Pump Probe Approach (IMAGE) DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Caption To study ultrafast atomic motions in a single layer of molybdenum disulfide, researchers followed a pump-probe approach: They excited motions with a laser pulse (pump pulse, red) and probed the laser-induced structural changes with a subsequent electron pulse (probe pulse, blue). The electrons of the probe pulse scatter off the monolayer's atoms (blue and yellow spheres) and form a scattering pattern on the detector -- a signal the team used to determine the monolayer structure. By recording patterns at different time delays between the pump and probe pulses, the scientists were able to determine how the atomic structure of the molybdenum disulfide film changed over time. Credit SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.