Mainz 2026 – scientific programme

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AKjDPG: Arbeitskreis junge DPG

AKjDPG 3: Free-Electron Lasers

AKjDPG 3.2: Tutorial

Sunday, March 1, 2026, 16:45–17:30, C 02

Your first Free-Electron Laser experiment: What to know before you go — •Kirsten Schnorr — Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland

X-ray Free-Electron Lasers (XFELs) have emerged as uniquely powerful light sources that enable experiments on the femtosecond time scale due to their ultrashort pulses with atomic resolution exploiting the short wavelengths or state-selectivity of X-rays. This tutorial will introduce the fundamental properties of XFEL radiation and give an overview of the current XFEL landscape.

Building on this foundation, we will survey key application areas of XFELs with a focus on atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics. The fundamental interaction mechanisms of X-rays and matter will be reviewed. We will discuss how a temporal resolution down to the femto- and even atto-second time scale can be achieved using the pump-probe technique. We will look into typical XFEL applications in AMO sciences either making use of the extreme X-ray intensities which result in the absorption of multiple X-ray photons within one pulse by a target and/or exploiting the high achievable temporal resolution. Finally, the tutorial will provide a practical overview of the architecture of a typical XFEL beamline and experimental station for AMO sciences.

Keywords: Free-Electron Laser; Ultrafast spectroscopy; Atoms, molecules, clusters; X-ray