Equilibrium and nonequilibrium dynamics is one of the most underexplored and yet promising field of research in condensed matter physics. Coherent x-rays are ideal probe for such studies. When coherent light is scattered from real-space textures, it results in complex interference "speckle" patterns that encode the complexity of individual phase textures, and therefore provide direct insight into their structure, motion, and stability. In my talk, I will discuss why and how coherent x-rays will be useful to study dynamics in various condensed matter systems, such as superconducting cuprates and artificial nanomagnets. I hope to convey that coherent x-ray scattering can bridge hard and soft condensed matter physics, showing that dynamical behaviors observed in soft matters are in fact also present in hard condensed matter systems.

Chen received her BS in Engineering Physics from Cornell University, and her Ph.D in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with focus on applying x-ray scattering to strongly correlated systems. Chen then joined the X-ray Scattering Group at Brookhaven National Lab as a postdoctoral research associate to focus on using coherent soft x-ray to study transition metal oxides. She is currently a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley Lab studying frustrated magnets.

Chen's research interest includes studying strongly correlated materials using coherent x-ray scattering and imaging with emphasis on effects of disorder and quantum confinement.