Imaging ultrafast dynamical diffraction wavefronts in strained Si with coherent X-rays

Abstract

Dynamical diffraction effects in single crystals produce highly monochromatic parallel X-ray beams with a mutual separation of a few micrometer and a time-delay of a few fs -the so-called echoes. This ultrafast diffraction effect is used at X-ray Free Electron Lasers in self-seeding schemes to improve beam monochromaticity. Here, we present a coherent X-ray imaging measurement of echoes from Si crystals and demonstrate that a small surface strain can be used to tune their temporal delay. These results represent a first step towards the ambitious goal of strain-tailoring new X-ray optics.