In these ultra-cold atomic ensembles, the ionization of single atoms with laser fields prepares the first building block of the molecule -- the ion. Additional laser beams excite a second atom into ...

Hollow atoms are special atoms with multiple missing electrons in their inner shells, while their outer shells are still fully or partially filled with electrons. Studying the production mechanisms, ...

Highly charged ions are a common form of matter in the cosmos, where they are found, for example, in the sun or other stars. They are so called because they have lost many electrons and therefore have ...

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 ...

Optical atomic clocks are the most accurate measuring instruments ever built and are becoming key tools for basic and applied research, for example to test the constancy of natural constants or for ...