Abstract: The advent of CPA femtosecond lasers has opened the way to a new regime of interaction with atoms and molecules. In some experiments like time-resolved x-ray diffraction of laser- excited samples, the signal to be measured can contain very few photons and repetition rates up to 1 kHz are required. The laser-triggered x-ray streak camera system is therefore a promising tool for the study ultrashort x-ray events. We present the results of the characterization tests performed on our subpicosecond x-ray streak camera at the University of Michigan and at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. This new ultrafast diagnostic is triggered by a short laser pulse and can acquire images at rates up to 1 kHz and features a subpicosecond time resolution along with a 40 micrometer spatial resolution. We discuss the different issues related to the interaction between the laser pulse and photo-conductive switches, the synchronization of the detector. !9
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