High-quality ultra-fast total scattering and pair distribution function data using an X-ray free-electron laser
A collaborative team of scientists, including IPB’s ERA Chair Emil Bozin, has achieved a breakthrough in materials science by capturing ultra-fast, high-quality structural data using an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL). Using just a single ~30 femtosecond pulse at the European XFEL’s HED instrument, the team resolved atomic-scale structures in materials ranging from crystals to liquids. This advancement breaks previous speed and resolution limits, opening new possibilities for studying rapid structural dynamics in real time. The work has been published in IUCrJ.