The electrons within an atom move so fast that they could circle the Earth multiple times in less than a second. But they can’t outrun a new electron microscope developed by researchers at the University of Arizona.
UA researchers say they’ve created the world’s fastest electron microscope — capable of capturing freeze-frame images of the particles.
It works by splitting a powerful laser, creating two pulses that are then synchronized to allow observation of ultra-fast processes at the atomic level.
Mohammed Hassan is an associate professor of physics and optical sciences at the university.
“My hope is that people will be able to think about even more broader applications for attomicroscopy and use it for understanding the physics and the science and making new materials which could have an impact on the normal person life," he said.
Hassan says he began to implement this idea after joining the university.
The team’s research was published in the journal Science Advances.
