Electron's Portrait

Scientists have filmed an electron in motion for the first time, using a new technique that will allow researchers to study the tiny particle's movements directly. Try and guess which 'tron it is.

Previously, it was impossible to photograph electrons because of their extreme speediness, so scientists had to rely on more indirect methods. Like getting it high on good weed. Or making it do long division.

Those methods were worthless, and others could only measure the effect of an electron's movement, the newest technique can capture the entire event. Since extremely short flashes of light are necessary to capture an electron in motion, short pulses of intense laser light, called attosecond pulses, get the job done. It takes about 150 attoseconds for an electron to circle the nucleus of an atom - an attosecond is 10-18 seconds long.

Using another laser, scientists can guide the motion of the electron to capture a collision between an electron and an atom on film. The length of the film corresponds to a single oscillation of a wave of light . The speed of the event has been slowed down for human eyes. The technique could also be used to study what happens in an atom when an electron leaves its shell.