Adlershof Scientists in the Top 10 of Physics 2013

MBI achieves breakthrough with observation of hydrogen atoms

The top 10 breakthroughs in physics in 2013 have been announced today. Director Marc Vrakking of the Max Born Institute, Phd-student Aneta Stodolna from FOM Institute AMOLF in the Netherlands, and colleagues from Europe and US are amongst the top 10 breakthroughs identified by the Physics World editorial team.

The top 10 breakthroughs in physics in 2013 have been announced today. Marc Vrakking of the Max Born Institute, Aneta Stodolna of FOM Institute AMOLF in the Netherlands and colleagues from Europe and the US are amongst the top 10 breakthroughs identified in a list chosen by the Physics World editorial team.
The international team coordinated by MBI is awarded for their work described in "Quantum microscope peers into the hydrogen atom" showing that photoionization microscopy can directly obtain the nodal structure of the electronic orbital of a hydrogen atom placed in a static electric field. The observation was made using a newly developed "quantum microscope", which uses photoionization microscopy to visualize the structure directly. The team's demonstration proves that "photoionization microscopy", which was first proposed more than 30 years ago, can be experimentally realized and can serve as a tool to explore the subtleties of quantum mechanics.

Original publication: Physical Review Letters: http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v110/i21/e213001

About the award

The top 10 breakthroughs identified in the list were chosen by the Physics World editorial team, who reviewed over 350 news articles about advances in the physical sciences published on physicsworld.com in 2013. The award was based on the fundamental importance of the research, its significant advance in knowledge, the strong connection between theory and experiment, and the general interest to all physicists.

Read the full announcement about the 2013 breakthroughs on physicsworld.com

Contact

Aneta Stodolna
FOM Institute AMOLF
Science Park 104
1098 XG Amsterdam, Niederlande
Email: A.Smolkowska(at)amolf.nl

Prof. Marc J.J. Vrakking
Max-Born-Institut
Max Born Straße 2A
D-12489 Berlin
Tel: +49-30-6392 1200
Email: Marc.Vrakking(at)mbi-berlin.de