Ultra-short X-ray laser pulses precisely surveyed for the first time

X-ray lasers belong to a modern generation of light sources from which scientists in widely different disciplines expect to obtain new knowledge about the structure and function of materials at the atomic level. On the basis of this new knowledge, it could then be possible one day to develop better medicines, more powerful computers or more efficient catalysts for energy transformation. The scientific value of an X-ray laser stands or falls on the quality of the ultra-short X-ray pulses it produces and which researchers use to illuminate their samples. An international team led by scientists from the Paul Scherer Institute, PSI, has now precisely measured these pulses. In so doing, they have laid the foundation for a scientifically optimal utilisation of X-ray lasers – not least, of the planned SwissFEL at PSI. The results of this work have recently been published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

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