Scientists discover new method of observing interactions in nanoscale systems

January 17, 2008 | Source: PhysOrg.com

Scientists at Ludwig-Maximilians University have used new optical technologies to observe interactions in nanoscale systems that Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle usually would prohibit.

Using a new high-resolution laser spectroscopy system, they measured photons scattered from a single quantum dot while increasing the laser intensity to saturate the dot’s optical absorption. This allowed them to observe very weak interactions, signaled by the appearance of the Fano effect (which changes the way an atom or molecule absorbs light or radiation) for the first time.