Ultrafast, high resolution, phase contrast imaging of impact response with synchrotron radiation

Understanding the dynamic response of materials at extreme conditions requires diagnostics that can provide real-time, in situ, spatially resolved measurements on the nanosecond timescale. The development of methods such as phase contrast imaging (PCI) typically used at synchrotron sources offer unique opportunities to examine dynamic material response. In this work, we report ultrafast, high-resolution, dynamic PCI measurements of shock compressed materials with 3 μm spatial resolution using a single 60 ps synchrotron X-ray bunch. These results firmly establish the use of PCI to examine dynamic phenomena at ns to μs timescales.