| 1. |
- Berkowicz, Sharon, 1994-, et al.
(författare)
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Resolving nanoscale dynamics during a liquid-liquid transition in supercooled glycerol-water solutions
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- It is proposed that a liquid-liquid transition (LLT), related to the hypothesized transition between high- and low-density liquids (HDL, LDL) in pure water, also exists in supercooled aqueous mixtures. However, experimental observations of the LLT in the supercooled solution is often complicated by the overlap with freezing. Here, we conducted an experiment probing the hypothesized LLT in deeply supercooled 16.5 mol% glycerol-water solution, combining X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS), ultra small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). This approach allows us to capture simultaneous, discontinuous structural and dynamic changes within the supercooled liquid following quenching to cryogenic temperatures (172-182 K). We observe changes in the inter-atomic liquid structure (from WAXS) as well as in the nanoscale structure and dynamics (from USAXS/XPCS), resembling a first-order LLT between HDL-like to LDL-like liquid. Importantly, we find that the LLT precedes the onset of ice crystalliization, which we can distinguish based on the advent of ice bragg peaks in WAXS. In addition, analysis of the two-time correlation (TTC) function from XPCS enables us to follow the dynamics during the LLT, which indicates super-diffusive ballistic-like motion and a gradual slowdown towards an arrested state upon freezing, consistent with an LLT via spinodal decomposition. We conclude that these results indicate the existence of a first-order LLT in supercooled glycerol-water solutions at intermediate glycerol concentrations, similar to that hypothesized for pure water at elevated pressures.
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| 2. |
- Bin, Maddalena, et al.
(författare)
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Coherent X-ray Scattering Reveals Nanoscale Fluctuations in Hydrated Proteins
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry B. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-6106 .- 1520-5207. ; 127:21, s. 4922-4930
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hydrated proteins undergo a transition in the deeply supercooled regime, which is attributed to rapid changes in hydration water and protein structural dynamics. Here, we investigate the nanoscale stress-relaxation in hydrated lysozyme proteins stimulated and probed by X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS). This approach allows us to access the nanoscale dynamics in the deeply supercooled regime (T = 180 K), which is typically not accessible through equilibrium methods. The observed stimulated dynamic response is attributed to collective stress-relaxation as the system transitions from a jammed granular state to an elastically driven regime. The relaxation time constants exhibit Arrhenius temperature dependence upon cooling with a minimum in the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts exponent at T = 227 K. The observed minimum is attributed to an increase in dynamical heterogeneity, which coincides with enhanced fluctuations observed in the two-time correlation functions and a maximum in the dynamic susceptibility quantified by the normalized variance χT. The amplification of fluctuations is consistent with previous studies of hydrated proteins, which indicate the key role of density and enthalpy fluctuations in hydration water. Our study provides new insights into X-ray stimulated stress-relaxation and the underlying mechanisms behind spatiotemporal fluctuations in biological granular materials.
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| 3. |
- Perakis, Fivos, et al.
(författare)
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Coherent X-rays reveal the influence of cage effects on ultrafast water dynamics
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The dynamics of liquid water feature a variety of time scales, ranging from extremely fast ballistic-like thermal motion, to slower molecular diffusion and hydrogen-bond rearrangements. Here, we utilize coherent X-ray pulses to investigate the sub-100 fs equilibrium dynamics of water from ambient conditions down to supercooled temperatures. This novel approach utilizes the inherent capability of X-ray speckle visibility spectroscopy to measure equilibrium intermolecular dynamics with lengthscale selectivity, by measuring oxygen motion in momentum space. The observed decay of the speckle contrast at the first diffraction peak, which reflects tetrahedral coordination, is attributed to motion on a molecular scale within the first 120 fs. Through comparison with molecular dynamics simulations, we conclude that the slowing down upon cooling from 328 K down to 253 K is not due to simple thermal ballistic-like motion, but that cage effects play an important role even on timescales over 25 fs due to hydrogen-bonding.
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| 4. |
- Suturin, Sergey M., et al.
(författare)
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Short nanometer range optically induced magnetic fluctuations accompanying ultrafast demagnetization of nanoscale ferromagnetic domains
- 2023
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. - : American Physical Society. - 2469-9950 .- 2469-9969. ; 108:17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have studied the nature of optically induced short-range magnetic fluctuations occurring at 10-nm length scale during ultrafast demagnetization in ferromagnetic Co/Pt multilayers. The time resolved probing of magnetization dynamics was performed with femtosecond soft x-ray pulses at the European x-ray free-electron laser. A transient high-q magnetic scattering accompanying and directly correlated to the destruction of the maze domain network has been observed at picosecond time scale in the wave vector region of 0.2–0.8nm−1. This high-q scattering has a purely magnetic nature and is ascribed to the optically induced short-range magnetic fluctuations developing in the disturbed but not fully destroyed magnetic domain network. Finally, we have simulated the optically induced response of the domain system using a two-temperature atomistic spin model and have concluded that the reason behind the high-q scattering is the laser-driven heating inducing thermal fluctuations of the domain magnetic structure.
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| 5. |
- Zhou Hagström, Nanna, 1993-, et al.
(författare)
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Megahertz-rate Ultrafast X-ray Scattering and Holographic Imaging at the European XFEL
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The advent of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has revolutionized fundamental science, from atomic to condensed matter physics, from chemistry to biology, giving researchers access to X-rays with unprecedented brightness, coherence, and pulse duration. All XFEL facilities built until recently provided X-ray pulses at a relatively low repetition rate, with limited data statistics. Here, we present the results from the first megahertz repetition rate X-ray scattering experiments at the Spectroscopy and Coherent Scattering (SCS) instrument of the European XFEL. We illustrate the experimental capabilities that the SCS instrument offers, resulting from the operation at MHz repetition rates and the availability of the novel DSSC 2D imaging detector. Time-resolved magnetic X-ray scattering and holographic imaging experiments in solid state samples were chosen as representative examples, providing an ideal test-bed for operation at megahertz rates. Nevertheless, our results are relevant and applicable to any other non-destructive XFEL experiments in the soft X-ray range.
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| 6. |
- Zhou Hagström, Nanna, 1993-, et al.
(författare)
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Megahertz-rate ultrafast X-ray scattering and holographic imaging at the European XFEL
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. - : International Union of Crystallography (IUCr). - 0909-0495 .- 1600-5775. ; 29, s. 1454-1464
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The advent of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has revolutionized fundamental science, from atomic to condensed matter physics, from chemistry to biology, giving researchers access to X-rays with unprecedented brightness, coherence and pulse duration. All XFEL facilities built until recently provided X-ray pulses at a relatively low repetition rate, with limited data statistics. Here, results from the first megahertz-repetition-rate X-ray scattering experiments at the Spectroscopy and Coherent Scattering (SCS) instrument of the European XFEL are presented. The experimental capabilities that the SCS instrument offers, resulting from the operation at megahertz repetition rates and the availability of the novel DSSC 2D imaging detector, are illustrated. Time-resolved magnetic X-ray scattering and holographic imaging experiments in solid state samples were chosen as representative, providing an ideal test-bed for operation at megahertz rates. Our results are relevant and applicable to any other non-destructive XFEL experiments in the soft X-ray range.
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