Ultrafast structural dynamics of materials captured by relativistic electron bunches

Ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) has become a leading technique for investigation of structural dynamics in solids providing high spatial and temporal resolutions. Radio frequency (RF) based photoinjectors providing Mega-electron-volt (MeV) scale electron beams are improving the source brightness and instrument versatility and are largely responsible for advancement of the field of structural dynamics. At Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), an RF photoinjector gun for ultrafast structural studies using UED has been in development and is now producing high-quality scientific results. Here we describe some factors that enable UED of materials at LBNL and present some exemplary results.