Photoemission Spectroscopy

Northeastern researchers have made what they describe as a groundbreaking discovery in the field of quantum mechanics.

Researchers at PSI have compared the electron distribution below the oxide layer of two semiconductors. The investigation is part of an effort to develop particularly stable quantum bits—and thus, in turn, particularly efficient quantum computers. They have now published their latest research, which is supported in part by Microsoft, in the journal Advanced Quantum Technologies.

The Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) pioneers studies to build and co-design the next generation of programmable quantum devices. An interdisciplinary team of scientists from QSA institutions, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), and the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory, conducted a series of experiments with a new type of…

Transition metals and non-ferrous metals such as copper, nickel and cobalt are not only suitable as materials in engineering and technology, but also for a wide range of applications in electrochemistry and catalysis.

Methanol, produced from carbon dioxide in the air, can be used to make carbon neutral fuels. But to do this, the mechanism by which methanol is turned into liquid hydrocarbons must be better understood so that the catalytic process can be optimized. Now, using sophisticated analytical techniques, researchers from ETH Zürich and Paul Scherrer Institute have gained unprecedented insight into this complex mechanism.

Researchers at Stockholm University have for the first time been able to study the surface of a copper-zinc catalyst when carbon dioxide is reduced to methanol. The results are published in the scientific journal Science. A better knowledge of the catalytic process and the possibility of finding even more efficient materials opens the door for a green transition in the chemical industry.

Sometimes, working backward pays off.

As physicists delve deeper into the quantum realm, they are discovering an infinitesimally small world composed of a strange and surprising array of links, knots and winding. Some quantum materials exhibit magnetic whirls called skyrmions—unique configurations described as "subatomic hurricanes." Others host a form of superconductivity that twists into vortices.

N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are small, reactive ring molecules that bond well with metallic surfaces, and which over the past few years have attracted a great deal of interest in the field of the stable chemical modification of metallic surfaces. One property—discovered at the University of Münster in Germany a few years ago—is the ability that certain NHC derivatives have, not only to anchor themselves to…

The early 20th century saw the advent of quantum mechanics to describe the properties of small particles, such as electrons or atoms. Schrödinger's equation in quantum mechanics can successfully predict the electronic structure of atoms or molecules. However, the "duality" of matter, referring to the dual "particle" and "wave" nature of electrons, remained a controversial issue. Physicists use a complex…

Photoelectrodes based on BiVO4 are considered top candidates for solar hydrogen production. But what exactly happens when they come into contact with water molecules? A study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society has now partially answered this crucial question: Excess electrons from dopants or defects aid the dissociation of water which in turn stabilizes so-called polarons at the surface. This is shown…

A joint research team led by Dr. Jingkun Jiang from Tsinghua University and Dr. Markku Kulmala from the University of Helsinki has reported an efficient mechanism for gaseous sulfuric acid and bases to form atmospheric ultrafine particles. The findings explain the rapid formation of secondary ultrafine particles, which could further influence air quality and the climate.