Spatial and temporal pre-alignment of an X-ray split-and-delay unit by laser light interferometry.

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Split-and-delay units are crucial for ultrafast X-ray pump-probe experiments at free-electron lasers.
• The alignment of these complex crystal-optics devices is traditionally time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel experimental setup for precise pre-alignment of hard X-ray split-and-delay units.
• To reduce the alignment time for split-and-delay systems.

Main Methods:

• Utilized low coherence light interferometry and high-precision penta-prisms for alignment.
• Implemented the setup at the PETRA III beamline P10.
• Proposed an alternative method for zero-time delay crossing detection without X-rays or pulsed lasers.

Main Results:

• Achieved alignment in under 3 hours, a significant reduction from traditional methods.
• Demonstrated a viable method for alignment without X-ray or pulsed laser sources.

Conclusions:

• The novel setup drastically cuts down alignment time for split-and-delay units.
• The proposed methods enhance the feasibility of operating these systems in time-critical environments like X-ray free electron laser facilities.