An international team of researchers has demonstrated for the first time the use of a new lensless ultrafast X-Ray method to image phase transitions

27-Dec-2022

The use of light to produce transient phases in quantum materials is fast becoming a novel way to engineer new properties in them, such as the generation of superconductivity or nanoscale topological defects. However, visualizing the growth of a new phase in a solid is not easy, due in-part to ...

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How light and electrons move in concert in the material when illuminated with infrared light

02-Nov-2021

When two layers of graphene are placed one on top of the other, and twisted among them by a very small angle, a “moiré pattern” is formed and the physical properties of the system have proven to change dramatically. In particular, near the ‘magic’ angle of 1 degree, the electrons slow down ...

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11-Mar-2021

Light microscopes have revolutionized our understanding of the microcosmos, but their resolution is limited to about 100 nanometers. To see how molecules bond, break, or change their structure, we need at least 1000 times better resolution. Laser induced electron diffraction (LIED) is a technique ...

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17-Apr-2019

Detecting terahertz (THz) light is extremely useful for two main reasons: Firstly, THz technology is becoming a key element in applications regarding security (such as airport scanners), wireless data communication, and quality control, to mention just a few. However, current THz detectors have ...

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06-Nov-2018

Phase transitions are common occurrences that dramatically change the properties of a material, the most familiar being the solid-liquid-gas transition in water. Each phase corresponds to a new arrangement of the atoms within the material, which dictate the properties of the substance. While ...

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14-May-2018

Light detection and control lies at the heart of many modern device applications, such as the camera you have in your phone. Using graphene as a light-sensitive material for light detectors can offer significant improvements with respect to materials being used nowadays. For example, graphene can ...

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18-Dec-2017

Liquids and gases are two different phases of matter that are part of our everyday life. While gases are dilute, compressible and take the size of their container, liquids are dense, have a fixed volume and in small quantities form droplets. These are ensembles of particles that remain bound by ...

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29-Jun-2017

Modulating the amplitude and phase of light is a key ingredient for many of applications such as wavefront shaping, transformation optics, phased arrays, modulators and sensors. Performing this task with high efficiency and small footprint is a major challenge for the development of ...

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Seeing electrons surfing the waves of light on graphene

09-Jun-2017

Researchers have studied how light can be used to “see” the quantum nature of an electronic material. They managed to do that by capturing light in a net of carbon atoms and slowing down light it down so that it moves almost as slow as the electrons in the graphene. Then something special ...

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31-May-2017

Over the past 40 years, microelectronics have advanced by leaps and bounds thanks to silicon and CMOS (Complementary metal-oxide semiconductors) technology, making possible computing, smartphones, compact and low-cost digital cameras, as well as most of the electronic gadgets we rely on ...

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