Electrons, Crystals and Attoseconds

How long does an electron need for its way through a crystal grid ? Austrian and German physicists now answered this question with an sophisticated experiment. For its way through one atomic layer of a solid state an electron needs 40 attoseconds. For this time measurement the team around Reinhard Kienberger targeted two succeeding laser pulses on a few atomic layers strong magnesium crystal an a Wolfram surface. Details of the experiment and the measurement can be found in the actual issue of the Nature magazine. Insights from this experiment can help to  further increase the speed and to further minimize electronic devices.