Unraveling the structure and dynamics of molecules at work

Observing molecules in action through the recording of “molecular movies”, i. e., their spatiotemporal evolution during chemical dynamics, with atomic spatial and temporal resolution could revolutionize our understanding of the molecular sciences. Wel build upon our approaches to prepare highly controlled samples that enable advanced imaging methods of individual molecular species and directly in the molecular frame. Here, I will discuss the application of diffractive imaging for the recording of such movies with few-picometer and few-femtosecond resolution. Furthermore, I will present examples of UV-induced photochemical dynamics and the path toward the atomically resolved movies of these reactions.