Speaker
Description
Laser-driven XUV and X-ray sources provide versatile tools for ultrafast science and open new opportunities for nonlinear methods at short wavelengths. At ELI Beamlines, we are developing a complementary suite of laser-driven sources spanning coherent XUV high-harmonic generation (HHG), characteristic Cu Kα emission, and broadband hard X-ray betatron radiation. The HHG beamline is driven by the 1 kHz L1 laser delivering 50 mJ, 15 fs pulses and provides femtosecond coherent XUV pulses for ultrafast experiments. Using this source, we will present first results in coherent diffraction imaging as well as initial experiments in transient grating spectroscopy, demonstrating the potential of the HHG beamline for time-resolved studies and coherent XUV methodologies. The same L1 laser is also used to generate an incoherent Cu Kα source, mainly employed for time-resolved diffraction methods, while a 0.5 PW laser operating at 3.3 Hz is used to produce broadband hard X-ray betatron radiation, extending our capabilities toward short-pulse hard X-ray probing. Together, these sources form a flexible platform for pump-probe studies of ultrafast dynamics. Looking ahead, we aim to exploit their femtosecond duration, high peak brightness, and coherence to explore nonlinear spectroscopy and imaging in the XUV and X-ray range.