Cutting edge laser ‘cameras’ which can film the super-fast movements of electrons inside materialsuse incredibly short flashes of laser light to record images of electrons in atoms as they move around at about 10 million kilometres per hour.

The laser ‘camera’ used by Dr Tisch from the Imperial College harnesses some unusual physics in order to take pictures of electrons moving around inside a material. The camera consists of a high powered laser one million-billion times more intense than bright sunlight which rips atoms apart, causing the emission an ultra-short burst of light.

This very bright burst of light lasts for just 100 attoseconds or so, and during this time it illuminates and freeze-frames the motion of the electrons, allowing the scientists to record images of them as they move around extremely quickly.

Being able to watch electrons move around like this is important because they play an important role in many aspects of everyday life. Electrons form the bonds that hold biological molecules together, move around to make chemical reactions happen, and are the engine of all modern electronics.

Understanding more about how electrons move around will give scientists a greater insight into how some of these processes work, and could eventually lead to future research in which scientists will be able to manipulate and control the electrons themselves.

Dr Tisch explains: “At the moment our work is like that of a movie cameraman, recording the movements of the electrons. One day, we would like to become like movie directors, making the electrons move where we want. If we could do this, we could control chemical reactions, design new materials and create faster, more efficient electronic devices.”