Trillionth-of-a-Second Camera Captures Chaos in Motion

Trillionth-of-a-Second Camera Captures Atomic Motion

Typical digital cameras open their shutter for about one four-thousandths of a second. However, capturing atomic activity requires an extremely faster shutter speed. In 2023, scientists introduced a camera shutter capable of operating at a trillionth of a second—250 million times faster than conventional digital cameras.

This breakthrough enables observation of dynamic disorder in materials, a critical phenomenon where clusters of atoms move in coordinated patterns over a period, often triggered by vibrations or temperature changes.

Understanding Dynamic Disorder

Dynamic disorder involves atoms "dancing" within a material, influencing its properties and reactions. Though not fully understood yet, this movement plays a vital role in materials science.

The New Imaging Technology: vsPDF

The innovative technology behind this rapid capturing is called the variable shutter atomic pair distribution function, or vsPDF. This technique provides unprecedented detail about atomic movements within materials.

"It's only with this new vsPDF tool that we can really see this side of materials," said Simon Billinge, a materials scientist at Columbia University in New York. "With this technique, we'll be able to watch a material and see which atoms are in the dance and which are sitting it out."

Impact on Materials Research

The ultra-fast shutter speed opens new possibilities for studying material behavior in real time, deepening our understanding of how atomic activity shapes material performance.

Related Breakthrough

Separately, the world's largest camera captured millions of galaxies in its first images, highlighting advances in imaging across vastly different scales.

Author’s summary: The development of a trillionth-of-a-second shutter allows scientists to visualize atomic motions in materials, shedding light on dynamic disorder and advancing materials science research.

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ScienceAlert ScienceAlert — 2025-11-02

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