It is practically impossible to determine the location and speed of the electron at the same time and with the same accuracy. Rather, we assume the possibility of the electron being in this or that place.

This is according to the uncertainty principle first formulated by the German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg in 1927.

This principle is one of the most important principles of "quantum theory", so can this principle be verified experimentally after nearly 100 years have passed?

This is what ignited the determination of the Egyptian scientist, Muhammad Tharwat Hassan, to explore the depths of this mysterious quantum world and realize the dream of controlling the electron.

One of the smallest particles with the highest speed.

The fastest optical exchange

In a newly published study that appeared on the cover of the journal "Science Advances" on February 22, Hassan (Professor of Physics and Light at the University of Arizona in the United States) is approaching a new step towards achieving the dream of controlling the electron.

After proving the ability of the "Attosecond Laser" to cause a change in the electronic structure of the insulating silica material and a real-time change of its optical properties;

The Egyptian scientist and his research team discovered a new technology for digital data transfer, which is the fastest in the world so far.

This new technology is a light exchanger (transistor) that works with atto-second laser technology.

This discovery is expected to make a breakthrough in the field of encoding and transmitting binary digital data.

Before we delve more and more into the scientific basis of this technology, we must first know "Ato-Second".

What is an atto-second?

Femto- and atto-second are time scales used to measure the movement of particles, atoms, and electrons at high speeds that cannot be observed with conventional techniques.

Scientists were able to measure the movement of molecules within the materials via the "femtosecond" scale.

At the atomic level, we would need a much smaller timescale to measure the motion of the electrons, which have negligible weight and very fast motion.

Hence the atto-second scale, as the fastest time scale known to date.

For further clarification, 1 femto-second equals a fraction of a second equal to 10 to the power of -15, while an atto-second equals a fraction of a second equal to 10 raised to the power of -18.

And if we want to imagine this ratio, we can say - roughly, not precisely - that the ratio of atto-seconds to one second is close to the ratio of a second to twice the age of the universe as we know it.

However, the atto-second is much shorter.

A breakthrough in the field of laser physics

For this promising discovery, a story is told by the Egyptian scientist Mohamed Hassan, who said - in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net - that the late scientist Ahmed Zewail used the laser in 1984 to measure the movement of molecules during chemical reactions, and this research effort deserved a Nobel in chemistry, and laid the foundation for many different applications after him. .

Several research groups were interested in this technique until in 2001 Austrian physicist Ferenc Krause measured a light pulse in the deep ultraviolet region that lasted less than half a femto-second. From there, researchers used those atto-second pulses to track the movement of electrons within matter.

We can't control what we don't see

"We cannot control what we do not see, and therefore the dream was to depict the movement of electrons within the atom, which in turn governs everything that happens in nature around us," this is how Hassan describes his dream, whose importance appeared on the ground.

And the Egyptian scientist continues, "To monitor this movement, it was necessary to develop a laser device whose speed is equal to or greater than the speed of those electrons, so that we can photograph that movement from its beginning to its end, to obtain information that helps us understand the kinetic behavior of these nanoparticles. And in 2016, the efforts of our group culminated in With success, we were able for the first time to come up with a new technique, where we were able to control the speed of that movement using a laser at atto-second speed. These results were a powerful breakthrough in atto-second physics."

Muhammad Tharwat Hassan talked about promising applications for the new discovery (Al-Jazeera)

A new step down the road

Hassan adds, "The new study deals with two research strands that complement each other. We have exploited what we previously found of the reflexive switching of the physical state of molten silica using lasers, that is, converting it from an insulating material to an electrically conductive material to prove light transmission in atto-second time, and this is the first part. As for On the other hand, we have demonstrated the loading of data into laser beam pulses and the optical transmission of that information at an unprecedented high optical pulse frequency rate.

He adds, "This ability allows the exchange of optical signals to be controlled and controlled to be turned on or off, which provides high-speed encoding of digital data using superimposed light waveforms."

It is known that modern electronic devices are based on the exchange of electrical signals using the electromagnetic fields of radio frequencies on a time scale of nanoseconds, which limits the processing of information at gigahertz speeds.

The modern light exchange allows the exchange of reflected light signals and their control, either by allowing or preventing a transfer speed in the atto-second scale.

This work paves the way for the development of ultra-fast optical exchanges for data transmission at beta-hertz speeds and beyond, which can employ the physical and wave properties of light to transmit information carried on laser pulses to the far reaches of space, which will open, for example, a new era of communication and information technology. For use in space communications between Earth and any spacecraft on Mars, and possibly to planets at much greater distances.

Knowledge precedes application

We asked Professor Mohamed Hassan about the limitations of applying this technology and producing it in the form of an industrial product available for public use, and his answer was that “the limits of this technology are in industry, not in the laboratory. In terms of applicability, we were able to transmit digital data through 20 thousand laser pulses in atto-second time. In order to reach the same result on an industrial level, it is necessary to develop electronic chips with high accuracy, and this is what we expect from companies, and we refer here to the attempt made by Intel, but there is still a lot to do.

And he continued, "Our measurements also showed the possibility of ultra-optical transmission of data under normal conditions, which allows the design of a compact optical exchanger integrated into an electronic chip, but here the scientist's job stands again, when the theoretical principles are proven experimentally, and this is what we did. As for the possibility of manufacturing a chip electronic devices to suit the ultra-high repetition rate of the laser pulses, which is also a function of the industry.”

A promising discovery for many potential applications

In answer to our question about the potential applications of the atto-second laser technology at the level of science and technology, the Egyptian scientist's response was very promising, in the fields of physics and chemistry, for example, "it will help us complete our path in a greater understanding of the movement of electrons and their characterization, which will result in controlling the course of chemical reactions and their products in full, Such an achievement will open the door wide for the production of many chemicals that are difficult to synthesize in laboratories by normal chemical methods, because in this case we will not need catalysts for the reaction to proceed in its automatic direction, as the laser may help us direct the electrons where we want and at the speed we decide.

He added, "In the field of biosciences, the atto-second laser can be applied in personalized medicine, which is based on collecting accurate and detailed data on DNA, genetics and environmental factors specific to each individual, with the aim of designing a prevention and treatment strategy for this individual." And through the atto-second laser, we can control the interaction of the drug with the DNA of each person, thus increasing the efficiency of the drug, and thus the cure rate.And speaking of technological applications, the production of photoelectronic chips on the atto-second scale will revolutionize the development of technology in general, as it is the basis of everything ".

What then?

Regarding his next research steps, Professor Mohamed Hassan said, "We seek to accurately depict and describe the movement of the electron in the three spatial dimensions, in addition to the fourth temporal dimension, and this will enable us to test and scrutinize some physical principles and quantum theories that have not been experimentally verified since the last century until now." For example, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.

Professor Hassan believes in the power of science and the role of experimental physics in a new formulation of reality by transforming theory into tangible facts within laboratories.