Diffraction, crystallography and microscopy beyond three dimensions: structural dynamics in space and time

In this article we highlight recent developments of ultrafast electron diffraction and crystallography at Caltech. These developments have made it possible to resolve transient structures, both spatially (0.01 Å) and temporally (picosecond and now femtosecond), in the gas phase and condensed media—surfaces, interfaces, and crystals—with wide-ranging applications. With the extension to ultrafast electron microscopy, discussed here and elsewhere, we present an overview of one major research area at our centre, the Laboratory for Molecular Sciences