How scientists captured the world’s fastest images

Scientists at the University of Arizona have developed the world’s fastest electron microscope, capable of capturing the motion of electrons at unprecedented speeds. This mind-boggling new technique, dubbed “attomicroscopy,” allows researchers to observe electron behavior at timescales measured in attoseconds — a unit of time so brief that there are as many attoseconds in one second as there have been seconds since the Big Bang!

Published in the journal Science Advances, this advancement represents a significant leap forward in our ability to study and understand the fundamental behavior of matter at the atomic scale. The implications of this breakthrough extend far beyond the realm of pure science, potentially revolutionizing fields ranging from materials science to quantum computing.

At the heart of this innovation is a modified transmission electron microscope (TEM) that uses ultrafast laser pulses to manipulate electrons. By precisely controlling these laser pulses, the researchers were able to create incredibly short bursts of electrons, lasting just a fraction of a femtosecond — which is already one quadrillionth of a second.

“With this microscope, we hope the scientific community can understand the quantum physics behind how an electron behaves and how an electron moves,” says lead researcher Mohammed Hassan, associate professor of physics and optical sciences at the University of Arizona, in a statement.

To demonstrate the capabilities of their new technique, the team used attomicroscopy to study the behavior of electrons in graphene, a material consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern. Graphene has garnered significant attention in recent years due to its unique electrical and mechanical properties, making it an ideal subject for this pioneering research.

The experiments revealed that when exposed to intense laser pulses, the electrons in graphene behave in ways that were previously impossible to observe directly. The researchers were able to track the motion of these electrons as they responded to the electric field of the laser, moving between different energy states and across the material’s structure.

One of the most striking findings was the observation of how quickly electrons in graphene can respond to external stimuli. The study showed that these electrons could react to changes in the laser field within less than a femtosecond, demonstrating the potential for ultrafast electronic devices that could operate at speeds far beyond what is currently possible.

This level of detail in observing electron behavior has never been achieved before and opens up new avenues for understanding and potentially controlling the quantum world. The ability to watch electrons move in real-time could lead to advancements in fields such as solar energy conversion, where understanding the precise behavior of electrons is crucial for improving efficiency.

The development of attomicroscopy represents a significant technical achievement in itself. The researchers had to overcome numerous challenges to create and control electron pulses at such short timescales. This included developing new methods for synchronizing laser pulses with electron beams and designing specialized optical components to manipulate the electrons within the microscope.