Images show atoms moving within a molecule

Researchers at the University of Ohio in the United States have succeeded in capturing images of a moving atom within a molecule for the first time in history. For this, it was necessary to use an innovative technique that transforms electrons of the molecule into a kind of flash lamp.

Images were captured using ultrafast lasers fired every 50 femtoseconds (1 femtosecond is 1 quadrillionth of a second). For the experiment, the researchers used oxygen and nitrogen because their molecular structures are better understood.