The way individual atoms and molecules move in materials has important consequences on properties such as electrical conductivity, heat capacity and acoustics. Even in solids, atoms are always moving back and forth about some average position, and this motion occurs through specific wave-like modes called phonons. Phonons form elementary excitations in the material and can therefore carry energy in the form of heat. As temperature increases, so do the number of phonons and vice-versa. The group of Dr.
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Published on: 12 Jun 2018
Researchers at McGill University have succeeded in simultaneously observing the reorganizations of atomic positions and electron distribution during the transformation of the “smart material” vanadium dioxide (VO2) from a semiconductor into a metal – in a time frame a trillion times faster than the blink of an eye.
Published on: 27 Oct 2014
