Coherent science at the SwissFEL x-ray laser

The Paul Scherrer Institute is planning the construction of a hard-x-ray free-electron laser, the SwissFEL, by 2016, which will produce intense, ultrashort pulses of transversely coherent radiation in the wavelength range 0.1-7 nm, with future extensions to cover the range 0.08-30 nm. Special design considerations include (a) a compact construction, compatible with the status of a national facility, (b) a uniform 100 Hz repetition rate, well suited to sample manipulations and detector readout, (c) flexible wavelength tuning by the electron beam energy and undulator gaps, (d) soft x-rays at approximately 1 nm wavelength, with circular polarization and Fourier-transform-limited pulses, (e) hard x-rays of pulse duration 5-20 fs and (f) an independent source of high-energy, half-cycle terahertz pump pulses. The science case for the Swiss FEL project, which emphasizes the dynamics of condensed matter systems and the damage-free imaging of nanostructures, includes novel considerations that make optimal use of these features.