Breakthrough in Quantum Microscopy Reveals Electron Movement in Slow Motion

Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have developed a fundamental quantum microscopy technique that allows the movement of electrons to be seen in slow motion, something that could not be achieved before. Prof. Sebastian Loth, managing director of the Institute for Functional Matter and Quantum Technologies (FMQ)explains that this new technique addresses long-standing questions about the behavior of electrons in solids, with significant implications for developing new materials.

In common materials such as metals, insulators, and semiconductors, changes at the atomic level do not change the macroscopic properties. However, advanced materials produced in the labs show great material flexibility, such as from insulators to superconductors, with minimal atomic changes. These changes occur within picoseconds, directly affecting electron movement at the atomic scale.

Loth's team successfully observed these rapid changes by using picosecond electrical currents on niobium and selenium materials, studying the collective motion of electrons in the density wave. They discovered how a single impurity can disrupt this collective motion, sending nanometer-sized distortions through a cluster of electrons. This research builds on previous work at the Max Planck Institutes in Stuttgart and Hamburg.

Understanding how the movement of electrons is determined by impurities can allow the targeted development of materials with specific properties, which is beneficial in creating fast-changing sensors or electronic components. Loth emphasizes the power of atomic-level design to influence macroscopic material properties.

The new microscopy technique combines a scanning microscope, which provides atomic-level resolution, with ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy to achieve both high spatial and temporal resolution. The test setup is very sensitive, requiring protection from vibration, noise, and environmental fluctuations to measure very weak signals. The team's advanced microscope can repeat experiments 41 million times per second, ensuring high signal quality and making them pioneers in the field.

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