LBNL is pursuing design studies and the scientific program for a facility dedicated to the production of xray pulses with ultra-short time duration, for application in dynamical studies of processes in physics, biology, and chemistry. The proposed x-ray facility has the short x-ray pulse length (~60 fs FWHM) necessary to study very fast dynamics, high flux (up to approximately 10 11 photons/sec/0.1%BW) to study weakly scattering systems, and tuneability over 1-12 keV photon energy. The hard x-ray photon production section of the machine accomodates seven 2-m long undulators. Design studies for longer wavelength sources, using high-gain harmonic generation, are in progress. The x-ray pulse repetition rate of 10 kHz is matched to studies of dynamical processes (initiated by ultra-short laser pulses) that typically have a long recovery time or are not generally cyclic or reversible and need time to allow relaxation, replacement, or flow of the sample. The technique for producing ultra-short x-ray pulses uses relatively long electron bunches to minimise high-peak-current collective effects, and the ultimate x-ray duration is achieved by a combination of bunch manipulation and optical compression. Synchronization of x-ray pulses to sample excitation signals is expected to be of order 50 -100 fs. Techniques for making use of the recirculating geometry to provide beam-based signals from early passes through the machine are being studied.

Apparatus and procedures are described for the high-resolution measurement of resonance shifts and for the observation of broad line shapes. Included are a discussion of magnet design and a summary of empirical results obtained in the construction and field homogenization of two large permanent magnets. Narrow, complex resonance lines, with components separated by as little as a milligauss, are resolved by a combination of homogeneous applied magnetic field, small samples, and slow-sweep field modulation. Broad absorption line shapes are plotted at fixed frequency by a system incorporating a regenerative oscillator, a narrow band amplifier, a recording potentiometer, and an electronic control for varying the applied magnetic field linearly in time. A simple cryostat provides stable temperatures from 85° to 500°K. In the case of samples with short spin-lattice relaxation times, such as the metals, improved signal-to-noise ratios are obtained by adjusting the oscillator to super-regenerative operation and observing the frequency modulation associated with the dispersive component of the resonance.

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