X-ray absorption spectroscopy: diagnostic tool for probing material properties on dynamic experiments

In the most general sense we are proposing that X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) be used to extract information from laser and pulsed power experiments. The technique will not be adaptable to all types of experiments but in its many forms may be useful for a large variety of cases. Here we describe a particular case in which a high Z (relative to the sample material) probe material is embedded in the sample and the time dependent absorption spectra of the probe is measured. The local temperature and pressure as well as other parameters affect the absorption spectrum of the probe and these parameters are then extracted from the XAS data.