A new technique

For the first time, physicists have developed a method that has allowed them to see the quantum inseparability of electrons. Since these correlations play a central role in determining the wave function - which describes the quantum state of the molecule - the researchers used the new method to produce the first square images of the two-electron wave function of the hydrogen molecule (H2).

The study was attended by researchers from several research institutes in Germany, Spain, the United States, Russia and Australia, writes phys.org.

"There are other methods that make it possible to reconstruct the correlations between different observations. However, I know it's the first time that a direct picture of the correlations that can be seen with a spectrum is obtained, "said Fernando Martin of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and co-author of this study.

The new method involves the combination of two imagistic methods commonly used in research: photoelectronic imaging and coincidental detection of reaction fragments.

The new approach can be used to visualize the wave function square and other larger molecules with more than two electrons and can also be used for correlations between the wave functions of several molecules.

Ultimately, this method will help determine the basic properties of matter and, moreover, electron-electron correlations are right at the core of quantum effects such as superconductivity and strong magnetic strength.

source:descopera.ro