Atomic Movies Offer Insights Into More Efficient Perovskites

Photons spin atoms around into a whirl inside of perovskites, offering clues about how to make the material a more efficient light-to-electricity transformer

2 min read

Illustration of the ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) experiment used to capture the rapid atomic response to light in perovskites.
Illustration of the ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) experiment used to capture the rapid atomic response to light in perovskites. An electron beam (blue) is deflected as it passes through the perovskite sample, generating an intensity or diffraction pattern on a detector that allows the reconstruction of the sample’s atomic structure. By measuring how the pattern changes over time after the sample was hit by a laser pulse (red), researchers can create an ultrafast movie of the atomic response.
Illustration: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory