Together with an international team, researchers from the Molecular Physics Department at the Fritz Haber Institute revealed how atoms rearrange themselves before releasing low-energy electrons in a decay process initiated by X-ray irradiation. For the first time, they gain detailed insights into the timing of the process – shedding light on related radiation damage mechanisms.

Researchers from the Inorganic Chemistry Departments of the Fritz Haber Institute revealed how structural changes on the surface and in the bulk region of the cobalt oxide catalyst Co₃O₄ influence its selectivity in the production of industrially relevant chemicals like acetone. They discovered that a metastable, structurally “trapped” state exhibits the highest catalytic activity - an important finding for catalyst design.

A large international collaboration of researchers led by the Fritz Haber Institute, the Paul Drude Institute, and the University of Iowa proposes a new way to control how light moves through materials at extremely small scales. This approach could lead to better sensors, faster communications, and smaller optical devices.