
A picture says more than a thousand words. In recent years X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) have given us the ability to probe ultrafast structural dynamics by directly capturing crystal structures with ultrafast time resolution. The real-space Ångström length-scale of molecular dimensions can now be combined with ultrafast laser technology. This has opened the door to a new class of experiments, where the explicit molecular structure of coherence processes can be ‘seen’. I will talk about these developments and discuss future opportunities arising from new accelerator developments. I will introduce the Imperial College Laboratory for Ultrafast X-ray Diffraction (LUXD) which is a new facility in the physics department currently under design and construction and I will introduce the scientific opportunities for using LUXD for ultrafast science in the department