An experimental platform using X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) pulses with high-intensity optical laser pulses is open for early users' experiments at the SACLA XFEL facility after completion of the commissioning. The combination of the hard XFEL and the high-intensity laser provides capabilities to open new frontiers of laser-based high-energy-density science. During the commissioning phase, characterization of the XFEL and the laser at the platform has been carried out for the combinative utilization as well as the development of instruments and basic diagnostics for user experiments. An overview of the commissioning and the current capabilities of the experimental platform is presented.
Vacuum birefringence in the head-on collision of x-ray free-electron laser and optical high-intensity laser pulses