Studies of x-ray switching and shuttering techniques

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Abstract
Experimental studies have been conducted on the changes in x-ray diffraction properties of crystals under intense subnanosecond laser heating. One beam of the PHOENIX laser system was used to create an intense source of x-ray line radiation. This radiation was, in turn, diffracted from a silicon crystal that was heated with the other beam of the laser. The diffracted radiation was temporally resolved with an x-ray streak camera. The diffracted lines are observed to broaden on a subnanosecond time scale. From the temporal structure of the diffracted radiation, information is derived on the nature of the laser heating process. We show that such interruption of the diffracting process is a potentially useful mechanism for x-ray switching and shuttering. Considerations for the design and construction of such devices are discussed.