First-ever X-ray attosecond experiment on liquids provides new insights into water’s molecular properties

Theorists explain how X-ray measurement freezes hydrogen motion, with implications on other areas of chemistry

19-Feb-2024 - An international team has performed an attosecond-scale experiment at an X-ray free-electron laser on liquid water for the first time, and the results may change our interpretation of water’s behaviour. The experiment team, led by scientist Linda Young from Argonne National Laboratory in the US, ...

X-ray laser uncovers the structure of a natural anti-mosquito insecticide

Bacterial protein found to work against more species of mosquito as previously thought

01-Dec-2023 - An international research team has analysed a naturally produced toxin against insects with atomic precision using the most powerful X-ray laser in the world. The data taken at the European XFEL help with figuring out the mode of action of the insecticide, which is produced by a bacterium. This ...

Molecule snapshot by explosion

Important step for filming chemical reactions

23-Feb-2022 - Exploding a photo subject in order to take its picture? An international research team at the world's largest X-ray laser, the European XFEL, used this “extreme” method to take pictures of complex molecules. With the ultra-bright X-ray flashes generated by the facility, the scientists were able ...

Filming antibiotic resistance in Slow-Motion

X-ray laser European XFEL captures rapid reaction of bacterial enzyme

30-Sep-2021 - Using the X-ray laser European XFEL an international team of researchers, including scientists from DESY, has successfully filmed a reaction step that is important for the development of antibiotic resistance. The molecular film captures the very rapid reaction of the enzyme beta-lactamase from ...

Liquid water at 170 degrees Celsius

X-ray laser reveals anomalous dynamics at ultra-fast heating

18-Sep-2020 - Using the X-ray laser European XFEL, a research team has investigated how water heats up under extreme conditions. In the process, the scientists were able to observe water that remained liquid even at temperatures of more than 170 degrees Celsius. The investigation revealed an anomalous dynamic ...

How molecular footballs burst in an X-ray laser beam

Study shows effect of X-ray flashes on sensitive biomolecules

26-Sep-2019 - An international research team has observed in real time how football molecules made of carbon atoms burst in the beam of an X-ray laser. The study shows the temporal course of the bursting process, which takes less than a trillionth of a second, and is important for the analysis of sensitive ...

Grazing light for rapid events

“X-ray streaking” allows ultrafast processes to be followed using a single pulse of light

02-Jan-2018 - An international team of scientists has developed a new experimental method at the FLASH X-ray laser which allows the sequence of events involved in a process to be observed using a single, ultrashort pulse of light from FLASH. Their method is called “X-ray streaking” and enables researchers to ...

Prestigious grant for imaging single molecules

Human Frontier Science Program supports intercontinental collaboration

27-Apr-2017 - An international team of researchers, including DESY scientist Henry Chapman, has been awarded a research grant by the Human Frontier Science Program to develop a novel method for imaging individual biomolecules with atomic resolution. The team will receive a total of 1.35 million US-Dollars over ...

Particle accelerator for the European XFEL X-ray laser operational

20-Apr-2017 - The international X-ray laser European XFEL has reached one of its final major milestones on the way to scientific user operation. DESY has successfully commissioned the particle accelerator, which drives the X-ray laser along its full length.It is the world’s largest superconducting linear ...

High-speed camera snaps bio-switch in action

X-ray experiment opens new route to study biochemical reactions

16-Nov-2016 - With a powerful X-ray camera, scientists have watched a genetic switch at work for the first time. The study led by Yun-Xing Wang from the National Cancer Institute of the U.S. reveals the ultrafast dynamics of a riboswitch, a gene regulator that can switch individual genes on and off. The ...