Difference-frequency generation of optical radiation from two-color x-ray pulses

We describe the process of difference-frequency generation of short optical pulses from two-color X-ray pulses. By assuming 10¹¹ photons per X-ray pulse, we predict that the optical count rate can exceed 10⁷ photons per pulse. Similar to other effects involving nonlinear interactions of X-rays and optical radiation, the effect we describe can be used for microscopic studies of chemical bonds and as a probe for light-matter interactions on the atomic scale. Since the X-ray damage threshold is much higher than the optical damage threshold, the efficiency of difference-frequency generation from two X-ray pulses is expected to be orders of magnitude higher than the efficiency of effects such as sum/difference-frequency mixing between X-rays and optical intense short-pulse sources.