Scientists capture 1st-ever images of quantum vibrations in molecule
For the first time, scientists at European XFEL have managed to actually see quantum vibrations—tiny atomic jitters that happen even at absolute zero—in a molecule called 2-iodopyridine.
They pulled this off by triggering mini molecular explosions and tracking the fragments.
How researchers mapped the molecule's '0-point motion'
Researchers blasted the molecule with super-short X-ray pulses, making its atoms fly apart.
By measuring how these pieces moved, they pieced together a snapshot of the molecule's structure and its "zero-point motion."
They found 27 unique ways the atoms vibrate—something classical physics can't fully explain.
Implications of this groundbreaking technique
This new technique gives scientists a direct look at quantum motions inside molecules with crazy precision.
It could help us study bigger, more complex molecules and even make slow-motion movies of how electrons move—all important for understanding chemistry at its most basic level.