Diffraction of strongly convergent X-rays from picosecond acoustic transients

• DOI: 10.1007/s00339-007-3863-6
• Publication Date: 2007-02-07T12:25:32Z
• Authors: U. Shymanovich; M. Nicoul; J. Blums; K. Sokolowski-Tinten; A. Tarasevitch; T. Wietler; M. Horn von Hoegen; D. von der Linde
• Keywords: Picosecond; Germanium compounds

Following femtosecond laser excitation, large transient changes in the X-raydiffraction efficiency have been observed in thin crystalline films of germanium. This behavior is explained in terms of the thermo-acoustic response of the impulsively heated material, when an inhomogeneously strained surface layer is probed by divergent X-ray beams.