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X-ray phase-contrast imaging of micron-scale objects and features requires high spatial coherence. These highly spatially coherent x-rays can be generated at fourth generation light sources or by passing laser-produced x-rays through a narrow slit. By coupling these sources to an isochoric heating platform, we can measure the dynamic changes in density gradients at the interface between two warm dense matter (WDM) samples with micron-scale spatial resolution. The high spatial coherence gives rise to refractive and diffractive features at the interface 1 , 2 , 3 , allowing for precise measurement of dynamic processes in WDM, including transport properties and measuring the equation of state. We will present an overview of successful experiments at both the Omega Laser Facility and the European XFEL that demonstrate our platform's high efficacy and spatial resolution for characterizing density gradients in dynamically evolving WDM systems.

We present an overview of the development of our Fresnel Refractive Diffractive Radiography (FDR) platform for the Extreme Light Laboratory (ELL) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. This platform couples isochorically heated buried wires with dynamic X-ray phase-contrast imaging of the warm dense matter (WDM) samples 1 . By utilizing novel 1 µm-wide slits, we obtain a highly spatially coherent x-ray source that gives rise to significant refractive and diffractive features from micron-scale density gradients at the interface 2 . Measurement of the evolution of this density profile, driven primarily by the equation of state and thermal conductivity, opens the door for direct measurements of transport properties in WDM 3 . By utilizing a copper tape drive and novel wire extruder we create replenishing solid targets that allow for significantly higher repetition rates than previously demonstrated.

We present on the design, use, and alignment procedure of novel 1 µm-wide slits for use in x-ray diffractive radiography of warm dense matter at the Omega Laser Facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

We have produced a cryogenic buffer-gas cooled beam of the diatomic molecular radical CH (methylidyne). This molecule is of interest for studying cold chemical reactions and fundamental physics measurements. Its light mass and ground-state structure make it a promising candidate for electrostatic guiding and Stark deceleration, which allows for control over its kinetic energy. This control can facilitate studies of reactions with tuneable collision energies and trapping for precise spectroscopic studies. Here, we have demonstrated electrostatic guiding of CH with fluxes up to $10^9$ molecules per steradian per pulse, 10 pages, 10 figures

Cryogenic buffer-gas beams are important sources of cold molecules. In this work we explore the use of a converging-diverging nozzle with a buffer-gas beam. We find that, under appropriate circumstances, the use of a nozzle can produce a beam with improved collimation, lower transverse temperatures, and higher fluxes per solid angle.

We present very-high-energy $\gamma$-ray observations of the BL Lac object 1ES 2344+514 taken by the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) between 2007 and 2015. 1ES 2344+514 is detected with a statistical significance above background of $20.8\sigma$ in $47.2$ hours (livetime) of observations, making this the most comprehensive very-high-energy study of 1ES 2344+514 to date. Using these observations the temporal properties of 1ES 2344+514 are studied on short and long times scales. We fit a constant flux model to nightly- and seasonally-binned light curves and apply a fractional variability test, to determine the stability of the source on different timescales. We reject the constant-flux model for the 2007-2008 and 2014-2015 nightly-binned light curves and for the long-term seasonally-binned light curve at the $> 3\sigma$ level. The spectra of the time-averaged emission before and after correction for attenuation by the extragalactic background light are obtained. The observed time-averaged spectrum above 200 GeV is satisfactorily fitted (${\chi^2/NDF = 7.89/6}$) by a power-law function with index $\Gamma = 2.46 \pm 0.06_{stat} \pm 0.20_{sys} $ and extends to at least 8 TeV. The extragalactic-background-light-deabsorbed spectrum is adequately fit (${\chi^2/NDF = 6.73/6}$) by a power-law function with index $\Gamma = 2.15 \pm 0.06_{stat} \pm 0.20_{sys} $ while an F-test indicates that the power-law with exponential cutoff function provides a marginally-better fit ($\chi^2/NDF $ = $2.56 / 5 $) at the 2.1$\sigma$ level. The source location is found to be consistent with the published radio location and its spatial extent is consistent with a point source., Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. Published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society