For the first time ever, scientists watch an atom's electrons moving in real time
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 - 16:28
in Physics & Chemistry
Scientists have used pulses of laser light measuring mere quintillionths of a second long to probe the motion of an atom's outermost electrons in real time. Their methods promises a broad new way to examine how atoms in physical, biological, and chemical systems bond with other atoms to form molecules or crystal structures, and how these bonds break and reform during chemical reactions.