When we think of ions, we usually think of single atoms that have lost or gained some electrons, but entire molecules can also become ions. Physicists now show that cold molecular ions can be created ...

When single particles like atoms and ions bond, molecules emerge. Such bonds between to particles can arise if they have for example opposite electrical charges and hence attract each other. The ...

Nanometer-scale pores etched into layers of graphene can provide a simple model for the complex operation of ion channels, researchers have demonstrated. Tiny pores at a cell's entryway act as ...

Rydberg molecules and atoms comprise a captivating branch of modern quantum chemistry and atomic physics, where atoms in highly excited electronic states interact to form unusually long-range ...

Chemical reaction: the magneto-optical trap used to study hypermetallic alkaline earth oxides A magneto-optical trap has been used by physicists in the US to study how ions and atoms interact to ...

A type of quantum phase transition first predicted in 2013 has been seen by three independent teams of physicists. All three experiments involved systems of interacting ultracold atoms or ions and the ...