Research highlights

Researchers at HFML-FELIX and Syngenta (Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre) have used FELIX to demonstrate the differentiation of hydroxylated derivatives of two plant protection compounds (azoxystrobin and benzovindiflupyr) contained at low levels in relevant plant matrices This work has now been published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Researchers from HMFL-FELIX and the University of Illinois have joined together to review experimental and theoretical progress toward understanding the nature of strange metals, a phase of matter with unconventional transport properties that is manifest in various exotic materials such as the cuprate high-temperature superconductors. The article has just appeared in print in the journal Science.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are abundant in many regions of the universe, representing a major reservoir for cosmic carbon. However, their formation pathways in cold regions of space remained elusive. Until now. Experimental studies at HFML-FELIX at Radboud University recently provided evidence for alternative formation routes of PAHs in cold environments of the universe like molecular clouds or planetary atmospheres. The results have been published in Nature Astronomy.

HFML-FELIX researchers exposed hole- doped Germanium to intense free-electron laser radiation and high magnetic fields up to 33T.  The used experimental technique and the results of their experiments demonstrate the exciting new possibilities for researching nonlinear magneto-optical processes in solids. The results have been published in Physical Review B (Editors' Suggestion).

A team of researchers from HFML-FELIX, Aarhus University and the University of Bristol have investigated the versatile semimetal WTe2 by measuring quantum oscillations in charge transport and revealed peculiar electron trajectories that depend sensitively on the electron scattering in the material. The results are published as a Letter in Physical Review Research.

A major challenge in epilepsy research is the identification of diagnostic biomarkers. The characterization of N-acyliminium ions (NAIs) is crucial to predict how exactly they react with other molecules. Researchers we able to  characterize NAIs using infrared ion spectroscopy (IRIS).

An international team of scientists used the FELIX cryogenic ion trap apparatus FELion to map in detail how negative ions bind to hydrogen molecules and have presented a precise quantum mechanical description. The results are published in the Journal of Chemical Physics and the article is featured on the cover.

Researchers from HFML-FELIX and the IMM have worked closely together to address the quest of molecular magnetic anisotropy experimentally. The outcomes are relevant for the fundamental understanding of magnetic anisotropy, and can be useful in the design of materials for technological applications.

An important step in the route to develop nanoscale ultrafast magneto-optics: 'Ultrafast demagnetization in a ferrimagnet under electromagnetic field funneling' - article now published in Nanoscale. And the research is featured on the cover.

The back cover of the latest issue of PCCP  illustrates our research on elementary reaction steps in the hydrogenation of CO2 over copper-based catalysts.