Structural Dynamics Probe
Single-shot ultrafast electron diffraction
The Structural Dynamics Probe is a turnkey instrument for capturing atomic-scale ‘movies’ of materials as they change. Point it at a sample, trigger a reaction with a laser pulse, and watch the atoms move frame by frame, with each frame lasting less than a trillionth of a second. The system fits in a standard laboratory.
Structural dynamics happen fast. Phase transitions, bond breaking, lattice rearrangements—these processes unfold in femtoseconds. Conventional diffraction captures structure but averages over time. To watch a crystal change, you need pulses short enough to freeze each step.
The Structural Dynamics Probe solves this. A femtosecond UV laser pulse hits a copper cathode; electrons are extracted, accelerated, and compressed into a pulse short enough to freeze molecular motion mid-step. The diffraction pattern captures atomic positions at a single instant. Repeat with different pump-probe delays, and you watch the structure evolve: bonds breaking, lattices rearranging, phase transitions propagating through a crystal.
The system brings together everything Doctor X has learned about pulsed electron beams. The Photogun extracts and accelerates electrons across a 12 MV/m field. The Compression Module reverses space-charge expansion, squeezing picosecond bunches back to 100 fs at the sample. An optional Deflection Module lets you measure pulse duration right where it matters.
The result: beam quality that used to require a synchrotron beamline, in a setup that spans 1.5 meters.
The system ships complete: Photogun Module with laser incoupler, Compression Module with thermal stabilization. Everything is conditioned and stabilized. You supply the femtosecond laser, the detector, and sample chamber. We recommend ASI’s TimePix3 for the camera, but standard electron detectors work too.
Typical performance:
- Beam energy: up to 100 keV
- Bunch charge: 100 fC
- Spot size: 250 μm rms (at sample)
- Pulse duration: 100 fs rms (at sample)
- Coherence length: 3 nm
- System length: ~1.5 m
Every system is configured for your application.
Structural Dynamics Probe System
Doctor X makes research instruments that give scientists control over time, energy, and measurement at a precision that wasn’t accessible before.
Doctor X works alongside research institutes, universities, and industry partners worldwide. These collaborations with engineers, scientists, and inventors matter, as they share a commitment to making instruments that unlock new research. These are our peers.
Together, we continue to move beyond science dreams.
X LAB is where Doctor X develops the next generation of ultrafast electron techniques. This is the heart of the company - where ideas become instruments.
Research here pushes beyond current products. Rotating mode cavities for faster pulse repetition. Pulse shaping for application-specific beam profiles. X-ray generation through the Smartlight project. Each direction opens new capabilities for researchers who need them.
The work happens the same way it always has at Doctor X: making, testing, refining, and sometimes discarding. Not every idea becomes a product. The ones that do will extend what ultrafast electron techniques can unlock - and what researchers can discover.
