X-ray laser reveals how radiation damage arises (IMAGE)

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY

X-ray laser reveals how radiation damage arises

Caption

After the absorption of an X-ray photon, the water molecule can bend up so far that after only about ten femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second) both hydrogen atoms (grey) are facing each other, with the oxygen atom (red) in the middle. This motion can be studied by absorbing a second X-ray photon.

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Credit: DESY, Ludger Inhester

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