Atomic systems, as physical systems, consist of one or more atoms whose dynamics are governed by quantum mechanics, electromagnetic interactions, and, at high energies, relativistic effects. They include isolated atoms, ions, and small aggregates where electronic structure, discrete energy levels, and spin-orbit coupling dominate behavior. Atomic systems serve as model platforms for studying fundamental processes such as spectroscopy, scattering, coherence, and entanglement, and underpin precision measurements including atomic clocks and quantum sensors. Their states are described by many-body wavefunctions or density matrices, with interactions treated via effective Hamiltonians incorporating Coulomb potentials, external fields, and, in dense environments, interatomic forces and decoherence mechanisms.
Atoms can absorb and reemit light—this is an everyday phenomenon. In most cases, however, an atom emits a light particle in all possible directions—recapturing this photon is, therefore, quite hard.
Optics & Photonics
Jan 16, 2024
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For the first time, a research team has succeeded in stabilizing and directly imaging small clusters of noble gas atoms at room temperature. This achievement opens exciting possibilities for condensed matter physics and applications ...
Condensed Matter
Jan 11, 2024
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With atomic precision, scientists built a testbed to manipulate electrons in entirely new ways with potential applications in quantum computing.
Nanophysics
Nov 29, 2022
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The dynamics of how liquids behave when confined in a nanoscale-sized space such as nanochannels, nanotubes or nanopores, is key to understanding a wealth of processes including lubrication, filtration and even energy storage.
Nanophysics
Aug 19, 2022
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In a breakthrough Tokyo Tech researchers have managed to observe and characterize dynamic assembly of metallic atoms using an ingenious combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy and a video-based tracking. ...
Nanophysics
Jun 14, 2022
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112
Scientists are working hard to engineer the properties of nanostructures, such as atoms and molecules, to realize efficient logic devices that can operate at the fundamental scale of matter—the scale of atoms. To make ...
Nanomaterials
Sep 23, 2021
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