Revolutionary ultra-fast insights

UA Ruhr appointment of Xijie Wang

Faster than lightning: Prof. Dr. Xijie Wang is researching at the University Alliance Ruhr how extremely rapid changes in materials can be made visible. Using the method of 'Mega-Electron-Volt Ultrafast Electron Diffraction', the renowned scientist wants to establish this innovative technique at the universities in the Ruhr region. He conducts research at the Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability at the University Alliance Ruhr. He has taken over the professorship for 'Ultrafast science and technology' at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Duisburg-Essen. He is also continuing his research at the Technical University of Dortmund which is part of the University Alliance Ruhr.

Ultra-fast electron diffraction ('Mega-Electron-Volt Ultrafast Electron Diffraction‘ – MeV-UED) makes it possible to observe nature processes extraordinarily high speeds; the MeV electrons employed by Prof. Wang are almost reaching a speed of light. “In the experiment, we shoot a very fast beam of electrons – tiny particles, smaller than atoms – at a material. When they collide, the electrons 'bounce' off the atoms and are scattered in different directions. This scattering (or 'diffraction') creates a pattern that we see on a special screen. From this, we can making a movie showing how the atoms are arranged in the material and how they change,” explains Professor Xijie Wang.

MeV-UED is an unique tool to the research of the world-renowned scientist. “We can use ultrafast electron diffraction to find out how Water and other substances involved in chemical and biological reactions change, for example.” This is useful, for example, in the development of more efficient solar cells, new medicines or technologies such as batteries. Wang is planning a megaelectron volt farm (MeV-UED) for ultrafast electron diffraction at the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr). It will become part of the Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability of the University Alliance Ruhr and complement the research ecosystem of the Research Alliance Ruhr.

After completing his physics degree (1982) at Shaanxi Normal University in China, Xijie Wang went to the University of California in the USA, where he received his doctorate in 1992. He then conducted research at Brookhaven National Laboratory for over 20 years (1993-2013). Afterwards he was a distinguished scientist at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, a research facility in the United States, until 2023. Among other things, he was a leader in research into laser accelerators, high-brilliance electron beams and X-ray free electron lasers.

https://www.uni-due.de/2024-09-11-ultra-fast-insights-xijie-wang