Ultrafast vortex electron diffraction: A new way to observe electrons in motion

 19 February 2025
 Physics General News

Electrons oscillate around the nucleus of an atom on extremely short timescales, typically completing a cycle in just a few hundred attoseconds. Because of their ultrafast motions, directly observing electron behavior in molecules has been challenging. Now researchers from UC San Diego's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have suggested a new method to make visualizing electron motion a reality.