Physicists at SLAC generated 60–100 attosecond X‑ray pulses—by exploiting a Rabi‑cycling split in X‑ray wavelengths—short enough to watch electron clouds move and chemical bonds form in real time. This pushes X‑ray free‑electron lasers into a regime that current femtosecond pulses cannot reach and could be extended further using heavier elements like tungsten or hafnium.
— Directly imaging electron dynamics can transform how we design catalysts, semiconductors, and energy materials, influencing industrial R&D and science funding priorities.
Ethan Siegel
2026.01.15
60% relevant
Both items sit in the same category of public‑facing physics reporting that translate advanced, counter‑intuitive quantum/relativistic results for non‑experts; the Hawking article performs the same public role as the Attosecond X‑rays story—revising popular intuitions about deep physics (black‑hole evaporation vs electron dynamics) and stressing why conceptual precision matters for public discourse and research priorities.
Gideon Koekoek
2025.12.01
45% relevant
Both pieces highlight how new observational tools can expose formerly inaccessible physical regimes and prompt major shifts in scientific understanding; the Aeon essay argues that EHT and gravitational‑wave advances may soon distinguish true event horizons from 'imposter' interiors, paralleling how attosecond X‑rays allow direct observation of previously hidden electron dynamics.
BeauHD
2025.10.17
100% relevant
Nature paper by SLAC team reporting 60–100 attosecond X‑ray pulses via X‑FEL Rabi cycling, with claims of resolving sub‑bond timescales.