@article{SchickEckertPontiusetal.2016, author = {Schick, Daniel and Eckert, Sebastian and Pontius, Niko and Mitzner, Rolf and F{\"o}hlisch, Alexander and Holldack, Karsten and Sorgenfrei, Nomi}, title = {Versatile soft X-ray-optical cross-correlator for ultrafast applications}, series = {Structural dynamics}, volume = {3}, journal = {Structural dynamics}, publisher = {American Institute of Physics}, address = {Melville}, issn = {2329-7778}, doi = {10.1063/1.4964296}, pages = {054304-1 -- 054304-8}, year = {2016}, abstract = {We present an X-ray-optical cross-correlator for the soft (> 150 eV) up to the hard X-ray regime based on a molybdenum-silicon superlattice. The cross-correlation is done by probing intensity and position changes of superlattice Bragg peaks caused by photoexcitation of coherent phonons. This approach is applicable for a wide range of X-ray photon energies as well as for a broad range of excitation wavelengths and requires no external fields or changes of temperature. Moreover, the cross-correlator can be employed on a 10 ps or 100 fs time scale featuring up to 50\% total X-ray reflectivity and transient signal changes of more than 20\%. (C) 2016 Author(s).}, language = {en} } @article{ThielemannKuehnSchickPontiusetal.2017, author = {Thielemann-K{\"u}hn, Nele and Schick, Daniel and Pontius, Niko and Trabant, Christoph and Mitzner, Rolf and Holldack, Karsten and Zabel, Hartmut and F{\"o}hlisch, Alexander and Schuessler-Langeheine, Christian}, title = {Ultrafast and Energy-Efficient Quenching of Spin Order: Antiferromagnetism Beats Ferromagnetism}, series = {Physical review letters}, volume = {119}, journal = {Physical review letters}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, address = {College Park}, issn = {0031-9007}, doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.197202}, pages = {6}, year = {2017}, abstract = {By comparing femtosecond laser pulse induced ferro- and antiferromagnetic dynamics in one and the same material-metallic dysprosium-we show both to behave fundamentally different. Antiferromagnetic order is considerably faster and much more efficiently reduced by optical excitation than its ferromagnetic counterpart. We assign the fast and extremely efficient process in the antiferromagnet to an interatomic transfer of angular momentum within the spin system. Our findings imply that this angular momentum transfer channel is effective in other magnetic metals with nonparallel spin alignment. They also point out a possible route towards energy-efficient spin manipulation for magnetic devices.}, language = {en} } @article{HolldackOvsyannikovKuskeetal.2014, author = {Holldack, Karsten and Ovsyannikov, Ruslan and Kuske, P. and Mueller, R. and Schaelicke, A. and Scheer, M. and Gorgoi, Mihaela and Kuehn, D. and Leitner, T. and Svensson, S. and Martensson, N. and F{\"o}hlisch, Alexander}, title = {Single bunch X-ray pulses on demand from a multi-bunch synchrotron radiation source}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {5}, journal = {Nature Communications}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {London}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms5010}, pages = {7}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Synchrotron radiation facilities routinely operate in a multi-bunch regime, but applications relying on time-of-flight schemes require single bunch operation. Here we show that pulse picking by resonant excitation in a storage ring creates in addition to the multi-bunch operation a distinct and separable single bunch soft X-ray source. It has variable polarization, a photon flux of up to 10(7)-10(9) ph s(-1)/0.1\%BW at purity values of 10(4)-10(2) and a repetition rate of 1.25 MHz. The quasi-resonant excitation of incoherent betatron oscillations of electrons allows horizontal pulse separation at variable (also circular) polarization accessible for both, regular 30 ps pulses and ultrashort pulses of 2-3 ps duration. Combined with a new generation of angularly resolving electron spectrometers this creates unique opportunities for time-resolved photoemission studies as confirmed by time-of-flight spectra. Our pulse picking scheme is particularly suited for surface physics at diffraction-limited light sources promising ultimate spectral resolution.}, language = {en} } @article{FoersterLindenauLeyendeckeretal.2015, author = {F{\"o}rster, Daniel F. and Lindenau, Bernd and Leyendecker, Marko and Janssen, Franz and Winkler, Carsten and Schumann, Frank O. and Kirschner, Juergen and Holldack, Karsten and F{\"o}hlisch, Alexander}, title = {Phase-locked MHz pulse selector for x-ray sources}, series = {Optics letters : a publication of the Optical Society of America}, volume = {40}, journal = {Optics letters : a publication of the Optical Society of America}, number = {10}, publisher = {Optical Society of America}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0146-9592}, doi = {10.1364/OL.40.002265}, pages = {2265 -- 2268}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Picosecond x-ray pulses are extracted with a phase-locked x-ray pulse selector at 1.25 MHz repetition rate from the pulse trains of the accelerator-driven multiuser x-ray source BESSY II preserving the peak brilliance at high pulse purity. The system consists of a specially designed in-vacuum chopper wheel rotating with approximate to 1 kHz angular frequency. The wheel is driven in an ultrahigh vacuum and is levitated on magnetic bearings being capable of withstanding high centrifugal forces. Pulses are picked by 1252 high-precision slits of 70 mu m width on the outer rim of the wheel corresponding to a temporal opening window of the chopper of 70 ns. We demonstrate how the electronic phase stabilization of +/- 2 ns together with an arrival time jitter of the individual slits of the same order of magnitude allows us to pick short single bunch x-ray pulses out of a 200 ns ion clearing gap in a multibunch pulse train as emitted from a synchrotron facility at 1.25 MHz repetition rate with a pulse purity below the shot noise detection limit. The approach is applicable to any high-repetition pulsed radiation source, in particular in the x-ray spectral range up to 10 keV. The opening window in a real x-ray beamline, its stability, as well as the limits of mechanical pulse picking techniques in the MHz range are discussed. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America}, language = {en} } @article{SchickLeGuyaderPontiusetal.2016, author = {Schick, Daniel and Le Guyader, Loic and Pontius, Niko and Radu, Ilie and Kachel, Torsten and Mitzner, Rolf and Zeschke, Thomas and Schuessler-Langeheine, Christian and F{\"o}hlisch, Alexander and Holldack, Karsten}, title = {Analysis of the halo background in femtosecond slicing experiments}, series = {Journal of synchrotron radiation}, volume = {23}, journal = {Journal of synchrotron radiation}, publisher = {International Union of Crystallography}, address = {Chester}, issn = {1600-5775}, doi = {10.1107/S160057751600401X}, pages = {700 -- 711}, year = {2016}, abstract = {The slicing facility FemtoSpeX at BESSY II offers unique opportunities to study photo-induced dynamics on femtosecond time scales by means of X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, resonant and non-resonant X-ray diffraction, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments in the soft X-ray regime. Besides femtosecond X-ray pulses, slicing sources inherently also produce a so-called `halo' background with a different time structure, polarization and pointing. Here a detailed experimental characterization of the halo radiation is presented, and a method is demonstrated for its correct and unambiguous removal from femtosecond time-resolved data using a special laser triggering scheme as well as analytical models. Examples are given for time-resolved measurements with corresponding halo correction, and errors of the relevant physical quantities caused by either neglecting or by applying a simplified model to describe this background are estimated.}, language = {en} }