Atomic and molecular structure as a research area investigates the spatial arrangement, electronic configuration, and intrinsic quantum properties of atoms and molecules, and how these features determine their spectroscopic, chemical, and physical behavior. It encompasses theoretical and computational methods (e.g., ab initio quantum chemistry, density functional theory, configuration interaction) and experimental techniques (e.g., high-resolution spectroscopy, scattering, synchrotron and XFEL-based probes) to resolve electronic states, bonding patterns, potential energy surfaces, and correlation effects. This field underpins understanding of reactivity, photophysics, materials properties, and the design of novel molecules, clusters, and nanostructures with targeted electronic and structural characteristics.
Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have created a database that provides updated predicted structures on a regular basis, ensuring scientists can work with the most current information.
Molecular & Computational biology
Nov 11, 2025
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A research group at The University of Tokyo has discovered a new principle by which helical chiral molecules acquire spin through molecular vibrations, enabling them to adhere to magnets. Until now, it was believed that chiral ...
Condensed Matter
Oct 29, 2025
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If you think of a single atom as a grain of sand, then a wavelength of visible light—which is a thousand times larger than the atom's width—is comparable to an ocean wave. The light wave can dwarf an atom, missing it ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 22, 2025
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In 1867, Lord Kelvin imagined atoms as knots in the aether. The idea was soon disproven. Atoms turned out to be something else entirely. But his discarded vision may yet hold the key to why the universe exists.
General Physics
Oct 22, 2025
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For decades, it's been known that subtle chemical patterns exist in metal alloys, but researchers thought they were too minor to matter—or that they got erased during manufacturing. However, recent studies have shown that ...
Condensed Matter
Oct 8, 2025
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Researchers with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have created an innovative method to visualize and analyze atomic structures within specially designed, ...
Nanophysics
Sep 23, 2025
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Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, together with international collaborators, have developed a new electron microscopy method that has enabled the first-ever imaging of vibrations, or phonons, in specific ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 19, 2025
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Pushing the limits of size constraints in chemistry, an 8-nanometer 18-porphyrin nanoring (c-P18) becomes the largest known cyclic molecule to exhibit detectable global aromaticity. This phenomenon, where π-electrons are ...
A research team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a new method to uncover the atomic origins of unusual material behavior. This approach uses Bayesian deep learning, a form of artificial intelligence that ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 18, 2025
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The molecular hydrogen ion H₂⁺ is the simplest molecule. This simplicity makes it a perfect study object for physicists, as its properties—for example, its energy levels—can be calculated precisely. In turn, this ...
General Physics
Sep 9, 2025
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