Credit: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Illustrations (each showing a top and two side views) of a single layer of molybdenum disulfide (atoms shown as spheres). Top left: In a hypothetical world without motions, the “ideal” monolayer would be flat. Top right: In reality, the monolayer is wrinkled as shown in this room-temperature simulation. Bottom: If a laser pulse heats the monolayer up, it sends ripples through the layer. These wrinkles, which researchers have now observed for the first time, have large amplitudes and develop on ultrafast timescales.