Using an ultrafast laser beam, scientists from the University of Rostock, together with researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, have produced and measured the closest electron pulse to date. The electronic pulse was created by using lasers to knock electrons off a metal tip and lasted only 53 attoseconds, or 53 billionths of a billionth of a second. This study creates a new speed record in the artificial control of electricity and solid matter. The research opens up new ways to improve the performance of (Electronics are on the fast track) electronics and information technology, as well as to create new scientific methods for observing things in the microcosm at high speeds.
Have you ever wondered what makes your computer and other electronic devices run faster (Electronics are on the fast track) or run faster? This is the time it takes for electrons, some of the smallest particles in our microcosm, to move through the tiny conductors inside the transistors of the electronic microchips. Ways to speed up this process are important for improving electronics and its applications to the maximum performance limit. But what is the shortest propagation time of the electrons of the small metal wire in the electronic circuit?
Using extremely short laser light, a team of researchers led by Professor Eleftherios Goulielmakis, head of the Extreme Photonics Group at the University of Rostock’s Institute of Physics, and collaborators from the Max Planck Institute for The solid-state plant in Stuttgart used advanced lasers, pulses to drive electrons from a tungsten nanotip and produce the smallest burst of electrons to date. This work was published in Nature (January 25, 2023, DOI: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05577-1).
Although it has long been known that light can release electrons from metals – Einstein was the first to explain how – this process is difficult to control. The electric field changes direction about a million times per second, making it difficult to control how it attracts electrons to the surface of the metal.
To overcome this challenge, the Rostock scientists and their colleagues used a modern technology previously developed in their group – Light field synthesis – which allowed them to reduce the light intensity to less than a full walk of his own garden. In turn, they use these lights to light the tip of a tungsten needle to release electrons into space. Eleftherios Goulielmakis, head of the research team explains,
“By using a light source that has only one circle of its field, it is now possible to give the electrons a well-controlled ball to release them from the tip tungsten in a short period of time.”
But the challenge can be overcome if scientists also find a way to measure the shortness of these electron bursts. To overcome this obstacle, the team developed a new type of camera that can take pictures of electrons in a short time while the laser pushes them out of the nanotip and into space.
“The trick is to use a second, rarer light,” said Dr. Hee-Yong Kim, the new lead author said. He added, “This second laser beam can slowly destroy the energy of the blasted electron to detect what it looks like over time.” “It’s like a game of ‘What’s in the box?’ Where players try to figure things out without looking at them. but only to turn it so that they can shape it with their own hands,” he continued.
But how can this technology be used in electronics? Goulielmakis says, “As technology advances rapidly, it is reasonable to expect the development of microscopic electronic circuits in which electrons flow through empty spaces between filled conductors mouth to avoid obstacles that slow them down.” “Using light to drive electrons and push them between these conductors can speed up electronics in the future thousands of times faster than current performance,” he explains further.
But the researchers believe that their newly developed method will be used for scientific purposes. Professor Thomas Fennel said, “The removal of electrons from metal in a small part of the light cycle makes the research easier and allows us to use advanced techniques to understand electron production in a way that – previously impossible,” says Professor Thomas Fennel. the author of the new book. Goulielmakis concluded,
“Since our electron beam provides good resolution for imaging electrons and atoms in materials, we plan to use them to gain a deeper understanding of complex materials to support their applications. and technology,” Goulielmakis concluded.
