Researchers from the University of Regensburg, Philipps University Marburg, and Forschungszentrum Jülich have made a fundamental quantum process visible in real time. Using a novel combination of ultrafast laser technology and electron microscopy, the team directly observed how electrons in graphene perform so-called Landau-Zener-Majorana transitions, seemingly bypassing forbidden energy gaps under the influence of intense light fields. This behavior can be compared to an elevator jumping from the 3rd to the 20th floor without stopping in between.
The breakthrough was made possible by a new “slow-motion camera” for electrons, allowing researchers to track ultrafast electron motion across the complete energy landscape of a material. The measurements reveal tunneling probabilities of up to 100% and provide unprecedented insight into how light controls electron dynamics on femtosecond timescales.
Published in Nature, the work opens exciting perspectives for future lightwave electronics and all-optical quantum control.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this remarkable collaborative achievement.
👉 Read the full publication HERE and the Uni Regensburg press release HERE.
