How many water molecules does it take to dissolve hydrochloric acid?

13-Jun-2024 - Scientists from DESY have made a significant step towards understanding the solvation processes of hydrochloric acid (HCl) at the molecular scale. HCI is a prototypical acid that is often used for research and in industry and also plays a part in atmospheric chemistry – for example in the growth ...

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, ...

Electron bubbles modelled from X-ray laser data

An international team of scientists uncovers a groundbreaking model for the effects of radiation in water systems

06-Feb-2024 - What happens when radiation hits water? This is a question that has an impact every time you get an X-ray at the doctor’s office, given you are mostly made of water. A team of theoretical physicists at DESY has worked on data taken by colleagues from Argonne National Laboratory in the US at the ...

Exploding water jet in X-ray beam

X-ray laser sheds light on ultrafast processes in physics, biology and material sciences

05-Jan-2021 - An interdisciplinary team of scientists has used ultrashort X-ray pulses to image extremely rapidly exploding jets of water. The experiments, carried out at the European X-ray laser facility European XFEL, aim to study ultrafast events that occur in a very small region by means of X-ray ...

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 ...

Researchers Part Water

‘Electric Prism’ Separates Water’s Nuclear Spin States

10-Sep-2014 - Using an "electric prism", scientists have found a new way of separating water molecules that differ only in their nuclear spin states and, under normal conditions, do not part ways. Since water is such a fundamental molecule in the universe, the recent study may impact a multitude of research ...

World's best synchrotron radiation source accelerates its first beam

Clear the ring for PETRA III

21-Apr-2009 - DESY's new synchrotron radiation source PETRA III accelerated its first beam. The positron bunches were injected and stored in the 2.3-kilometre accelerator for the first time. During future user operation, up to 960 particle bunches containing up to 10 billions of positrons - antiparticles to ...