Chinese scientists catch enigmatic electrons in the act for the first time
- New findings challenge ideas about how electrons move and transfer energy
- Watching electrons move under sunlight could boost efficiency of solar power
The question of what an electron is and how it moves has baffled scientists for decades. The tiny, structureless particles form much of the foundations of science, but their behaviour has largely been unseen, rarely glimpsed by the prying eyes of scientists.
Now, researchers in northeastern China say they have been able to peek into this secret subatomic world for the first time.
But the Chinese researchers saw something different – instead of a wave motion, they found that the electrons moved like a cannonball being shot out of a cannon. According to the researchers, this ballistic course can be tracked and predicted, which could pave the way for the development of more efficient materials to harvest the sun’s energy.
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The peer-reviewed findings were published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. Li Can, a professor with the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led the research.