Tunable Narrow-Band High Harmonic Beamline Optimized for Ultrafast Soft X-Ray Photoemission and Imaging

X-rays, by virtue of their short wavelength, are ideal probes of surfaces, nanostructures and materials. X-rays can image small objects, penetrate thick samples, while the presence of elemental absorption edges in the soft x-ray region allows element and chemical-specific spectroscopy and imaging. There currently exists no commercially available compact soft x-ray source which is appropriately narrow-band for spectroscopy and tunable over a wide wavelength range. Further, existing x-ray monochromators suffer from high dispersion. In this Phase I project, we propose to design a soft x-ray beamline that will make it possible to take bright soft x-ray supercontinuum x-rays at high repetition rates (1 100 kHz and above) and produce a tunable, narrow-band, soft x-ray source tunable over a broad region of the soft x-ray spectrum. We will design a soft x-ray monochromator that will be dispersion compensated to as to retain the short-pulsed nature of high harmonic generation while restricting it to a tunable narrow band suitable for spectroscopy and coherent imaging.Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The beamline developed in this project will be suitable for use in materials studies, semiconductor manufacturing, and biotechnology