Exciting atoms on the move: Fine-tuned laser light activates oxygen atoms to escape the surface
Monday, February 7, 2011 - 19:00
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new way to accelerate and remove oxygen atoms from thin films of calcium oxide has been discovered by a team of scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University College of London, and Tohoku University. By choosing the appropriate laser wavelength, they found a way to remove oxygen at many times the speed of sound. The atoms escape from the surface of nanostructured films of calcium oxide.