Ciencia-Física

A cooperation between theoretical and experimental physicists has uncovered previously unknown quantum states inside atoms. The results, described in a paper published today in the journal Nature Communications, allow a better understanding of some aspects of electron behaviour in atoms, which in turn could lead to better insights into technologically relevant materials.

In this study, scientists from European XFEL and the Center for Free Electron Laser Science (CFEL) at DESY examined the unknown quantum states in atoms of the noble gas xenon using DESY's X-ray laser FLASH. The bright X-ray light of free-electron lasers such as FLASH and the European XFEL allowed the scientists to observe these states for the first time. (CFEL is a joint venture between DESY, the University of Hamburg, and the Max Planck Society.)
Atoms can develop an electrical charge by losing or gaining one or more electrons. This process, called ionization, was thought to be fairly simple. As an electron departs, it can briefly "hang" between the different locations of electrons in the atom, also called "shells". In the world of quantum mechanics, this brief pause—lasting less than a femtosecond, or a quadrillionth of a second—is enough to be measured as what is called a "resonance".