World's fastest microscope captures movement of electrons in real-time

Scientists have developed the world's fastest microscope, capable of capturing electrons in motion, marking a significant breakthrough in understanding electron behaviour.

The new transmission electron microscope achieves this by hitting electrons with pulses lasting just one-quintillionth of a second. These pulses are so fast that they can capture images of electrons as they move at speeds of up to 1,367 miles per second (2,200 kilometers per second).

Lead author Mohammed Hassan, an associate professor of physics and optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, described the microscope as “a very powerful camera in the latest version of smart phones; it allows us to take pictures of things we were not able to see before – like electrons.”

He added, “With this microscope, we hope the scientific community can understand the quantum physics behind how an electron behaves and how an electron moves.”

The rapid movement of electrons has long posed a challenge to scientists attempting to study them. Electrons move so quickly that previous technology could not capture their precise behaviour inside atoms and molecules, which is crucial for both physics and chemistry.

To overcome this, physicists developed methods in the early 2000s to generate attosecond pulses—pulses lasting just a few quintillionths of a second. This advance earned the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics. However, even these pulses were not fast enough to capture individual electron motions.

In their latest study, scientists refined the electron gun to produce a pulse of just one attosecond. As these pulses hit the sample, they cause the electrons to slow down and alter the electron beam's wavefront, which is then magnified and captured on a fluorescent screen.

Hassan referred to this new technique as "attomicroscopy," stating, "For the first time, we can see pieces of the electron in motion."

The findings were published on 21 August in the journal Science Advances, offering new possibilities for exploring the fundamental behaviours of electrons.

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