Scientists routinely use laser light to control how an atom’s electrons move from one electronic state to another, but controlling an atom’s nuclear state is far more challenging. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany, have now used X-ray light to achieve coherent control over nuclear excitations for the first time. As well as contributing to a better understanding of quantum matter, the work could hasten the development of technologies such as ultraprecise nuclear clocks and batteries that can store huge amounts of energy.
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