Ultrafast Coherent Scattering and Imaging
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Optics and Lasers".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 6
Special Issue Editor
Interests: ultrafast laser; synchrotron X-rays; time-resolved studies; nonlinear optics; X-ray detectors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The aim of this Special Issue is to retain strong relevance for readers interested in ultrafast phenomena with an expanded scope that seeks to include researchers belonging to a thriving community working on XPCS, DLS, ultrafast speckle metrology, and real-time coherent imaging using both photons and electrons.
The scope of this Special Issue encompasses the following:
- This Special Issue highlights recent advances in time-resolved and coherence-enabled scattering, imaging, and spectroscopy techniques that probe dynamic processes in complex systems. Ultrafast optical, electron, and X-ray sources are currently reaching unprecedented levels of brilliance, coherence, and timing resolution through the deployment of free-electron lasers, tabletop ultrafast lasers, 4D, etc.
- STEM and newly upgraded diffraction-limited storage rings—a surge of new techniques are leveraging speckle, correlation, and coherent interference to extract information at femtosecond-to-second timescales.
We invite contributions that explore experimental methods and theoretical frameworks across the following topics:
- Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and time-resolved speckle techniques;
- X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) and ultrafast coherent X-ray scattering;
- Coherent electron microscopy and 4D STEM imaging;
- Structured illumination, PRBS modulation, and binary correlation methods;
- FPGA-based or real-time correlation analysis hardware/software;
- Applications in soft matter, phonon and thermal transport, glassy systems, and out-of-equilibrium materials.
This Special Issue ultimately aims to connect developments in ultrafast optics with coherent detection strategies, highlighting how emerging technologies are reshaping our ability to observe stochastic, collective, and nanoscale dynamics.
Prof. Dr. Eric Landahl
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- ultrafast phenomena
- X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS)
- dynamic light scattering (DLS)
- coherent electron microscopy
- 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D STEM)
- time-resolved speckle techniques
- coherence-enabled scattering
- real-time correlation analysis
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
