title: Time-resolved structural studies at synchrotrons and X-ray free electron lasers: opportunities and challenges.
abstract: X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) are potentially revolutionary X-ray sources because of their very short pulse duration, extreme peak brilliance and high spatial coherence, features that distinguish them from today's synchrotron sources. We review recent time-resolved Laue diffraction and time-resolved wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) studies at synchrotron sources, and initial static studies at XFELs. XFELs have the potential to transform the field of time-resolved structural biology, yet many challenges arise in devising and adapting hardware, experimental design and data analysis strategies to exploit their unusual properties. Despite these challenges, we are confident that XFEL sources are poised to shed new light on ultrafast protein reaction dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden. richard.neutze@chem.gu.se
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Neutze
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moffat
mesh_terms: D001695:Biology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D007834:Lasers; D017356:Synchrotrons; D013997:Time Factors; D014965:X-Rays