How do different materials react to the impact of ions? This is a question that plays an important role in many areas of research — for example in nuclear fusion research, when the walls of the fusion reactor are bombarded by high-energy ions, but also in semiconductor technology, when semiconductors are bombarded with ion beams…

Lasers are everywhere. Devices that use them transmit information and enable the existence of long-distance communications and the internet; they aid doctors performing surgeries and engineers manufacturing advanced tools and technologies; and day-to-day, we encounter lasers as we scan our groceries and watch DVDs. “In the 60-some years since they were invented, lasers have absolutely…