Femtosecond x-ray measurement of ultrafast melting and large acoustic transients

Time-resolved x-ray diffraction with ultrashort (approximate to 300 fs), multi-keV x-ray pulses has been used to study the femtosecond laser-induced solid-to-liquid phase transition in a thin crystalline layer of germanium. Nonthermal melting is observed to take place within 300-500 fs. Following ultrafast melting we observe strong acoustic perturbations evolving on a picosecond time scale.