Atomic and molecular processes in external fields is a research area that investigates how atoms and molecules respond to applied electromagnetic, static electric, magnetic, or intense laser fields, with emphasis on modifications of their electronic structure, energy levels, transition probabilities, and reaction dynamics. It encompasses phenomena such as Stark and Zeeman effects, field-induced ionization and dissociation, alignment and orientation of molecules, and coherence and control of quantum states. The field integrates quantum mechanics, scattering theory, and time-dependent many-body methods to model interactions and is central to high-field physics, ultrafast spectroscopy, quantum control, and precision measurements in atomic, molecular, and optical science.
The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of living organisms contains regulatory elements that control when, where and to what extent specific genes are turned on or off. They can be co-opted to create "gene switches" that hold significant ...
Biotechnology
Aug 17, 2026
0
19
When certain atoms are irradiated with laser light, they can produce a very different kind of laser light: laser pulses with extremely high frequencies in the X-ray range. These laser pulses, which helped achieve record-breaking ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 11, 2026
0
28
Chiral phonons are groups of atoms that move in a circular direction when excited by an energy source, such as heat. As the phonons move through a material, they propagate that circular motion, or angular momentum, through ...
Condensed Matter
Aug 5, 2026
0
41
The interaction between X-rays and matter can be actively controlled, according to an international research team led by the University of Hamburg and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory that has succeeded in producing bright ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 3, 2026
1
16
Large-scale quantum communication networks require both reliable quantum memories and coherent single-photon sources that can exchange quantum information efficiently. A coherent source of single photons with narrow linewidth, ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 30, 2026
0
61
Bose–Einstein condensates are states of matter that form when particles called bosons are cooled to temperatures that are only a fraction of a degree above absolute zero (i.e., 0 Kelvin [-460°F]). In these states, particles ...
Electronic motion sets the stage for virtually every light-induced process in nature, from the first step of a chemical reaction to the flow of charge in a solid. Yet these processes unfold so rapidly that they can be observed ...
General Physics
Jul 29, 2026
0
36
A new quantum sensing technique could enable measurements of single protein structures and other important molecules, with potential applications in drug discovery and structural biology. A research team from the Institute ...
Bio & Medicine
Jul 28, 2026
0
115
Many molecules exist in two mirror-image forms—like left and right hands—that look identical but can behave very differently, especially in biological systems and pharmaceuticals. Distinguishing between these enantiomers ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 26, 2026
0
78
Heavy polar molecules are some of the most sensitive tools physicists have for probing what lies beyond the Standard Model, the theory that describes the particles and forces we know about. But turning that sensitivity into ...
