How fast do electrons whiz through the atomic layers of a
crystal lattice? A team of scientists led by researchers from the Technische
Universität München (TUM) joined by colleagues from the Max Planck Institute of
Quantum Optics (MPQ), the Ludwig- Maximilians-Universität Munich and the
Technical University of Vienna has now investigatigated this fundamental
question. The researchers measured the time electrons needed to travel through
a film consisting of a few layers a of magnesium atoms.