FemtoSpeX: a versatile optical pump-soft X-ray probe facility with 100 fs X-ray pulses of variable polarization.

Here the major upgrades of the femtoslicing facility at BESSY II (Khan et al., 2006) are reviewed, giving a tutorial on how elliptical-polarized ultrashort soft X-ray pulses from electron storage rings are generated at high repetition rates. Employing a 6 kHz femtosecond-laser system consisting of two amplifiers that are seeded by one Ti:Sa oscillator, the total average flux of photons of 100 fs duration (FWHM) has been increased by a factor of 120 to up to 10(6) photons s(-1) (0.

First observation of photons carrying orbital angular momentum in undulator radiation.

Photon beams of 99 eV energy carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) have been observed in the 2nd harmonic off-axis radiation of a helical undulator at the 3rd generation synchrotron radiation light source BESSY II. For detection, the OAM carrying photon beam was superimposed with a reference beam without OAM. The interference pattern, a spiral intensity distribution, was recorded in a plane perpendicular to the propagation direction.

A plane-grating monochromator for circularly polarized undulator radiation at BESSY II.

At BESSY II, a third-generation 1.7 GeV storage ring is under construction. A planar elliptical undulator will be installed as a source of X-rays that have a high degree of circular polarization.

The PTB electromagnetic undulator for BESSY II.

The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) will operate an electromagnetic undulator designed for radiometry at the BESSY II storage ring. The undulator has a period length of 180 mm, 21 full periods and a maximum magnetic induction of 0.46 T, resulting in a tuning range of the first harmonic from 5 to 150 eV at 1.

Insertion devices for BESSY II.

The high-brilliance synchrotron radiation source BESSY II will provide space for the installation of 14 insertion devices. At the time of writing (July 1997), eight insertion devices are funded. The first light for use by scientists will be available in January 1999.