Photosynthesis is the essential process used by plants to grow using sunlight. Despite its role in shaping life as we know it, many aspects of photosynthesis remain a mystery. Over the past decade, scientists have been working to capture the most complete and highest-resolution picture to date of Photosystem II, a key protein complex in plants, algae and cyanobacteria responsible for splitting water and producing the oxygen we breathe. Much of this research was conducted at LCLS, one of the most powerful X-ray free-electron lasers (XFEL) in the world. XFELs can observe various steps of the photosynthesis cycle at the temperature at which they occur in nature. They produce ultrashort pulses of X-ray light, short enough to freeze-frame the movements of atoms and electrons. Scientists hope to unlock the secrets of how plants convert light energy into chemical energy. This knowledge is helping scientists develop artificial systems that mimic photosynthesis to harvest natural sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into hydrogen and carbon-based fuels. Stay tuned for more mind-blowing scientific discoveries!

Video is produced by SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory where the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is located.

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