MeV ultrafast electron scattering: a view into atomic world

X-ray, neutron and electrons are powerful tools to explore atomic world.   MeV ultrafast electron scattering became a new frontier in ultrafast science due to its capability of following dynamics on femtoseconds scale with the high spatial resolution and sensitivity [1-4]. Furthermore, MeV electrons experience less multiple-scattering, and possess “real” flat Ewald-sphere; MeV ultrafast electron diffraction (MeV-UED) is an ideal tool to explore both structure and dynamics using total scattering technique.   MeV-UED had broad and transformative impact on ultrafast science, such as the first 2-D materials ultrafast structure dynamics [5], break the long-standing puzzle of efficiency degradation of quantum dots [6], light-induced transient states of quantum materials [7-8], the first direct imaging of fundamental chemical processes [9-10] and hydrogen bond dynamics in liquid water [11]. Recently, we have demonstrated the first operando experiment in ultrafast [12], the first successful ultrafast visualization of incipient plasticity in dynamically compressed matter [13] and the first observation of Einstein-de Haas effect in an antiferromagnetic material [14].  We propose to develop new generation MeV ultrafast scattering instrument in Ruhr aera to address grand challenges in material, chemical and chemical science, such as imaging proton transfer and detangle electron-nuclear coupling.

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