Laser pulses steer electron flow in a scanning tunneling microscope

A Technion-led team combined atomic-scale imaging of a scanning tunneling microscope with femtosecond control of electron motion. Shaped laser pulses set the direction of electron flow while preserving nanoscale spatial resolution.

• The method pairs atomic resolution of STM with femtosecond timescales
• Shaped laser pulses set the direction of electron flow
• Nanoscale spatial resolution is preserved