Multi-pulse and multi-angle ultrafast X-ray imaging driven by petawatt-class ultrafast laser pulses

The study of matter under extreme conditions, particularly non-repeatable ultrafast processes such as those in high energy-density physics and inertial confinement fusion, urgently demands innovations in ultrafast imaging diagnostics. To address this, we propose a novel multi-pulse, multi-angle imaging scheme that leverages a beam-splitting design applied to a single ultra-intense laser pulse to generate multiple, precisely delayed sub-pulse beams. This method not only achieves a tunable temporal resolution range from femtosecond to picosecond and spatial resolution in micrometer scale, providing a powerful tool for capturing single-shot ultrafast dynamics, but also overcomes the low repetition rate limitation in all petawatt-class laser facilities, enabling previously unattainable continuous dynamic imaging. Experimental validation is scheduled on the 1 PW/0.1 Hz laser system at the Shanghai Superintense Ultrafast Laser Facility. Feasibility of the source is verified by PIC simulations, while Geant4 simulations demonstrate imaging performance.