HZB contributions to special edition on Ultrafast Dynamics with X-ray Methods
At the end of his contribution, Phillippe Wernet makes a great arch from the past (Opticae Thesaurus, 1572) of research with light to the future. © Wikimedia cc
In this theme issue leading researchers discuss
recent work on the ultrafast electronic and structural
dynamics of matter using a new generation of short
duration X-ray photon sources. © Royal Society
In the new special issue of the "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London", internationally renowned experts report on new developments in X-ray sources and ultrafast time-resolved experiments. HZB physicists have also been invited to contribute.
Almost 350 years after Isaac Newton's ground-breaking paper "Theory of Light and Colors (1671)", the world's oldest scientific journal “Philosophical Transactions” is now once again dedicated to light. The special issue on “Ultrafast Dynamics with X-ray Methods” is aimed at researchers who want to investigate biological, chemical or physical processes and obtain an overview of new developments in light sources and the methods available there. Dynamic processes in materials can be analyzed with high resolution and short pulses at X-ray light sources using ultrafast methods.
Femtoslicing and BESSY VSR
The special issue provides a comprehensive overview of current advances in the generation of ultra-short X-ray pulses by light sources such as Free Electron Lasers (FELs), High Harmonic Generation (HHG) laser sources and synchrotron radiation sources. An article in collaboration with Dr. Karsten Holldack, HZB, presents FEls and Laser sources but also classifies storage ring based methods such as “Femtoslicing” and BESSY VSR. These methods combine highly brilliant synchrotron light with a special time structure and thus allow to address unique experimental questions that cannot be answered at other sources. This complements and expands the portfolio of accelerator-based sources.
Ultra fast spectroscopy for photochemistry
An important contribution is dedicated to photochemistry, an area that focuses on processes such as photosynthesis, the dynamics of which are still largely unexplored. Using ultra-fast spectroscopy at FELs, HHG sources or at the synchrotron with BESSY VSR, methods are now available to measure in detail, for example, excitations of metallo-proteins and the subsequent reactions ; such experiments provide data that are indispensable, for example, for understanding photocatalysis of solar fuels. This article was written by Prof. Dr. Philippe Wernet, formerly a senior scientist at the HZB, and now a professor at Uppsala University, Sweden.
To the publications:
Measurement of ultrafast electronic and structural dynamics with X-rays; J. P. Marangos (ed.)
doi: 10.1098/rsta/377/2145
Recent Advances in Ultrafast X-ray Sources; Robert Schoenlein, Thomas Elsaesser, Karsten Holldack, Zhirong Huang, Henry Kapteyn, Margaret Murnane, Michael Woerner
doi: 10.1098/rsta.2018.0384
Chemical interactions and dynamics with femtosecond X-ray spectroscopy and the role of X-ray free-electron lasers; Philippe Wernet
doi: 10.1098/rsta.2017.0464
- Nanosilver as an electrocatalyst for CO₂ reductionVia electrolysis, CO2 can be reduced to CO, a raw material for further chemical products such as fuels. Within the GreenQuest Project, an internation team led by HZB chemist Prashanth Menezes has now systematically investigated catalyst layers made of silver nanoparticles, varying both the size of the particles and their density. The best yield was achieved with nanoparticles with diameters of around 10 nm, which were loosely distributed. Furthermore, they demonstrated how the economic efficiency of the electrochemical cell can be enhanced by integrating an additional chemical reaction at the anode, enabling the simultaneous production of a valuable formic acid, hydrogen, and CO in one device.
- Spin waves inside a nano-oscillator imaged for the first timeFor the first time, researchers have directly imaged the magnetisation dynamics inside a spin Hall nano-oscillator — a nanoscale device that converts direct current into tunable microwave signals and is a promising building block for energy-efficient wireless communication and brain-inspired computing. A Swedish–German team led by the University of Gothenburg and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) achieved this using time-resolved scanning transmission X-ray microscopy at the MAXYMUS instrument at BESSY II. The results, now published in Advanced Materials, reveal spin-wave features that had escaped previous, indirect measurement techniques.
- Marcel Risch has been appointed Professor at the Freie Universität BerlinMarcel Risch was appointed to a W2-S professorship in the Department of Physics at Freie Universität Berlin in August 2026. His research group has been transformed into the department 'Mechanisms of Sustainable Electrocatalysis'. Risch investigates the fundamental mechanisms of electrocatalytic reactions and, on this basis, develops knowledge- and data-driven strategies to improve electrocatalysts for the sustainable production of hydrogen, fuels and chemicals.