Studies of subnanosecond x-ray switching and shuttering techniques

This paper discusses experimental studies conducted of the changes in x-ray diffraction properties of crystals under intense subnanosecond laser heating. One beam of the PHOENIX laser system was used to create an intense source of x-ray line radiation. This radiation was in turn diffracted from a silicon crystal that was heated with the other beam of the laser. The diffracted radiation was temporally resolved with an x-ray streak camera. The diffracted lines are observed to broaden spectrally on a subnanosecond time scale. From the temporal structure of the diffrated radiation, information is derived on the nature of the laser heating process. Interruption of crystal diffraction on a subnanosecond time scale is potentially useful as mechanism for x-ray switching and shuttering. Considerations for the design and construction of such devices are discussed