Toward time-resolved soft X-ray microscopy using pulsed fs-high-harmonic radiation

Wieland M, Spielmann C, Kleineberg U, Westerwalbesloh T, Heinzmann U, Wilhein T. Toward time-resolved soft X-ray microscopy using pulsed fs-high-harmonic radiation. ULTRAMICROSCOPY. 2005;102(2):93-100.Coherent soft X-ray sources open the way to new capabilities in high-resolution imaging, site- and element-specific spectroscopy and biomicroscopy. In this paper we demonstrate imaging with a table-top soft X-ray microscope. By combining a laser driven high-harmonic light source, optimized for having the maximum brightness at around 100 eV, a pair of multilayer mirrors to select a narrow spectral band and acting simultaneously as a condenser and a Fresnel zone plate as microscope objective, we were able to resolve 200 nm structures of a diatom sample. Further, the pulsed nature of our X-ray source offers the possibility of time-resolved spectromicroscopy with a temporal resolution in the order of a few femtoseconds. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved