Nature Physics, Published online: 22 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03361-w
When high-energy particles, such as photons, electrons or ions, collide with a molecule, the collision kicks off processes that occur within the first femtoseconds after impact. Quantum mechanical motion of electrons bound to the molecule, which ultimately breaks chemical bonds, has now been captured using an attosecond X-ray free-electron laser.
