Ultra-short flashes of light illuminate a possible path to future beyond-CMOS electronics

Researchers have demonstrated that ultra-short pulses of light, down to 34 millionths of a billionth of a second, elicit the same response as continuous illumination. The experiment harnessed interactions between real and virtual states to 'switch' the electronic state of an atomically-thin (2D) material, tungsten-disulfide, aiding the search for future low-energy electronics based on exotic topological materials.