X-ray movies reveal how intense lasers tear a buckyball apart

Using intense X-rays, researchers captured a buckyball as it expanded, split and shed electrons under strong laser fields. Detailed scattering measurements showed how the molecule behaves at low, medium and high laser intensities. Some predicted oscillations never appeared, pointing to missing physics in current models. The findings create a clearer picture of how molecules fall apart under extreme light.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251124231908.htm