| Abstract | The Linac Coherent Light Source will be a revolutionary source of X-rays capable of producing ultrahort pulses with a peak brilliance ten orders of magnitude above what a typical synchrotron source can produce today. This unique source opens up a wide range of new possibilities for exciting science and novel techniques. One of the many exciting new research areas made possible by LCLS is the imaging of single nanoparticles, including biological samples, beyond the classical radiation damage limit. By illuminating the sample with an extremely short and intense pulse of X-rays, it is possible to record the diffraction pattern of the sample before any significant radiation-induced changes can occur within the sample. The Coherent X-ray Imaging (CXI) instrument currently being designed and soon to be built at LCLS will aim to exploit the short intense pulses from the machine to image, with sub-nanometer resolution, any object smaller than 1 micron. In this presentation, I will discuss the new science that was the driving force behind the CXI instrument. I will also describe the design and functionality of the instrument and what its ultimate capabilities will be. Finally, I will provide a timeline for the availability of the instrument to the general users. |
