# Demonstration of a picosecond Bragg switch for hard x-rays in a synchrotron-based pump-probe experiment

## TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a picosecond Bragg switch that shortens hard x-ray pulses to 7.5 ps in a synchrotron experiment, enabling high temporal resolution for studying nanometer-scale phenomena.

## Contribution

The work introduces a novel picosecond Bragg switch for hard x-rays, achieving significant pulse shortening and high photon flux in synchrotron-based pump-probe experiments.

## Key findings

- Pulse duration reduced to 7.5 ps
- Switch can deliver up to 10^10 photons/sec
- Effective monitoring of sound waves in thin films

## Abstract

We report a benchmark experiment that demonstrates shortening of hard x-ray pulses in a synchrotron-based optical pump - x-ray probe experiment. The pulse shortening device, a picosecond Bragg switch, reduces the temporal resolution of an incident x-ray pulse to 7.5 ps. We employ the Bragg switch to monitor propagating sound waves in nanometer-thin epitaxial films. With the experimental data we infer pulse duration, diffraction efficiency and switching contrast of the device. A detailed efficiency analysis shows, that the switch can deliver up to 1010 photons/sec in high-repetition rate synchrotron experiments.