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First direct measurement of correlated zero-point motion

For a long time, these patterned zero-point movements were considered impossible to measure directly. However, scientists at Goethe University Frankfurt and partner institutions have now succeeded in doing precisely that at the world’s largest X-ray laser, the European XFEL in Hamburg, Germany. They captured the “dance of the atoms” by shining a “spotlight” on individual molecules and taking snapshots of their atoms – revealing each atom’s precise choreography.

Professor Till Jahnke from the Institute for Nuclear Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg explains: “The exciting thing about our work is that we were able to see that the atoms don’t just vibrate individually, but that they vibrate in a coupled manner, following fixed patterns. We directly measured this behavior for the first time in individual medium-sized molecules that were also in their lowest energy state. This zero-point motion is a purely quantum mechanical phenomenon that cannot be explained classically.” Instead of choreography, physicists speak of vibrational modes. While the motion patterns of molecules with two or three atoms are fairly easy to follow, it quickly becomes complex with medium-sized molecules – like the studied iodopyridine, which consists of eleven atoms. Iodopyridine features a whole repertoire of 27 different vibrational modes – from ballet to tango to folk dance.

“This experiment has a long history,” says Jahnke. “We originally collected the data in 2019 during a measurement campaign led by Rebecca Boll at the European XFEL, which had an entirely different goal. It wasn’t until two years later that we realized we were actually seeing signs of zero-point motion. The breakthrough came through collaboration with our colleagues from theoretical physics from the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science in Hamburg. Benoît Richard and Ludger Inhester, in particular, came up with new analysis methods that elevated our data interpretation to an entirely new level. Looking back, many puzzle pieces had to come together perfectly.”

Explosion reveals molecular structure

But how can you capture an image of dancing particles? Using a technique called Coulomb Explosion Imaging, molecules are triggered to undergo a controlled explosion by ultrashort, high-intensity X-ray laser pulses, allowing high-resolution images of their structure to be generated. The X-ray pulse knocks many electrons out of the molecule, causing the atoms – now positively charged – to repel each other and fly apart in a fraction of a trillionth of a second. The fragments are recorded by a special apparatus that measures their time and position of impact, enabling the reconstruction of the molecule’s original structure. This COLTRIMS reaction microscope has been developed over the past decades by Goethe University’s Atomic Physics group. A version tailored specifically to the European XFEL was built by Dr. Gregor Kastirke during his PhD work. Seeing the device in action is something special, Kastirke says: “Witnessing such groundbreaking results makes me feel a little proud. After all, they only come about through years of preparation and close teamwork.”

New insights into the quantum world

The results provide entirely new insights into quantum phenomena. For the first time, researchers can directly observe the complex patterns of zero-point motion in more complex molecules. These findings demonstrate the potential of the Frankfurt-developed COLTRIMS reaction microscope. “We’re constantly improving our method and are already planning the next experiments,” says Jahnke. “Our goal is to go beyond the dance of atoms and observe in addition the dance of electrons – a choreography that is significantly faster and also influenced by atomic motion. With our apparatus, we can gradually create real short films of molecular processes – something that was once unimaginable.”

Researchers have found an innovative technique to maximize the use of precious metals that are vital to the green energy transition.

Scientists from the University of Nottingham explained that they used argon plasma — a type of ionized gas that is created when argon gas is exposed to high temperatures or electrical energy — to disperse the atoms in various metals to make the most of the materials. That way, it reduces the pollution generated from mining and metal sourcing, cutting production costs and benefiting the planet at the same time.

In the study, published in Advanced Science, researchers from the University of Birmingham, the University of Nottingham, Diamond Light Source, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s SuperSTEM facility revealed that using argon ions to create “defects” in metal atoms allows them to formulate super-thin 2D structures, which are more efficient than their 3D counterparts.

They were able to do this by taking advantage of atomic “vacancies,” which trap and anchor the metal atoms and prompt them to form single-layer clusters. The method has huge potential, as the team demonstrated its success across 21 different elements, including silver and gold.

“Every atom counts. Precious and rare metals are vital for clean energy and industrial catalysis, but their supply is limited. We’ve developed a scalable strategy to ensure not a single atom goes to waste,” Emerson Kohlrausch, lead researcher from the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry, said of the breakthrough.

Professor Andrei Khlobystov, another study author, added: “This is a one-size-fits-all solution. We can create mono-, bi-, or even tri-metallic atomic layers, with each atom precisely where we want it. That level of control is unprecedented.”

Sadegh Ghaderzadeh, who led the theoretical modeling, noted that the beauty of the technique is in its simplicity. By simply moving atoms around, it changes the structure of the metals and makes them more conducive to sustainable applications. Ghaderzadeh added that they will be able to recreate the materials in computer models moving forward, which will significantly increase the ability to scale up production.

As for how the technique can be used in the real world, scientists have several uses in mind, including improved hydrogen production, energy storage, ammonia synthesis, and carbon dioxide conversion. So far, the team has demonstrated ​​”stability in air for over 16 months,” meaning the materials remained unchanged post-production.

Looking ahead, the research offers a promising path to a more efficient, greener future wherein technology and healthy humans can coexist. It will also be exciting to witness the next chapter of industrial revolution, as scientific discoveries can allow us to finally move past our need for fossil fuels.

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SpaceX is gearing up for its 100th orbital mission this year. The launch, slated for August 11, involves a Falcon 9 rocket deploying two dozen satellites for Amazon’s ambitious Project Kuiper network.

The mission will take off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, within a 27-minute launch window starting at 6:05 pm IST. This comes after two prior attempts were scrubbed on August 9 due to unfavorable conditions at the pad, and on August 10 because of issues affecting the booster recovery zone. SpaceX plans to provide real-time coverage through its official site and social media profile on X. The livestream will begin 25 minutes prior to the scheduled departure.

Due to unfavorable weather, now targeting Sunday, August 10 for Falcon 9’s launch of the @ProjectKuiper KF-02 mission from Florida pic.twitter.com/yuMjYP9rq4
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 9, 2025

ALSO SEE: SpaceX Launches 3rd Batch Of Satellites For Rival Amazon’s Kuiper Project

This flight marks the 97th outing for the Falcon 9 this year, contributing to the company’s overall tally of 100 missions which also includes three suborbital test flights of Starship.

A significant portion of this year’s Falcon 9 activities — reportedly exceeding 70 percent — has focused on expanding Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite network to provide internet services. The Starlink constellation current has 8,100 active satellites and will grow significantly in the coming years.

On the other hand, Amazon’s Project Kuiper remains in its nascent phase. This upcoming deployment will mark the fourth for the initiative, boosting the constellation’s total to 102 satellites. Kuiper aims to rival Starlink by eventually launching more than 3,200 satellites through more than 80 missions.

ALSO SEE: ULA Launches First Mission With Jeff Bezos’s Internet Providing Amazon Satellites

(Image: SpaceX)

For example, small glass spheres with a diameter of one hundred nanometers can be examined – still over a thousand times smaller than a grain of sand, but huge by quantum standards. For years, attempts have been made to show the extent to which such spheres still exhibit quantum properties. A research group at ETH Zurich, with theoretical support from TU Wien (Vienna), has now achieved a breakthrough: they were able to show that the rotational vibrations of such particles behave in accordance with quantum physics, not only when they are cooled to near absolute zero using complex cooling methods, but even at room temperature.

Vibration quanta: only certain wobbles are allowed

“A microscopic particle will always wobble a little,” says Carlos Gonzalez-Ballestero from the Institute of Theoretical Physics at TU Wien. “This oscillation depends on the temperature and on how the particle is influenced by its environment.”

In everyday life, we assume that any kind of oscillation is possible. The pendulum of a clock, for example, can be swung to any angle, and it can be set into oscillation a little more strongly or a little more weakly – just as you like. In the quantum world, however, things are different: if you look at oscillations with very low energy, you find that there are very specific “oscillation quanta.”

There is a minimum vibration, known as the “ground state,” a slightly higher vibration that carries a little more energy (the “first excited state”), and so on. There is no state in between, but the particle can exist in a quantum physical combination of different vibration states – this is one of the central concepts of quantum physics.

“It is very difficult to put a nanoparticle into a state where its quantum properties become apparent,” says Carlos Gonzalez-Ballestero. “You have to let the particle float in order to isolate it from any interference as much as possible. And normally you also have to ensure extremely low temperatures, close to absolute zero, which is minus 273.15 degrees Celsius.”

The rotation freezes, the particle remains hot

ETH Zurich and TU Wien have now developed a technique that allows a very specific aspect of the nanoparticle to be brought into a quantum physical state, even though the particle itself is in a hot, disordered state.

‘We use a nanoparticle that is not perfectly round, but slightly elliptical,’ explains Carlos Gonzalez-Ballestero. “When you hold such a particle in an electromagnetic field, it starts to rotate. Our question was: Can we see the quantum properties of this rotational vibration? Can we extract energy from this rotational movement until it is mainly in the quantum ground state?’

Laser beams and mirror systems were used for this purpose. ‘The laser can either supply energy to the nanoparticle or take energy away from it,” explains Carlos Gonzalez-Ballestero. ‘By adjusting the mirrors in a suitable way, you can ensure that energy is extracted with a high probability and only added with a low probability. The energy of the rotational movement thus decreases until we approach the quantum ground state.’

To achieve this, however, a number of difficult theoretical problems had to be solved – the quantum noise of the lasers had to be correctly understood and controlled.

Record-breaking quantum purity

Finally, it was actually possible to demonstrate that the rotation can be brought into a state that corresponds almost exclusively to the quantum mechanical ground state. The amazing thing about this is that the nanoparticle has not cooled down – on the contrary, it is actually several hundred degrees hot.

“You have to consider different degrees of freedom separately,” explains Carlos Gonzalez-Ballestero. “This allows the energy of the rotational movement to be reduced very effectively without having to reduce the internal thermal energy of the nanoparticle at the same time. Amazingly, the rotation can freeze, so to speak, even though the particle itself has a high temperature.”

This made it possible to create a state that is significantly ‘purer’ in terms of quantum physics than was previously possible with similar particles – even though cooling was not required. “This is a technically astonishingly practical way of pushing the boundaries of quantum physics,” says Carlos Gonzalez-Ballestero. “We can now study the quantum properties of objects in a stable and reliable way, which was previously hardly possible.”