A research team led by Peter Baum from the University of Konstanz aims to film and visualize previously hidden processes at the atomic level in space and time. The European Research Council awarded Baum an Advanced Grant of 3.1 million euros to develop innovative methods in ultrafast electron microscopy.
Almost all the visible properties of the matter surrounding us are defined internally by the spatial arrangement of atoms and electrons. Any kind of process or mechanism that changes the structure of matter – for example a chemical reaction, an electronic switching process or the folding of a protein in our cells – is therefore based on the movement and reorganization of atoms and electrons. The time periods in which such reactions take place are incredibly short and can be in the femtosecond to attosecond range – a billionth of a billionth of a second. In terms of space, too, these movements are extremely small and in the order of nanometres or even picometres – trillionths of a metre.
Studying processes in these tiny spatial and temporal dimensions requires the most cutting-edge devices, such as an ultrafast electron microscope. Such apparatuses combine the very high spatial resolution of a traditional electron microscope with the temporal resolution of ultrashort laser pulses. A particularly high-resolution device, an attosecond electron microscope, which can even visualize the electrical oscillations of light,
has been recently developed by Peter Baum's research group at the University of Konstanz. "So far, however, this method can only be used to measure processes that are specifically and decidedly excited with a high-energy laser pulse. We have not been able to observe reactions that are triggered electrically, magnetically or otherwise, processes which often occur in technical devices or natural environments", says Baum.
A new direction in ultrafast electron microscopy
In their new project, funded with an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) of 3.1 million euros, Baum and his team aim to develop new types of electron microscopes that will overcome this restriction. The researchers will apply specifically generated sequences and spatial patterns of ultrashort electron pulses. "We will generate several electrons using specially designed laser pulses and then control their spatial and temporal properties using terahertz radiation in order to make correlation measurements", Baum explains.
In this manner, researchers can conduct a controlled examination of almost any processes taking place in the object being analyzed. This should make it possible to observe the movements of atoms and electrons in more general ways than so far and to visualize processes in space and time that were not accessible until now. "With these new possibilities, we want to gain deeper insights into the fundamental mechanisms that determine material properties and transitions on atomic scales, and thus contribute to progress in the fields of nanotechnology, optics, materials science and quantum physics", Baum concludes.
About the ERC Advanced Grant
The ERC Advanced Grant is one of the most prestigious and lucrative European research prizes. It recognizes and supports ambitious research projects by established scientists who have produced significant research achievements over a period of at least ten years. The funding period of the ERC Advanced Grants is five years; the maximum funding amount per research project is 2.5 million euros. In exceptional cases, higher funding amounts are possible.
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