Atomic and molecular physics

Atomic and molecular physics it the study of the properties, dynamics and interactions of the basic (but not fundamental) building blocks of matter. A crucial component of this is understanding the behaviour of the electrons that surround the atomic nucleus; these dynamics dominate the way atoms and molecules interact with their environment.

Featured

• News and Views |

Precise measurement of deuteron mass raises hopes of solving the nuclear-mass puzzle

• Jeroen C. J. Koelemeij
Nature 585, 35-36
• News and Views |

Nasca patterning in the microworld

• Olga Smirnova
Nature Photonics 14, 527-528

Latest Research and Reviews

• Research
| Open Access

An atomic Fabry–Perot interferometer using a pulsed interacting Bose–Einstein condensate

• P. Manju
• , K. S. Hardman
• , P. B. Wigley
• , J. D. Close
• , N. P. Robins
•  & S. S. Szigeti
Scientific Reports 10, 15052
• Research |

Weak-to-strong transition of quantum measurement in a trapped-ion system

A weak-to-strong quantum measurement transition has been observed in a single-trapped-ion system, where the ion’s internal electronic state and its vibrational motion play the roles of the measured system and the measuring pointer.

• Yiming Pan
• , Jie Zhang
• , Eliahu Cohen
• , Chun-wang Wu
• , Ping-Xing Chen
•  & Nir Davidson
• Research
| Open Access

Geometric analysis of shape transition for two-layer carbon–silicon nanotubes

• Xiangyan Luo
• , Quan Xie
• , Zean Tian
• , Xiaotian Guo
• , Jinmin Zhang
• , Tinghong Gao
•  & Yongchao Liang
Scientific Reports 10, 14994
• Research
| Open Access

Effects of SF6 decomposition components and concentrations on the discharge faults and insulation defects in GIS equipment

• Yuan Zhuang
• , Xiaotong Hu
• , Bin Tang
• , Siwei Wang
• , Anyang Cui
• , Keyong Hou
• , Yunhua He
• , Liangqing Zhu
• , Wenwu Li
•  & Junhao Chu
Scientific Reports 10, 15039
• Research
| Open Access

Identification of molecular quantum states using phase-sensitive forces

The identification of molecular quantum states becomes challenging with increasing complexity of the molecular level structure. Here, the authors non-destructively identified excited molecular states of the $${{\rm{N}}}_{2}^{+}$$ $N 2 +$ by interfering forces applied to both the molecular ion and to a co-trapped atomic ion.

• Kaveh Najafian
• , Ziv Meir
• , Mudit Sinhal
•  & Stefan Willitsch
• Research |

Thermodynamics of a deeply degenerate SU(N)-symmetric Fermi gas

Ultracold alkaline-earth fermionic atoms with large number of nuclear spin states possess SU(N) symmetry. That deeply affects their interaction properties, and allows a Fermi gas of these atoms to be cooled quickly to the quantum degenerate regime.

• Lindsay Sonderhouse
• , Christian Sanner
• , Ross B. Hutson
• , Akihisa Goban
• , Thomas Bilitewski
• , Lingfeng Yan
• , William R. Milner
• , Ana M. Rey
•  & Jun Ye

News and Comment

• Research Highlights |

A chip for laser cooling

• Yun Li
Nature Physics 16, 898
• News and Views |

Precise measurement of deuteron mass raises hopes of solving the nuclear-mass puzzle

Contradictory values for the masses of atomic nuclei have cast doubt on the reliability of these widely used quantities. A new mass measurement of the deuteron, the second-simplest atomic nucleus, clarifies the situation.

• Jeroen C. J. Koelemeij
Nature 585, 35-36
• News and Views |

Nasca patterning in the microworld

Launching electrons to the centre of an optical field with a vortex phase profile via extreme-ultraviolet photoionization makes coherent imprinting of the spatial distribution of the vortex beam onto the electron wave packet possible.

• Olga Smirnova
Nature Photonics 14, 527-528
• Research Highlights |

An ultracold junction

• Yun Li
Nature Physics 16, 819
• News and Views |

Driving toward hot new phases

Novel non-equilibrium phases of matter have recently become the focus of intense interest. The realization of topological phases which cannot exist under the constraints of thermodynamic equilibrium is a key aim.

• Mark S. Rudner
• News and Views |

Atomic forces mapped out by lasers

The forces between electrons and nuclei in solids are difficult to image directly. A study shows that these forces can instead be indirectly imaged using the light emitted when the electrons are subjected to a strong laser field.

• Michael A. Sentef
Nature 583, 35-36