For the first time, atoms moving within a molecule have been directly observed. A measure at the quantum level, which shows extremely synchronized and incessant movements.
Can we see atoms travel collectively within a molecule? The question, involving many complex scientific concepts, could however have a simple answer: yes, if we can zoom enough.
And yet, when you arrive in this infinitely small where quantum physics takes over, everything is much more difficult. It took years of research and the use of an extremely powerful X -ray laser to observe the dance of several atoms for the first time.
Principle of uncertainty and giant laser
This phenomenon studied by physicists mainly from German universities is at the heart of a study published on August 7, 2025 in the journal Science. The task was difficult, because quantum physics is dominated by Heisenberg’s principle of uncertainty. According to this law established in 1927, it is impossible to measure both the position and speed of a particle. In any case not with extreme precision, due to the nature of the particles at the quantum level, and not because of any technological limitation.
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Concretely, it is possible to say where an atom moves within a molecule, or to determine how fast it moves. But it is impossible to obtain this two information at the same time.
The researchers then used a unique installation in Hamburg: the European laser with free electrons and X -ray (European Xfel). Installed in an underground tunnel of 3.4 kilometers, it makes it possible to obtain measurements at the scale of the atom. Thus, the laser was fixed towards a single medium -sized molecule containing 11 atoms, and took photos to capture the movement of each atom that composes it. It is the first time that such a measure has been made on a molecule of this size, considered more complex for such an analysis. For a long time, being witness to this movement was considered impossible, especially for such a large molecule, and it took several years of observation to achieve it.
A dance that never stops
More specifically, scientists used a technique called “the explosion of Coulomb”. It is a shock caused by the laser to spread the electrons around the atoms. Now loaded, they repel each other before reforming themselves in the original molecule, all in a fraction of a trillionième of a second (without going into mathematical detail, know that it is extremely short).
Important precision: the molecule was in its fundamental state, that is to say with a level of energy close to the zero point, the lowest possible energy in quantum physics. But to which the atoms vibrate still slightly. These are the vibrations that could have been measured here. The researchers then noticed that the atoms all vibrated in a synchronized manner, and without stopping, despite the energy of the zero affected point.
This means that even in a state where the molecule would be completely frozen, at a temperature close to absolute zero, the atoms would continue to vibrate.
Now, the team hopes to go even further, observing why not another even faster dance: that of electrons.
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