Free electron lasers are said to be the first scientific tools for the real-time analysis of the structural dynamics of molecules and atoms in materials as they undertake changes in physical, chemical and biological processes. They offer both simultaneous nanoscopic spatial resolution and femtosecond temporal resolution.
FEL facilities exist in Hamburg and in Stanford in the US. The current generation of FELs are said to be limited by the reproducibility of the X-ray pulses they make and in the time structure of the pulses used. |
