Lab-scale soft x-ray ptychography: advanced nanoscale imaging and beam diagnostics

X-ray microscopy has proven its advantages for resolving nanoscale objects. High Harmonic Generation (HHG) sources allow performing nanoimaging experiments at the lab scale and their femtosecond pulse duration and synchrony to an optical laser renders them useful for studying dynamic processes. HHG sources regularly provide high average photon flux but relatively low single-shot flux limiting time-resolved applications to adiabatic processes. Here, we show that soft X-ray lasers (SXRL) in turn provide high flux due to an X-ray lasing transition, but the coherence of an SXRL operating in the amplified-spontaneous-emission scheme is limited. The coherence properties of an SXRL seeded by an HHG source can be significantly improved allowing single-shot nanoscale imaging. In combination with ptychography, source properties are measured with high fidelity. This is applied to study the plasma dynamics of SXRL amplification in unprecedented quality