X-ray pulse preserving single-shot optical cross-correlation method for improved experimental temporal resolution

We measured the relative arrival time between an optical pulse and a soft x-ray pulse from a free-electron laser. This femtosecond cross-correlation measurement was achieved by observing the change in optical reflectivity induced through the absorption of a fraction of the x-ray pulse. The main x-ray pulse energy remained available for an independent pump-probe experiment where the sample may be opaque to soft x-rays. The method was employed to correct the two-pulse delay data from a canonical pump-probe experiment and demonstrate 130 ± 20 fs (FWHM) temporal resolution. We further analyze possible timing jitter sources and point to future improvements.