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Collective motion of electrons captured at the atomic scale

Many 2D or 1D materials feature fascinating collective behaviour of electrons that competes with highly localized interactions at atomic defects. By combining terahertz spectroscopy with scanning tunnelling microscopy, the ultrafast motion of these collective states can be captured with atomic spatial resolution, enabling the observation of electron dynamics at their intrinsic length and time scale.

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Fig. 1: Atomically resolved charge density wave dynamics at a single defect.

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This is a summary of: Sheng, S. et al. Terahertz spectroscopy of collective charge density wave dynamics at the atomic scale. Nat. Phys. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-024-02552-7 (2024).

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Collective motion of electrons captured at the atomic scale. Nat. Phys. 20, 1542–1543 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-024-02553-6

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