Hartmann wavefront measurements at FLASH

We report on online measurements of photon beam parameters during mirror alignment in the soft x-ray spectral region of FLASH, the free-electron laser in Hamburg. A compact Hartmann sensor operating in the wavelength range from 6 to 35nm was used to determine the wavefront quality of individual free-electron laser (FEL) pulses during the alignment procedure as well as aberrations. Beam characterization and alignment of beamline BL3 was performed with λ 13.5?? / 116 accuracy for wavefront rms ( W ??? ). Second moment beam parameters are computed using a spherical reference wavefront generated by a 5μm pinhole. The Hartmann sensor was used for alignment of the ellipsoidal focusing mirror of beamline BL3, resulting in a reduction of ( W ??? ) by 33%.