Turbulence in a crystal
Friday, March 1, 2013 - 06:00
in Physics & Chemistry
When a crystal is hit by an intense ultrashort light pulse, its atomic structure is set in motion. Scientists can now observe how the configuration of electrons and atoms in titanium dioxide, a semiconductor, changes under the impact of an ultraviolet laser pulse, confirming that even subtle changes in the electron distribution caused by the excitation can have a considerable impact on the whole crystal structure.