Ultrafast X-ray Spectroscopy: Probing Dynamics at Fundamental Length and Time Scales
Speaker(s): Ernie Glover
The non-equilibrium world in which we live is characterized by chemical reactions, phase transitions, and other dynamical processes which, ultimately, are mediated by the ultrafast (<10-12 sec) motion of individual atoms and molecules. Our ability to understand and eventually control how matter evolves at the microscopic level is hampered by an inability to 鈥檚ee鈥� material dynamics on such ultrasmall spatial (10-10 m) and ultrafast temporal (10-15 s) dimensions. I will discuss how pump-probe techniques using femtosecond (1 fs = 10-15 s) x-ray pulses provides one avenue for resolving ultrafast chemical reactions, phase transitions, etc., on the characteristic spatial and temporal dimensions of atoms and molecules.