London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

Chinese-led team claims physics breakthrough

Chinese-led team claims physics breakthrough

Generation of powerful electron beam could could rewrite Einstein theory on photoelectric effect.
A Chinese-led research team has generated powerful electron beams with unprecedented efficiency, a scientific breakthrough that could rewrite Albert Einstein's Nobel Prize winning theory, according to a new paper.

In March 1905, Einstein published a paper explaining the photoelectric effect. When light falls on specific material, electrons might be emitted from its surface. This phenomenon has helped humans understand the quantum nature of light and electrons.

A century passed and the theory became a foundation for many modern technologies that rely on light detection or electron-beam generation. High-energy electron beams have been widely used to analyse crystal structures, treat cancer, kill bacteria and machine alloy.

However, most of the materials that convert photons into electrons, known as photocathodes, were discovered about 60 years ago. All photocathodes a defect: the electrons they generate are dispersed in angle and speed.

By using a new material, He Ruihua, of Westlake University in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province, and his team overcame the defence and acquired concentrated electrons. The finding by researchers in China, Japan and the US could raise the energy level of an acquired electron-beam by at least an order of magnitude.

The team's paper was published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature on March 8.

They used strontium titanate (SrTiO3), a quantum material with myriad interesting properties. Electron beams obtained after exciting SrTiO3 generated electron beams with consistency - also called coherence.

"Coherence is important to the beam, it concentrates the flow like a pipe on the tap. Without the pipe, water will spray everywhere when the tap is wide open. Without coherence, electrons will scatter," said Hong Caiyun, an author of the paper.

"With the coherence we acquired, we can increase the beam intensity while the beam could maintain its direction."

The photoemission intensity of SrTiO3 is greatly enhanced.

"This exceptional performance suggests novel physics beyond the well-established theoretical framework for photoemission," Hong said.

The discovery has driven the team to find a new theory to explain the unparalleled coherence.

"We came up with an explanation as a supplement to Einstein's original theoretical framework. It's in another paper which is under review right now," Professor He said.

Co-author Arun Bansil of Northeastern University in the US, hailed the finding in a Phys.org report.

"This is a big deal because there is no mechanism within our existing understanding of photoemission that can produce such an effect. In other words, we don't have any theory for this, currently, so it is a miraculous breakthrough in that sense," Bansil said.

According to Hong, the new theory predicts a host of materials with the same photoemissive properties as SrTiO3.

"SrTiO3 presents the first example of a fundamentally new class of photocathode quantum materials. It opens new prospects for applications that require intense electron beams," she said.

The research team did not respond, either in its paper or in interviews, to whether high-energy electron beams would be used in weapons.

Professor He said the discovery emerged from their focus on a traditional technology, angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (Arpes). Arpes is widely used to study electron structures in solid materials. It measures the energy and emission angle of photoelectrons.

"In the past few decades, physics and material scientists mainly used Arpes to study the electronic structures related to the optical, electrical and thermal properties. Our team adapted an unconventional configuration of Arpes, and measured another part that's more related to the photoelectric effect," He said.

"During the test we found the unusual photoemission properties of SrTiO3. Previously, quantum oxide materials represented by strontium titanate were mainly studied as substitutes for semiconductors, and are currently used in the fields of electronics and photocatalysis.

"The material will definitely be promising in the field of photocathode in the future."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×