Atomic and molecular interactions with photons articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The wave nature of light and particles is of interest to the fundamental quantum mechanics. Here the authors show the double-slit interference effect in the strong-field ionization of neon dimers by employing COLTRIMS method to record the momentum distribution of the photoelectrons in the molecular frame

    • Maksim Kunitski
    • , Nicolas Eicke
    •  & Reinhard Dörner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Alignment and orientation of the molecules allows studying the photon-molecule interactions in greater detail. Here the authors demonstrate the three-dimensional orientation of SO2 molecules in using COLTRIMS and orthogonally polarized laser pulses but in the absence of DC field.

    • Kang Lin
    • , Ilia Tutunnikov
    •  & Jian Wu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Interatomic or intermolecular Coulombic decay is responsible for the generation of slow electrons in clusters and biological samples. Here the authors use electron–electron coincidence detection to find the competitive roles of proton transfer and ICD that occur on similar time scales in water clusters.

    • Clemens Richter
    • , Daniel Hollas
    •  & Uwe Hergenhahn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Coherent multidimensional spectroscopy has greatly advanced our understanding of molecular dynamics but was so far broadly limited to complex condensed phase probes. Bruder et al. extend the method to isolated nanosystems in the gas phase and study cold molecules in a superfluid helium environment.

    • Lukas Bruder
    • , Ulrich Bangert
    •  & Frank Stienkemeier

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Polarization parameters of the high harmonics driven by bichromatic circularly polarized pulses are usually assumed near perfect. Here the authors use polarimetry measurement to show that depolarization and ellipticity can arise from symmetry breaking in the ionization of a medium by the ultrashort driving fields.

    • Lou Barreau
    • , Kévin Veyrinas
    •  & Pascal Salières

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Exploring the photoionization process leads to better understanding of the fundamental interactions between light and matter. Here the authors show the non-dipole contribution in the form of asymmetric photoelectron angular distribution from the ionization of argon atoms and ions.

    • M. Ilchen
    • , G. Hartmann
    •  & M. Meyer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Availability of intense hard X-ray pulses allows exploration of multiple ionization effects in heavier elements. Here, the authors measure the complex charge state distributions of xenon and found a reasonable agreement by comparing with the model including the relativistic and resonance effects.

    • Benedikt Rudek
    • , Koudai Toyota
    •  & Daniel Rolles

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Femtosecond laser spectroscopy has contributed to our understanding of structure and function of matter. Here, the authors explore the applicability of superfluid helium nanodroplets as a sample preparation method that allows investigation of previously inaccessible classes of tailor-made or fragile molecular systems.

    • Bernhard Thaler
    • , Sascha Ranftl
    •  & Markus Koch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Remote sensing of geomagnetic fields in mesosphere is both challenging and interesting to explore the magnetic field structures and atomic collision processes. Here the authors demonstrate an atomic magnetometer that utilizes the Larmor frequency in sodium atoms and operates in kilometers range.

    • Felipe Pedreros Bustos
    • , Domenico Bonaccini Calia
    •  & Simon Rochester

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The nonlinear interaction between terahertz frequency electric fields and atoms or molecules can be used to study fundamental and technical problems. Here the authors demonstrate a THz–driven phase transition, with a potential application as a THz sensor, using Rydberg atomic states in a cesium vapor.

    • C. G. Wade
    • , M. Marcuzzi
    •  & K. J. Weatherill

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Interatomic Coulombic Decay is a non-radiative relaxation process between excited systems. Here the authors report a theoretical framework based on macroscopic quantum electrodynamics that shows the role of retardation and an environment in the enhancement or suppression of the ICD rate.

    • Joshua Leo Hemmerich
    • , Robert Bennett
    •  & Stefan Yoshi Buhmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cold atom clocks are among the most precise measuring devices and play key roles in everyday life and scientific explorations. Here the authors demonstrate the first in-orbit atomic clock using cold Rb atoms operating in microgravity and opening possibilities of space surveys and tests of fundamental physics.

    • Liang Liu
    • , De-Sheng Lü
    •  & Yu-Zhu Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Multidimensional spectroscopy is a powerful tool in exploring photo-induced dynamics and electron coupling processes in molecules. Here the authors demonstrate coherent two-dimensional electronic mass spectrometry on molecular beams and its application to photoionization studies of the NO2 molecule.

    • Sebastian Roeding
    •  & Tobias Brixner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Storing quantum memories for a long time is important and challenging for quantum communication. Here the authors demonstrate a storage time of about 1 s using spin exchange relaxation free resonance in cesium vapor.

    • Or Katz
    •  & Ofer Firstenberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ionization time delays are of interest in understanding the photoionization mechanism in atoms and molecules in ultra-short time scales. Here the authors investigate the angular dependence of photoionization time delays in the presence of an autoionizing resonance in argon atom using RABBITT technique.

    • Claudio Cirelli
    • , Carlos Marante
    •  & Ursula Keller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Isomerization is a basic process in nature, with implications for chemical reactivity including in space. Here, the authors observe ultraslow isomerization in an isolated gas-phase carbon chain to its cyclic isomer lasting up to hundreds of microseconds, which may impact the creation of larger carbons in the interstellar medium.

    • K. Saha
    • , V. Chandrasekaran
    •  & D. Zajfman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The first steps in photochemical processes involve changes in electronic and geometric structure on extremely short timescales. Here, the authors report femtosecond dynamics in prototypical acetylacetone, by pump-probe photoexcitation-photoemission experiments and static and dynamics calculations.

    • R. J. Squibb
    • , M. Sapunar
    •  & M. N. Piancastelli

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electron-electron correlation is a complex and interesting phenomenon that occurs in multi-electron systems. Here, the authors demonstrate the imaging of the correlated two-electron wave function in hydrogen molecule using the coincident detection of the electron and proton after the photoionization.

    • M. Waitz
    • , R. Y. Bello
    •  & R. Dörner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Using ultracold atoms in hybrid quantum devices is an interesting yet challenging task with possible applications for quantum storage. Here the authors demonstrate coherent magnetic coupling of an ensemble of ultracold rubidium atoms to a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator.

    • H. Hattermann
    • , D. Bothner
    •  & J. Fortágh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Strong laser light can intervene and modify the dynamical processes of matter. Here, the authors show how an intense laser field affects the spatial distribution of fragments in a molecular bond-breaking process, and how the intensity of this laser field can be used as an external knob to control it.

    • María E. Corrales
    • , Rebeca de Nalda
    •  & Luis Bañares

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Strong atom-photon coupling has applications in deterministic quantum logic, but is difficult to achieve in free-space. Here, Chin et al. use 4Pi microscopy to increase the coupling between light and a single atom, demonstrating nonlinear single-photon interactions.

    • Yue-Sum Chin
    • , Matthias Steiner
    •  & Christian Kurtsiefer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nuclear dynamics of polyatomic molecules involves multiple degrees of freedom and is challenging to explore. Here the authors study the internuclear distance-dependent depletion and bond-softening induced vibrational wavepacket dynamics of CH3I molecules using femtosecond XUV transient absorption spectroscopy.

    • Zhengrong Wei
    • , Jialin Li
    •  & Zhi-Heng Loh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Generation of mesoscopic quantum superpositions requires both reliable coherent control and isolation from the environment. Here, the authors succeed in creating a variety of cat states of a single trapped atom, mapping spin superpositions into spatial superpositions using ultrafast laser pulses.

    • K. G. Johnson
    • , J. D. Wong-Campos
    •  & C. Monroe

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The timescale of isomerization in molecules involving ultrafast migration of constituent atoms is difficult to measure. Here the authors report that sub-100 fs isomerization time on acetylene dication in lower electronic states is not possible and point to misinterpretation of recent experimental results.

    • Zheng Li
    • , Ludger Inhester
    •  & Todd J. Martinez

  • Article
    | Open Access

    High-energy photons in XUV range and attosecond pulses are generated from infrared laser pulses through high harmonic generation in gases and solids. Here, the authors demonstrate the microscopic origin of resonant harmonic generation involving the autoionizing states of Sn in plasma plumes.

    • M. A. Fareed
    • , V. V. Strelkov
    •  & T. Ozaki

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Frequency combs are useful tools in high precision measurement including atomic transitions and atomic clocks. Here the authors demonstrate direct frequency comb spectroscopy to shorter wavelengths by probing a transition frequency in a trapped Mg+ ion using a single mode of a UV frequency comb.

    • Akira Ozawa
    • , Josue Davila-Rodriguez
    •  & Thomas Udem

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Many photo-induced processes such as photosynthesis occur in organic molecules, but their femtosecond excited-state dynamics are difficult to track. Here, the authors exploit the element and site selectivity of soft X-ray absorption to sensitively follow the ultrafast ππ*/nπ* electronic relaxation of hetero-organic molecules.

    • T. J. A. Wolf
    • , R. H. Myhre
    •  & M. Gühr

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Time resolved measurements provide insights to the intriguing process of ultrafast molecular fragmentation. Here the authors use CEP-locked laser pulses in pump–probe scheme to explore the H2+dissociation and find out that the electron localization to one of the nuclei occurs in about 15 fs.

    • H. Xu
    • , Zhichao Li
    •  & I. V. Litvinyuk

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Capturing ultrafast molecular dynamics is difficult as the process involves coupled and very fast motions of electrons and nuclei. Here the authors study non-adiabatic dynamics in the NO molecule using strong-field photoelectron holography to shed light on the valence-shell electron dynamics.

    • Samuel G. Walt
    • , Niraghatam Bhargava Ram
    •  & Hans Jakob Wörner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    An exhausting characterization of the coherence properties of quantum system becomes challenging with increasing system size. Here the authors demonstrate that phonon autocorrelation functions and quantum discord can be measured with local control, and validate it in a string of 42 trapped ions.

    • A. Abdelrahman
    • , O. Khosravani
    •  & H. Häffner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    DNA-templated silver nanoclusters possess desirable optical properties, but their excited state dynamics remain poorly understood. Here the authors show that intracluster relaxations in such clusters are strongly coupled to a vibrational mode, resulting in ultrafast concerted transfer of population and coherence between excited states.

    • Erling Thyrhaug
    • , Sidsel Ammitzbøll Bogh
    •  & Donatas Zigmantas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Precision measurements provide a sensitive test of fundamental constants and their uncertainties. Here the authors precisely measure the hyperfine structure splitting in bismuth ions, and report significant discrepancy with the theoretical prediction of quantum electrodynamics.

    • Johannes Ullmann
    • , Zoran Andelkovic
    •  & Wilfried Nörtershäuser

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cold atoms coupled to photonic crystals constitute a platform for exploring many-body physics. Here the authors study the effect of coupling between the atomic internal degrees of freedom and motion, showing that such systems can realize extreme spin-orbital coupling and uncover a rich phase diagram.

    • Marco T. Manzoni
    • , Ludwig Mathey
    •  & Darrick E. Chang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    When a single mode optical cavity is coupled to a Bose-Einstein condensate, one usually observes a single mode of light when strongly pumped. Here the authors observe a supermode in the output of a multimode cavity and relate this to a signature of a nonequilibrium condensation phase transition.

    • Alicia J. Kollár
    • , Alexander T. Papageorge
    •  & Benjamin L. Lev

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here Jeskeet al. show both theoretical and experimental evidence for stimulated emission from negatively charged nitrogen vacancy centres using light in the phonon sidebands around 700 nm, demonstrating its suitability as a laser medium.

    • Jan Jeske
    • , Desmond W. M. Lau
    •  & Andrew D. Greentree

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dipole-dipole interactions give rise to a number of physical phenomena, but they are typically limited to the Coulombic near-field. Here authors demonstrate the existence of a class of real- and virtual-photon interactions which have a singularity in media with hyperbolic dispersion.

    • Cristian L. Cortes
    •  & Zubin Jacob

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Investigating dynamics of polyatomic molecules is difficult as their potential energy surfaces are multidimensional due to coupled degrees of freedom. Here the authors demonstrate a spatial selective gating technique to probe the different vibrational modes of water upon core-level excitation with X-rays.

    • Rafael C. Couto
    • , Vinícius V. Cruz
    •  & Alexander Föhlisch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Normal-mode splitting in the spectrum of cavity coupled atoms is normally observed in the strong coupling regime. Here the authors demonstrate the existence of avoided crossings in the spectrum of an overdamped system of cavity coupled 87Rb atoms that arise due to dressing-induced transparency.

    • Y. -H. Lien
    • , G. Barontini
    •  & E. A. Hinds

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Interatomic Coulombic decay (ICD) is a relaxation of an atom in a weakly bound environment by the transfer of excess energy to ionize the neighbouring atom. Here the authors observe intra-Rydberg ICD in neon clusters, which is a decay that involves the ionization of Rydberg atoms in the cluster.

    • K. Nagaya
    • , D. Iablonskyi
    •  & K. Ueda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hybrid quantum systems combine efficient high-quality quantum dot sources with atomic vapours that can serve as precise frequency standards or quantum memories. Here, Portalupi et al. demonstrate an optimized atomic Cs-Faraday filter working with single photons emitted from a semiconductor quantum dot.

    • Simone Luca Portalupi
    • , Matthias Widmann
    •  & Ilja Gerhardt

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