Dongfang Zhang

AXSIS: Exploring the frontiers in attosecond X-ray science, imaging and spectroscopy

X-ray crystallography is one of the main methods to determine atomic-resolution 3D images of the whole spectrum of molecules ranging from small inorganic clusters to large protein complexes consisting of hundred-thousands of atoms that constitute the macromolecular machinery of life. Life is not static, and unravelling the structure and dynamics of the most important reactions in chemistry and biology is essential to uncover their mechanism. Many of these reactions, including photosynthesis which drives our biosphere, are light induced and occur on ultrafast timescales. These have been studied with high time resolution primarily by optical spectroscopy, enabled by ultrafast laser technology, but they reduce the vast complexity of the process to a few reaction coordinates. In the AXSIS project at CFEL in Hamburg, funded by the European Research Council, we develop the new method of attosecond serial X-ray crystallography and spectroscopy, to give a full description of ultrafast processes atomically resolved in real space and on the electronic energy landscape, from co-measurement of X-ray and optical spectra, and X-ray diffraction. This technique will revolutionize our understanding of structure and function at the atomic and molecular level and thereby unravel fundamental processes in chemistry and biology like energy conversion processes. For that purpose, we develop a compact, fully coherent, THz-driven atto-second X-ray source based on coherent inverse Compton scattering off a free-electron crystal, to outrun radiation damage effects due to the necessary high X-ray irradiance required to acquire diffraction signals. This highly synergistic project starts from a completely clean slate rather than conforming to the specifications of a large free-electron laser (FEL) user facility, to optimize the entire instrumentation towards fundamental measurements of the mechanism of light absorption and excitation energy transfer. A multidisciplinary team formed by laser-, accelerator,- X-ray scientists as well as spectroscopists and biochemists optimizes X-ray pulse parameters, in tandem with sample delivery, crystal size, and advanced X-ray detectors. Ultimately, the new capability, attosecond serial X-ray crystallography and spectroscopy, will be applied to one of the most important problems in structural biology, which is to elucidate the dynamics of light reactions, electron transfer and protein structure in photosynthesis.

Terahertz-driven, all-optical electron gun

Ultrashort electron beams with narrow energy spread, high charge, and low jitter are essential for resolving phase transitions in metals, semiconductors, and molecular crystals. These semirelativistic beams, produced by phototriggered electron guns, are also injected into accelerators for x-ray light sources. The achievable resolution of these time-resolved electron diffraction or x-ray experiments has been hindered by surface field and timing jitter limitations in conventional RF guns, which thus far are 96 fs, respectively. A gun driven by optically-generated single-cycle THz pulses provides a practical solution to enable not only GV/m surface fields but also absolute timing stability, since the pulses are generated by the same laser as the phototrigger. Here, we demonstrate an all-optical THz gun yielding peak electron energies approaching 1 keV, accelerated by 300 MV/m THz fields in a novel micron-scale waveguide structure. We also achieve quasimonoenergetic, sub-keV bunches with 32 fC of charge, which can already be used for time-resolved low-energy electron diffraction. Such ultracompact, easy to implement guns driven by intrinsically synchronized THz pulses that are pumped by an amplified arm of the already present photoinjector laser provide a new tool with potential to transform accelerator based science.

Segmented terahertz electron accelerator and manipulator (STEAM)

Acceleration and manipulation of electron bunches underlie most electron and X-ray devices used for ultrafast imaging and spectroscopy. New terahertz-driven concepts offer orders-of-magnitude improvements in field strengths, field gradients, laser synchronization and compactness relative to conventional radiofrequency devices, enabling shorter electron bunches and higher resolution with less infrastructure while maintaining high charge capacities (pC), repetition rates (kHz) and stability. We present a segmented terahertz electron accelerator and manipulator (STEAM) capable of performing multiple high-field operations on the six-dimensional phase space of ultrashort electron bunches. With this single device, powered by few-microjoule, single-cycle, 0.3 THz pulses, we demonstrate record terahertz acceleration of >30 keV, streaking with <10 fs resolution, focusing with >2 kT m–1 strength, compression to ~100 fs as well as real-time switching between these modes of operation. The STEAM device demonstrates the feasibility of terahertz-based electron accelerators, manipulators and diagnostic tools, enabling science beyond current resolution frontiers with transformative impact.By sending few-microjoule single-cycle terahertz pulses to a segmented terahertz electron accelerator and manipulator, 70 MV m–1 peak acceleration fields, 2 kT m–1 focusing gradients, 140 µrad fs–1 streaking gradient and bunch compression to 100 fs are achieved.

Terahertz-driven, sub-keV electron gun

Strong-field, single-cycle THz fields accelerate electrons with peak energies of up to 0.75 keV in a millimeter-sized THz gun with bunch charge of 45 fC. Energy spreads as low as 5.8% were also achieved.

Optical generation of single-cycle 10 MW peak power 100 GHz waves

We demonstrate the generation of 100 GHz single-cycle pulses with up to 10 MW of peak power using optical rectification and broadband phase matching via the tilted pulse front (TPF) technique in lithium niobate. The optical driver is a cryogenically cooled Yb:YAG amplifier providing tens of mJ energy, ~5 ps long laser pulses. We obtain a high THz pulse energy up to 65 µJ with 31.6 MV/m peak electric field when focused close to its diffraction limit of 2.5 mm diameter. A high optical-to-THz energy conversion efficiency of 0.3% at 85 K is measured in agreement with numerical simulations. This source is of great interest for a broad range of applications, such as nonlinear THz field-matter interaction and charged particle acceleration for ultrafast electron diffraction and table-top X-ray sources.

THz-driven electron streak camera based on a multilayer structure

With the development of modem THz technology [1], which can provide electric fields with GV/m gradients, THz-based control and manipulation of the electron bunches has become possible. THz-driven electron acceleration, compression and streaking have attracted much attention recently [2, 3]. Here, we present a novel THz driven electron streak camera that provides sub-fs temporal resolution using a multilayer structure.

Terahertz Accelerator Technology

The potential of a linear THz accelerator technology is discussed. Theoretical and first experimental results on THz-driven guns and accelerators are presented with a focus on laser based THz generation to drive these devices.

Compact Electron Injectors Using Laser Driven THz Cavities

We present ultra-small electron injectors based on cascaded cavities excited by short multi-cycle THz signals. The designed structure is a 3.5 cell normal conducting cavity operating at 300 GHz. This cavity is able to generate pC electron bunches and accelerate them up to 250 keV using less than 1 mJ THz energy. Unlike conventional RF guns, the designed cavity operates in a transient state which, in combination with the high frequency of the driving field, makes it possible to apply accelerating gradients as high as 500 MV/m. Such high accelerating gradients are promising for the generation of high brightness electron beams with transverse emittances in the nm-rad range. The designed cavity can be used as the injector for a compact accelerator of low charge bunches.

Demonstration of an All-Optically Driven Sub-keV THz Gun

The recent progress in the development of high power lasers in conjunction with novel techniques in nonlinear optics have led to the generation of intense ultrashort THz pulses with single-cycle pulse duration. The old scaling laws of damage threshold for materials and the more upto-date rules governing the pulse heating of metals both predict the relaxation of damage probability when short pulses are exploited for electron acceleration. Consequently, using THz ultrashort pulses for electron acceleration offers a promising path towards increased acceleration gradients. In this contribution, we present the first experimental demonstration of an ultrafast THz gun. It is shown that strongfield of a single-cycle THz pulse focused by a parallel-plate waveguide accelerates electron bunches with 40 fC to peak energies of up to 0.8 keV. The achieved energy spreads are

Electron Bunch Streaking With Single-Cycle THz Radiation Using an NSOM-Style TIP

Near-field scanning optical microscopy (SNOM) is a technique based on simple conical structures with relatively small apertures; the incident laser light is mostly reflected but a small evanescent field beyond the aperture can be used to make measurements beyond the diffraction limit. In this paper we discuss a scaled version of SNOM to mm-scales, suited especially for available laser-based single-cycle THz sources. We explore the potential of the device for electronbunch diagnostics.