Nanosecond X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy using pulse time structure of a storage-ring source

X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) is a routine technique to study slow dynamics in complex systems at storage-ring sources. Achieving nanosecond time resolution with the conventional XPCS technique is, however, still an experimentally challenging task requiring fast detectors and sufficient photon flux. Here, the result of a nanosecond XPCS study of fast colloidal dynamics is shown by employing an adaptive gain integrating pixel detector (AGIPD) operated at frame rates of the intrinsic pulse structure of the storage ring. Correlation functions from single-pulse speckle patterns with the shortest correlation time of 192 ns have been calculated. These studies provide an important step towards routine fast XPCS studies at storage rings.

Automated summary

X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) is a routine technique for studying slow dynamics in complex systems at storage-ring sources. Achieving nanosecond time resolution with conventional XPCS technique is challenging, but employing an adaptive gain integrating pixel detector (AGIPD) can enable nanosecond XPCS studies, marking an important step towards routine fast XPCS studies at storage rings.