Ultrafast dissociation of molecules studied at BESSY II

An international team has tracked at BESSY II how heavy molecules -- in this case bromochloromethane -- disintegrate into smaller fragments when they absorb X-ray light. Using a newly developed analytical method, they were able to visualize the ultrafast dynamics of this process. In this process, the X-ray photons trigger a 'molecular catapult effect': light atomic groups are ejected first, similar to projectiles fired from a catapult, while the heavier atoms -- bromine and chlorine -- separate more slowly.