Special lecture series: Ultrafast linear and nonlinear X-ray spectroscopy

Michael W. Zuerch

University of California, Berkeley

Part I: Introduction and fundamentals

In this first lecture, I will explore the advantages of elemental and symmetry-selective probes for studying chemically relevant interfaces and symmetry properties in materials, contrasting these approaches with conventional methods commonly used in experimental condensed matter physics. Additionally, I will provide an overview of the fundamentals of X-ray spectroscopy and free-electron lasers that enabled the recent demonstrations of nonlinear spectroscopy in the X-ray regime.

Part II: Linking nonlinear optics between visible and X-ray regime

In this lecture, we will focus on the fundamentals of nonlinear optics and explore how to bridge our understanding across photon energy scales, from the visible to the X-ray regime. We will specifically examine the foundational differences between the visible/infrared regimes, which provide surface sensitivity, the XUV/soft X-ray regime, which enables elemental specificity at interfaces, and the hard X-ray regime, which is sensitive to bulk symmetry.

Part III: Applications in materials and liquid interfaces

In this lecture, I will present recent examples demonstrating how the combination of linear and nonlinear X-ray spectroscopy can reveal properties of matter and interfaces that are otherwise inaccessible. These examples include complex quantum phases of matter and the surface of water.

Venue: RUN Auditorium