Controlling the Motion of Complex Molecules and Particles (COMOTION)

Pipelines of lightª

Donut-shaped laser beams guide single nanoparticles
Laser Desorptionª

Laser desorption of biomolecules and supersonic expansion cooling to 1K
Single-particle imagingª

Single-particle diffractive imaging at Free-Electron Lasers

We develop innovative methods to obtain full control over large molecules and nanoparticles. These methods and the created controlled samples are exploited in fundamental physics and chemistry studies to unravel the underlying mechanisms of chemistry and biology by watching molecules at work.

Highlights

Research team sheds light on the future potential of X-ray imaging and cryo-electron microscopy

09 May 2025

Scientists from DESY, CSSB, CUI, and Uppsala University publish groundbreaking review article.

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Research team sheds light on the future potential of X-ray imaging and cryo-electron microscopy

09 May 2025

Scientists from DESY, CSSB, CUI, and Uppsala University publish groundbreaking review article.

Breakthrough in laser-alignment for macromolecular single-particle imaging

10 April 2025

Single-particle diffractive imaging (SPI) using X-ray free-electron lasers allows researchers to reconstruct the structure of nanoparticles and biomolecules. However, the technique often requires imaging up to several billion nanoparticles to produce the image and imposes limitations on its clarity and sharpness. Researchers at the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science at DESY, together with international colleagues, recently demonstrated that laser-induced alignment can indeed be achieved to significantly improve molecular imaging techniques. This geometric confinement of the molecules in the x-ray-imaging experiment will greatly facilitate the recovery of the molecular orientation and, therefore, the structure retrieval. It thus overcomes a significant challenge in single-particle diffractive imaging. This novel development further paves the way for solving the three-dimensional structures of proteins and other macromolecules using SPI.

Recent Publications

Controlling the Motion of Complex Molecules and Particles (COMOTION)

Pipelines of lightª

Laser Desorptionª

Single-particle imagingª

Highlights

Research team sheds light on the future potential of X-ray imaging and cryo-electron microscopy