The first look at the explosion molecules reveals its quantum secrets

In the quantum world, the molecules are always in a state of transportation. For the first time, scientists have directly acquired these small quantum dances at work – and they did this by detonating them well.

Even in absolute scratch, individual particles are constantly shaking without a fixed position, a phenomenon referred to with the zero -point movement. In a paper published on August 7 in sciencesThe European XFEL researchers harnessed this behavior of the 2-yodopyridine molecule, which consists of 11 atoms. By detonating the molecule with strong and short shrouds of X -ray pulses, the team created a “great microscopic fuss” that allowed them to track quantum fluctuations of the molecule, and thus visualize the molecule fluctuations.

“We were able to see that the atoms not only shake individually, but they are vibrating in a pairing way, after fixed patterns,” said a great author in the study until Jahnke in A. statement. Jahnke, a physicist at the Institute of Nuclear Physics at the University of Goethe Frankfurt in Germany, added that Iodopyridine “features a full range of 27 different ways of vibration”, a wonderful quantitative behavior that can be explained in a classic way.

The team used a technology called Cououlb Explosion Imaging, which is released from the molecules with X -rays to expel areas of electrons from the target molecule. This makes the molecule positively charged in general, causing the corn parts to repel them to repel each other and finally fly. A special tool quickly recorded the shape and movement of each part of the explosion, which lasted less than the time (a quarter of a second).

Depending on the records, the researchers classified the explosion to “visualize” the molecule movement, which confirms that it is in line with the linked zero movement that they were hoping to note.

Unlike bringing us a tangible representation of the quantum world, the new results represent the quantum behavior of ATOMS. The use of this technology to study similar phenomena for other molecules can open completely new ways for physicists to investigate individual molecules with unprecedented accuracy, according to researchers.

Michael Mayer, co -author of the study study at the Hamburg Center for Exclusive Photography in Germany, said in one of his roles in Germany in Germany in Germany. XFEL Statement.

“Our goal is to bypass the dance of atoms and monitoring in addition to the dance of the electrons – a dance design is much faster and is also affected by the atomic movement,” said Jank. “Through our devices, we can gradually create real short films of molecular processes – which is once imagined.”