Right, now, on to attoscience (which combines #quantum #physics with #ultrashort #lasers).
First, I dusted off an overview slide of my thesis presentation. Attoscience studies electron motion in bound states, ionization processes, charge transfer, and similar.
First, I dusted off an overview slide of my thesis presentation. Attoscience studies electron motion in bound states, ionization processes, charge transfer, and similar.
All of this happens on the time scale of attoseconds, 10⁻¹⁸ seconds (and sometimes femtoseconds = 10⁻¹⁵ s), which is almost unimaginably fast. In the short intro podcast with @the_ScienceTalk, I explained the comparison with the age of our universe.
To measure such fast dynamics we need an equally as fast tool, which is laser pulses of a few femtosecond duration or shorter. Because a lot of energy is compressed in a very short time, the peak power of these pulses can reach terawatts (similar to nuclear power plants). 😲☢️
These high intensities of the electric field can then compete with the binding Coulomb force in atoms (and molecules, larger structures, ...) and not only mess with the energy levels, but also cause ionisations.
https://twitter.com/coenneli/status/1265685019244351488?s=20/video/1
Now you might wonder, what on earth does that have to do with nanoscience? Well, in my personal research, I have exploited the interaction of nanostructures with the laser field to create various spatial structures in the electric field. But more on that later in the week.
Besides that, attoscience is concerned with understanding the dynamics of electrons in various materials, the field has started from studying atoms, to include molecules, surfaces, semiconductor structures, liquids…
You see where this is going? I talked a bit more about that in the @the_ScienceTalk podcast which will be released on Wednesday 🤗
(thread by @coenneli)
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
