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World’s most powerful X-ray laser will ‘film’ chemical reactions in unprecedented detail

Upgraded laser in California will produce one million X-ray pulses per second to study ultrafast processes at the atomic level.
By
  1. Katherine Bourzac

An X-ray laser, upgraded to become the most powerful in the world, produced its first beams on 12 September. Located in Menlo Park, California, the laser will produce one million X-ray pulses per second when running at full capacity. Scientists are excited to get a crack at the instrument, called LCLS-II, which will make it possible to create high-speed movies of ultrafast processes, including electrical charges hopping around atoms during a chemical reaction. Such studies could unlock the secrets of photosynthesis and aid in the development of new electronic materials for computing systems.

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Nature 621, 666-667 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02874-1

References

  1. Bhowmick, A. et al. Nature 617, 629–636 (2023).

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