to the FEL undulator. The uncorrelated electron energy spread in the LCLS can be increased by an order of magnitude to provide strong Landau damping against the instability without degrading the FEL performance. To this end, a 'laser-heater' system has been installed in the LCLS injector, which modulates the energy of a 135-MeV electron bunch with an IR laser beam in a short undulator, enclosed within a four-dipole chicane. The last half of the chicane time-smears the energy modulation leaving an effective thermal energy spread increase. We present the first commissioning results of this system, its operational issues, its impact on the microbunching instability, and finally its effect on the FEL performance.

With the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) now in its third user run reliable electron beam delivery at various beam energies and charge levels has become of high operational importance. In order to reduce the beam tuning time required for such changes, several diagnostics and feedforward procedures have been implemented. We report on improved lattice diagnostics to detect magnet and model errors as well as on measurements of transverse RF kicks and static magnetic field contributions and corresponding correction procedures to facilitate beam energy changes.

Three temporal diagnostic techniques are considered for use in the FACET facility at SLAC, which will incorporate a unique two-bunch beam for plasma wakefield acceleration experiments. The results of these experiments will depend strongly on the the inter-bunch spacing as well as the longitudinal profiles of the two bunches. A reliable, singleshot, high resolution measurement of the beam's temporal profile is necessary to fully quantify the physical mechanisms underlying the beam driven plasma wakefield acceleration. In this study we show that a transverse deflecting cavity is the diagnostic which best meets our criteria. Based on our laboratory testing, numerical calculations, and simulations of the three single-shot temporal diagnostic devices, the X-band TCAV system is the best candidate for resolving FACET's two-bunch beam, with an estimated resolution of 7 {micro}m. Both the S-band TCAV system and the EO system could resolve the peak-to-peak separation of the two bunches in the FACET beam with estimated resolutions of 25 {micro}m and 30 {micro}m, respectively, but would be unable to resolve the temporal profiles of the individual bunches themselves. Because the TCAV signal is more easily interpreted and because the reliability of the EO system is less well known, however, the S-band TCAV system would be the next preferred option after the X-band TCAV system. The Fesca-200 streak camera, though simple, compact, and reliable, is unable to achieve a resolution that would be of use to FACET.

The recently commissioned Linac Coherent Light Source is an X-ray free-electron laser at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. It produces coherent soft and hard X-rays with peak brightness nearly ten orders of magnitude beyond conventional synchrotron sources and a range of pulse durations from 500 to <10 fs (10 −15 s). With these beam characteristics this light source is capable of imaging the structure and dynamics of matter at atomic size and timescales. The facility is now operating at X-ray wavelengths from 22 to 1.2 Å and is presently delivering this high-brilliance beam to a growing array of scientific researchers. We describe the operation and performance of this new ‘fourth-generation light source’.

The Linac Coherent Light Source at SLAC is a hard Xray FEL which was designed for single electron bunch operation. Although most user experiments are not interested in multiple bunches from an S-band linac due to their short (ns) separation, there are some advantages with multi-bunch operation. Starting with two bunches where the delayed light of one bunch is used to seed the light of a second bunch, to many more bunches to increase the likelihood of rare target collisions, multibunch operation would open more options for the LCLS. In the past the SLAC Linac has operated with a few dedicated bunches for the SLC (Stanford Linear Collider), and up to 1400 bunches for some fixed target experiments, so a few bunches for the LCLS seems possible even with the original single bunch design. This paper will describe how the current RF implementation supports multi-bunch operation. Initial experimental tests with two bunches are presented.

The linac coherent light source (LCLS) is a self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) free-electron laser (FEL) operating at fundamental photon energies from 0.5 to 10 keV. Characterization of the higher harmonics present in the FEL beam is important to users, for whom harder x rays can either extend the useful operating wavelength range or increase experimental backgrounds. We present measurements of the power in both the second and third harmonics, and compare the results to expectations from simulations. We also present studies of the transport of harmonics to the users, and the harmonic power as a function of electron beam quality.

We present experimental studies of the gain length and saturation power level from 1.5 nm to 1.5 Angstroms at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). By disrupting the FEL process with an orbit kick, we are able to measure the X-ray intensity as a function of undulator length. This kick method is cross-checked with the method of removing undulator sections. We also study the FEL-induced electron energy loss after saturation to determine the optimal taper of the undulator K values. The experimental results are compared to theory and simulations.