Edwin Kukk
Professor, Head of Materials Research Laboratory
ekukk@utu.fi +358 29 450 4281 +358 50 339 6892 Vesilinnantie 5 Turku |
Synchrotron radiation; free-electron-lasers; ion mass spectroscopy; electron spectroscopy; coincidence spectroscopy; molecular dynamics; photoionization; photodissociation; ultrafast processes; femtochemistry; radiation damage; molecular structure;
My research is focussed on fundamental studies of the interaction of small quantum systems (such as molecules, multimers of biomolecules, small clusters) with light -- x-rays and ionizing UV radiation.The ultrafast processes that occur in the femtosecond-scale following the absorption of energy are the key for understanding many phenomena such as radiation damage in DNA and other biomolecules, light-activated processes (such as vision or many catalytic processes) but also the action and efficiency of radiosensitizing agents in cancer therapy.
Our research is based on advanced spectroscopic methods such as multiparticle coincidence spectroscopy, actively utilizing large international infrastructures: SACLA free-electron laser in Japan, EuXFEL in Germany, MAX-IV synchrotron in Sweden. We are also active in designing and building new instruments for these facilities. The research is carried out withing the framework of large international collaborations, closely involving also theoretical calculations and modeling.
- Dissociation of halogenated deoxyuridines as potential radiosensitizers, induced by deep inner-shell photoionization – experiment and modeling (2026)
- Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Probing the structure of complex hydrocarbon molecules with X-ray-induced Coulomb explosion imaging (2026)
- Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - The inner-shell ionization and fragmentation of selenophene at 120 eV (2026)
- Scientific Reports
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - High-resolution electron–multi-ion coincidence set-up for gas-phase experiments in the tender and hard X-ray range (2025)
- Journal of Synchrotron Radiation
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Hydrogen migration reactions via low internal energy pathways in aminobenzoic acid dications (2025)
- Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Imaging a light-induced molecular elimination reaction with an X-ray free-electron laser (2025)
- Nature Communications
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Ion momentum mapping in photodissociation and Coulomb explosion events using ion time-of-flight analyzers (2025)
- Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Orientational anisotropy of photoemitting CS2 molecules induced by molecular field splitting (2025)
- Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Time-resolved momentum imaging of UV photodynamics in structural isomers of iodopropane probed by site-selective XUV ionization (2025)
- Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Distinguishing the XUV-induced Coulomb explosion dynamics of iodobenzene using covariance analysis (2024)
- Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)



