Controlling the release or uptake of (bio-) molecules and drugs from liposomes is critically important for a range of applications in bioengineering, synthetic biology, and drug delivery. In this paper, we report how the reversible photoswitching of synthetic lipid bilayer membranes made from azobenzenecontaining phosphatidylcholine (azo-PC) molecules (photolipids) leads to increased membrane permeability. We show that cell-sized, giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) prepared from photolipids display leakage of fluorescent dyes after irradiation with UV-A and visible light. Langmuir−Blodgett and patch-clamp measurements show that the permeability is the result of transient pore formation. By comparing the trans-tocis and cis-to-trans isomerization process, we find that this pore formation is the result of area fluctuations and a change of the area cross-section between both photolipid isomers.

Understanding the mechanisms of proton energy deposition in matter and subsequent damage formation is fundamental to radiation science. Here we exploit the picosecond (10 −12 s) resolution of laser-driven accelerators to track ultrafast solvation dynamics for electrons due to proton radiolysis in liquid water (H 2 O). Comparing these results with modeling that assumes initial conditions similar to those found in photolysis reveals that solvation time due to protons is extended by > 20 ps. Supported by magnetohydrodynamic theory this indicates a highly dynamic phase in the immediate aftermath of the proton interaction that is not accounted for in current models.

Characterizing exact energy density distributions for laser-accelerated ion bunches in a medium is challenging due to very high beam intensities and the electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) emitted in the laser-plasma interaction. Ion-bunch energy acoustic tracing (I-BEAT) allows for reconstructing the spatial energy density from the ionoacoustic wave generated upon impact in water. We have extended this approach to tracing ionoacoustic modulations of broad energy distributions (TIMBRE) by introducing thin foils in the water reservoir to shape the acoustic waves at distinct points along the depthdose curve. Here, we present first simulation studies of this new detector and reconstruction approach which provides on-line read-out of the deposited energy with depth within centimeter range behind the ion source of state-of-the-art laser-plasma based accelerators.