Attosecond pump-probe propsed to explore the dance of electrons

Electrons in atoms move in a choreographed motion on a time scale of attoseconds (one quintillionth, or one billionth of a billionth of a second). To observe this ultrafast motion, physicists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have theoretically demonstrated an attosecond pump-probe technique that captures the steps in this intricate dance by ionizing the atom at selected times. The development of the proposed technique might someday allow scientists to actually see into a world of electron motion.