Research
Please find detailed descriptions on our CFEL website
X-ray imaging with record high spatial and temporal resolutions
Our ability to observe processes and study function at the nanoscale is limited due to the compromise between temporal and spatial resolutions inherent to the majority of our far-field imaging techniques. The problem can be intuitively understood using the example of a simple pinhole camera. An almost infinitely sharp image of an object can be obtained using a small entrance pinhole which comes with the drawback of a long exposure time. A widening of the pinhole reduces the exposure time, but the resulting image is less crisp.
The trade-off between temporal and spatial resolutions in far-field imaging limits our perspective on many non-equilibrium processes at the nanoscale such as chemical and catalytic reactions, ultrafast phase transitions, non-linear light matter interactions and biological processes.
Diffractive imaging with ultrafast X-ray pulses from Free-Electron Lasers and table-top XUV sources has the potential to visualise non-equilibrium processes such as chemical reactions in individual nanoparticles with high spatial and temporal resolutions in native environment and at room temperature. Our group uses cutting-edge technology to explore the potential of diffractive XUV and X-ray imaging for chemistry, material sciences and biology.
Combining high spatial and temporal resolution (published in Nature Photonics 2016) Visualization of non-equilibrium dynamics in single nanoparticles
In-flight holography (featured on the cover of Nature Photonics 2018) Reducing the phase retrieval problem in single particle imaging with FELs