Chris Cantell Discusses Science: Electron filmed for the first time by Zuzana Krskova

An electron in motion has been filmed for the first time. Scientists used new technique for studying electron movement directly. Video shows electron riding on a light wave after just having been pulled away from an atom.Electron is a fundamental subatomic particle carrying a negative electric charge. With atomic nuclei (protons and neutrons) is electron making up atoms. Electrons and quarks are the smallest pieces of ordinary matter.Because of electron's extreme speed, scientists were unable to photograph them and were using just indirect methods, which were based on measure the effect of an electron's movement. Technique nowadays is able to capture the whole event.This new technology can generate short pulses of intense laser light called attosecond pulses. Its really important invention for scientists, because to capture electron in motion are really necessary short flashes of light."It takes about 150 attoseconds for an electron to circle the nucleus of an atom. An attosecond is 10- 18 seconds long, or, expressed in another way: an attosecond is related to a second as a second is related to the age of the universe," proclaimed Johan Mauritsson of Lund University in Sweden.Its based on taking several pictures exactly the same moment, which can createstronger and sharp images. Important for this process is, that it has to be repeated in an identical manner, which is the case regarding the movement of an electron in a ray of light. They used also stroboscopes, which are used to freeze periodic movements, so the picture of it is clear, despite the rapid motion. It is also possible in the future for scientists to capture a collision between an electron and an atom on film, using another kind of highly developed laser.Scientists also suppose, that with using this technique, they will be able to study what could happened, if an electron leaves its shell.Off course, the film of moving electron has to be slowed down, that human eye can see it, because the original length of the film made by Mauritsson and his colleagues corresponded to a single oscillation of a wave of light.

by Zuzana Krskova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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