FEL-based transient grating spectroscopy to investigate nanoscale dynamics

In this article we will report on the project for the construction of a Free Electron Laser (FEL)-based time-resolved instrument capable of extending the standard transient grating (TG) technique in the VUV spectral region, and it will permit us to investigate dynamics at the nanoscale. The current construction of the FERMI@Elettra FEL source by Sincrotrone Trieste is expected to make available VUV photon pulses with unique characteristics, and therefore calls for the development of the proposed technique in Trieste. The new instrument would allow a better understanding of the physics of disordered systems since it will make accessible the mesoscopic dynamical range that cannot be explored by available instruments based on laser or synchrotron sources. TG experiments at the nanoscale would also provide a sensitive probing of interfaces and thin films, as well as heat transport and electron correlations in nanostructured materials. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.