Speaker
Description
Understanding the ultrafast response of proteins and large biomolecules to intense X-ray pulses is essential for advancing their structural and dynamical studies. A critical question for larger systems (>1000 atoms) is whether a complete Coulomb explosion can develop before electron trapping suppresses it. In this work, we examine the competitive dynamics between Coulomb explosion and electron trapping by probing the dynamics of the system in space and time using the XMDYN program. Our approach includes several processes such as: the photo-ionization, Auger-Meitner decay, collision-induced secondary ionization, and photofluorescence using the XATOM code. In this work we reveal whether a full Coulomb explosion suitable for imaging a protein can be achieved, or whether electron trapping rapidly suppresses it under realistic XFEL conditions available at the present.
| Scientific Topics | Imaging |
|---|