Researchers have created tiny bubbles in high-pressure water via intense focused lasers. Under these conditions, the bubbles expand at supersonic speed and push a shockwave consisting of a spherical shell of highly compressed water. The research team led by the University of Göttingen, together with the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchroton (DESY) and the European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser (European XFEL) used an innovative technique involving holographic flash imaging and nanofocused X-ray laser pulses. The research was published in Nature Communications.