E-Mail IMAGE: Artistic depiction of XFEL measurement with neon gas. The inherent delay between the emission of photoelectrons and Auger electrons leads to a characteristic ellipse in the analyzed data. In principle,... view more Credit: (Image by Daniel Haynes and Jörg Harms/Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter.) Breakthrough greatly enhances the ultrafast resolution achievable with X-ray free-electron lasers. A large international team of scientists from various research organizations, including the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, has developed a method that dramatically improves the already ultrafast time resolution achievable with X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs). It could lead to breakthroughs on how to design new materials and more efficient chemical processes.