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Title: Ultrafast nonthermal heating of water initiated by an X-ray Free-Electron Laser

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [3]; ORCiD logo [4];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [3];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [5];  [3]; ORCiD logo [6]; ORCiD logo [7];  [8]
  1. Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany). Center for Free-Electron Laser Science
  2. Uppsala Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
  3. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)
  4. Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany). Photon Science
  5. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  6. Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany). Center for Free-Electron Laser Science; Univ. of Hamburg (Germany). Dept. of Physics; Univ. of Hamburg (Germany). Centre for Ultrafast Imaging
  7. Uppsala Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy and Dept. of Cell and Molecular Biology
  8. Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany). Center for Free-Electron Laser Science; Uppsala Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy

The bright ultrafast pulses of X-ray Free-Electron Lasers allow investigation into the structure of matter under extreme conditions. We have used single pulses to ionize and probe water as it undergoes a phase transition from liquid to plasma. We report changes in the structure of liquid water on a femtosecond time scale when irradiated by single 6.86 keV X-ray pulses of more than 106 J/cm2. These observations are supported by simulations based on molecular dynamics and plasma dynamics of a water system that is rapidly ionized and driven out of equilibrium. Finally, this exotic ionic and disordered state with the density of a liquid is suggested to be structurally different from a neutral thermally disordered state.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515; P41GM103393; AC52-07NA27344; SC0012704
OSTI ID:
1458456
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1570664; OSTI ID: 1890816
Report Number(s):
BNL-212174-2019-JAAM; LLNL-JRNL-759689; TRN: US1901440
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 115, Issue 22; ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 27 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Ultrafast nonthermal heating of water initiated by an X-ray Free-Electron Laser
  • Beyerlein, Kenneth; Jönsson, H.
  • Coherent X-ray Imaging Data Bank (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory); Uppsala University, DESY, CFEL, SLAC https://doi.org/10.11577/1435597
dataset January 2018
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X-ray atomic scattering factors of low- Z ions with a core hole text January 2007
FreeDam – A webtool for free-electron laser-induced damage in femtosecond X-ray crystallography text January 2018

Cited By (5)

Is radiation damage the limiting factor in high-resolution single particle imaging with X-ray free-electron lasers? journal July 2019
X-rays put molecules into a spin journal February 2019
Ultrafast nonthermal heating of water initiated by an X-ray Free-Electron Laser
  • Beyerlein, Kenneth; Jönsson, H.
  • Coherent X-ray Imaging Data Bank (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory); Uppsala University, DESY, CFEL, SLAC https://doi.org/10.11577/1435597
dataset January 2018
Is radiation damage the limiting factor in high-resolution single particle imaging with X-ray free-electron lasers? text January 2019
A Perspective on Molecular Structure and Bond-Breaking in Radiation Damage in Serial Femtosecond Crystallography text January 2020

Figures / Tables (5)