By superimposing two ultrashort laser pulses that converge from different directions, a team of physicists at the University of Oldenburg has succeeded in generating three-dimensional light fields.
Using the same method, they were also able to excite electrons into quantum states that had previously been inaccessible in experiments.
This approach opens up new experimental avenues for identifying chiral structures, controlling interactions between light and matter and generating specific electronic quantum states, the researchers report in the journal Physical Review Research.
"With our method, we can generate electronic quantum states that have previously only been described theoretically and also make them spatially visible," explains Dr. Matthias Wollenhaupt, who leads the research team. "We have thus expanded the experimental optics toolkit to include a new class of three-dimensional light fields."
To read more, click here.