CD XFEL IF PAN

The XFEL Center of Excellence at IF PAN is dedicated to research on structural changes in condensed matter influenced by temperature and pressure. This research is associated with the thematic focus on materials conducted on the FXE, MID, and HED instruments at EuXFEL, including ultrafast structural transformations such as melting, crystallization, or vitrification induced by sub-picosecond laser pulses.

The scientific infrastructure available at CD XFEL – IF PAN allows for static structural and electronic characterization of condensed matter. Techniques such as scanning and transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution and powder X-ray diffraction, photoelectron spectroscopy, ion spectroscopy, and optical microscopy are used for this purpose. Additionally, the existing CD XFEL – IF PAN research station enables the study of structural changes in condensed matter under the influence of high temperature or pressure generated by ultrashort radiation pulses.

As part of the project, this equipment will be expanded with a high-power femtosecond laser and complementary optical systems – harmonic generator, white light source, delay line – necessary for introducing new measurement techniques: time-resolved microscopy and optical interferometry. These will be used for optical investigations of the dynamics of processes occurring in condensed matter on a time scale from femtoseconds to nanoseconds.

Such studies, using femtosecond X-ray pulses, are exemplary applications of XFEL sources.