Electrons in quantum liquid gain energy from laser pulses

Leonhard Treiber, here with doctoral supervisor Markus Koch ( right ) made the discovery as part of his thesis at TU Graz. Lunghammer - TU Graz By Christoph Pelzl - The absorption of energy from laser light by free electrons in a liquid has been demonstrated for the first time. Until now, this process was observed only in the gas phase. The findings, led by Graz University of Technology, open new doors for ultra-fast electron microscopy. The investigation and development of materials crucially depends on the ability to observe smallest objects at fastest time scales. The necessary spatial resolution for investigations in the (sub-)atomic range can be achieved with electron microscopy. For the most rapid processes, however, proceeding within a few femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second), the time resolution of conventional electron microscopes is insufficient.