SLAC's ePix10k triples MeV‑UED pulse rate to 1,080 Hz
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- ePix10k detector – the new version installed on the MeV‑UED instrument can record each of the 1,080 electron pulses per second, three times the rate of the previous detector.
- MeV‑UED instrument – with pulse‑by‑pulse readout, the upgraded system improves sensitivity enough to capture weak diffraction signals such as proton‑transfer reactions.
- SLAC teams – engineers from the Technology Innovation Directorate, Accelerator Directorate, and other groups reengineered the X‑ray‑origin detector for vacuum operation and optimized heat management.
- First test experiment – using the new detector, researchers measured the structural dynamics of iodochloromethane, a molecule relevant to ozone depletion.
- User community – the upgraded detector is now available to MeV‑UED users, enabling new measurement strategies that sharpen structural features, boost time resolution, and support machine‑learning data analysis.
- Thomas Wolf – head of LCLS Chemical Sciences Department said the detector’s performance is “like the difference between a car and a spacecraft,” and that it will tremendously benefit sophisticated machine‑learning analysis methods.
Why it matters: The upgrade gives MeV‑UED researchers three‑fold faster data acquisition, cutting experiment durations and revealing weak, ultrafast processes—such as proton transfers—that were previously out of reach. It also expands the user base and supports advanced machine‑learning analyses, accelerating discovery across chemistry, biology, and materials science.
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