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Title: Active X-Ray Optics for Tailoring Hard X-Ray Pulse Trains from Synchrotron Storage Rings
Speaker: Peter Gaal (TXproducts, CEO)
Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025 – 1pm
Location: Building 15 Room 253 / zoom link
Host: Antoine Islegen-Wojdyla
Description: Active X-Ray Optics introduce a novel class of devices that tailor the temporal structure of hard x-ray pulse trains emitted by synchrotron storage rings. These tools empower synchrotron users to conduct experiments without depending on the storage ring’s operational mode. In this presentation, I will highlight the WaveGate pulse picker, a versatile instrument that shapes the synchrotron pulse pattern, as depicted in Figure 1. The device integrates two piezoelectric substrates in a double-monochromator configuration. By using custom electrode patterns engineered on the surface of the first crystal the WaveGate enables dynamic modulation of x-ray transmission when voltage pulses are applied. I will explain how the WaveGate achieves sub-10 nanosecond switching times, reaches transmission efficiencies of up to 30 percent, and delivers switching contrasts exceeding 1e3. In addition, I will explore the design constraints and describe strategies to extend its applicability across a broader range of photon energies and bandwidths. To demonstrate its capabilities, I will present performance data from installations at Petra III and CHESS. I will conclude by outlining potential applications of Active X-Ray Optics in synchrotron science, including pulse shortening and advanced timing schemes that go beyond the conventional optical pump–single pulse x-ray probe method.
Additional information: https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.515884
About Peter Gaal: Dr. Peter Gaal a physicist specializing in X-ray optics, ultrafast spectroscopy, and the study of functional material properties and the CEO of TXproduts. Since July 2019, he has led the X-Ray Optics Group at the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ) and serves as Head of the IKZ-DESY Joint Lab. Previously, he was a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Nanostructure and Solid-State Physics, Universität Hamburg (2014–2019), and a Postdoctoral Researcher and Beamline Scientist at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy (2009–2014). Dr. Gaal earned his PhD in Experimental Physics from the Max-Born-Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy, Berlin (2005–2008), following studies in Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications at Technische Universität Berlin and École Nationale Supérieure de Télécommunication in Paris (1999–2005).
Peter Gaal
About TXproducts: Tailored X-ray Products (TXproducts) is a joint StartUp project of Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung IKZ and Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY. Together we strive for excellence in science. We measure our products against the high standards of beamline components. https://txproducts.de/
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