Quantum Engineering and Attosecond Technology: A Promising Future in Materials Science Paving the Way for the Fifth Industrial Revolution
Dr. Salah Hamed Ramadan Ali
Professor of Metrology and Precision Engineering, Length Metrology and Precision Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards (NIS)
High-precision scientific research and discoveries play a pivotal role in global progress, particularly in engineering metrology and materials technology, which will lead to a qualitative leap in microelectronics and ultra-precision manufacturing. This progress stems primarily from the scientific foundations laid by the Arab polymath Ibn al-Haytham in optics during the early eleventh century. Born in Basra, Iraq, in 965 AD, Ibn al-Haytham lived most of his life in Egypt and died in Cairo in 1040 AD. Second, this progress builds upon the ideas and achievements of numerous researchers, explorers, and scientists, especially after the British researcher John Dalton formulated modern atomic theory in 1803, asserting that matter consists of smaller particles called atoms. It also builds on the experiments of German researcher Max Planck in 1901, who laid the cornerstone for quantum mechanics by formulating his black-body radiation law and discovering Planck’s constant, proving that energy is absorbed and emitted in discrete packets called quanta.
With the emergence of quantum geometry as a relatively recent concept in the late twentieth century—specifically with the development of theories such as loop quantum gravity and string theory—research aims to describe the nature of spacetime at microscopic scales (the Planck scale) as consisting of discrete units or loops rather than a continuous fabric. This follows in the footsteps of new scientists and explorers such as Andre Geim (a Dutch-Russian physicist) and Konstantin Novoselov (a British-Russian physicist), who conducted pioneering experiments that led to the discovery of graphene, a material composed of novel carbon sheets just one carbon atom thick—an achievement for which they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.
Graphene features a unique internal structure and exceptional properties, with a true carbon atom diameter of approximately 0.22 nanometers. This progress was further advanced by Egyptian professor Ahmed Zewail, who invented an ultrafast microscope using femtosecond technology (a femtosecond being $10^{-15}$ of a second). This enabled scientists to capture chemical reactions as they occur at the atomic level within a timeframe measured in femtoseconds—an achievement that won Professor Zewail the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999 for pioneering a new field with wide applications in chemistry and medicine.
Furthermore, the concept of quantum entanglement was clarified, qualifying John F. Clauser (USA), Anton Zeilinger (Austria), and Alain Aspect (France) for the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for their achievements in quantum mechanics, demonstrated through experiments on quantum-entangled photons. They confirmed the contradiction between the concept of local realism—a central focus in Albert Einstein’s theories—and the quantum perspective, given that local realism assumes any measurable quantity possesses a definite value.
In addition, Pierre Agostini (France), his supervisor Professor Ferenc Krausz (Hungary/Austria), and Anne L’Huillier (France/Sweden) were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics for generating light pulses measured in attoseconds ($10^{-18}$ of a second). In the same year, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi (USA/France, of Tunisian origin), Louis E. Brus, and Alexei Ekimov for their discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.
These developments coincided with the evolution of camera systems, scientific microscopes, and quantum mechanics concepts—advancements collectively known as quantum engineering. Thus, the evolution of natural sciences has paved the way for modern engineering physics to advance toward the quantum engineering of atoms.
Moreover, the concept of transforming femtosecond lasers into attosecond lasers—converting their constituent photons into higher-energy, smaller, and much faster photons—crystallized through a process known as high-harmonic generation (HHG), developed by scientist Anne L’Huillier in 2024. This application integrates light engineering physics, laser technologies, and spectroscopic systems. Because laser operation relies on physical principles such as stimulated emission and radiation, it serves as an effective tool across numerous applications.
Combining this knowledge with spectroscopic techniques yields systems capable of providing precise data on the physical properties of materials by analyzing the light they emit or absorb. These systems are used across diverse fields, including chemistry, environmental science, medicine, and engineering, thereby improving measurement accuracy and deepening our understanding of the physical and chemical properties of materials.
Egyptian researcher Professor Mohamed Tharwat Hassan and his team at the University of Arizona have successfully developed a laser capable of producing ultrafast light pulses. This achievement allowed them to track the motion of electrons inside insulating materials and turn them into electrical conductors. The discovery represents a major shift in electronics and telecommunications, as it can increase the operating speeds of electronic devices — such as computers and mobile phones — by 100 million times.
Four years ago, specifically in 2022, researcher Tharwat Hassan and his colleagues successfully developed the world’s fastest electron microscope, capable of tracking electron motion on a timescale reaching the attosecond — one billion-billionth of a second. This capability was demonstrated by imaging the movement of electrons between carbon atoms in multi-layered graphene at unprecedented speeds.
In addition, the microscope’s unique three-dimensional imaging capabilities will allow scientists across various disciplines — including physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, engineering, and life sciences — to observe electrons in diverse material samples and visualize them in time and space instantly. This breakthrough brings researchers and thinkers closer to a new leap toward simultaneously determining an electron’s position and velocity with extreme precision.
At its core, Egyptian professor Mohamed Tharwat Hassan and his team successfully generated ultrafast photonic pulses and used them to shape the waveforms of laser pulses, a process achieved through light scattering, tailored spectral shaping, and the subsequent recombination of light into an engineered waveform. This was accomplished by guiding light using advanced measurement techniques to analyze crystal lattice dynamics, which may help clarify how the crystal structure affects the electrical properties of metals.
Measurements also focused on studying instabilities associated with charge-density wave instabilities in kagome metal crystal structures, revealing complex interactions that may affect the physical properties of the material.
A kagome metal is a class of quantum conducting materials characterized by a unique atomic arrangement resembling the traditional Japanese basket-weaving pattern known as the kagome lattice. This geometric structure consists of intersecting triangles sharing their corners and enclosing large hexagonal voids. These materials are classified as one of the most exciting phenomena in condensed matter physics due to the exceptional electronic and magnetic properties resulting from this geometric distribution of atoms.
Furthermore, the results pointed to competition between different types of instabilities, which may affect the behavior of the material under specific conditions. The study concluded that understanding charge dynamics in kagome-structured materials is crucial, as it may open new horizons for grasping and understanding material behavior to maximize their applications.
Accordingly, magnetism and electronic correlations in magnetic kagome materials engage in a complex reciprocal interaction. Magnetic effects drive the flow of electrons around the structural triangles of the material, while electrons merge into a collective wave carrying an electric current, a phenomenon resembling superconductivity. Based on the atomic arrangement, the expected specific band structure in a thin film of a kagome magnet can be calculated, providing a valuable path for researchers to predict the topology of the material in future engineering designs.
In this context, researchers Mingu Kang, Riccardo Comin, and their colleagues successfully identified the true shape — or geometric footprint — of moving electrons in a kagome system using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). ARPES is an advanced measurement tool that analyzes the angles and momentum of electrons emitted from a material to measure the quantum geometric tensor, providing unprecedented insights into the quantum geometric properties of the material.
The study revealed precise measurements of solid materials, enhancing the understanding of their quantum properties. This article represents an important step toward developing the electrical and optical properties of solid materials and opening new horizons in quantum physics and its applications in future technologies.
As a result, quantum engineering can now be defined as a discipline that employs quantum computing and topology — using coordinates, distances, angles, and shapes — to gain a deeper understanding of the physical properties of materials. Meanwhile, the attosecond is an extremely small unit of time, representing one part in a billion billion (quintillion) of a second, and is considered one of the newest units approved by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in the fields of frequency and time, holding promising engineering applications.
Conclusion:
Humanity currently stands at a critical juncture marking the dawn of the Fifth Industrial Revolution (IR5.0), driven by anticipated developments in ultra-miniaturized microelectronics, specifically those based on quantum engineering and ultra-high-precision metrology systems that use attosecond technology. Accordingly, the following recommendations can be put forward:
- The importance of preserving national mineral wealth: Mineral resources serve as the backbone of economic development and the engine of vital industries, as well as the foundation for building civilizations and advancing nations. Resources with unique physical properties hold strategic value in scientific, economic, and even political fields. Therefore, preserving this wealth requires prioritizing the management and protection of national mineral resources—particularly rare-earth elements, which have become an influential factor in contemporary global political and military conflicts due to their vital role in manufacturing ultra-advanced electronic chips.
- The importance of updating academic curricula and national study plans—particularly in engineering and physics specializations at universities and higher education institutions, to keep pace with anticipated developments in the mechanics of materials and advanced engineering metrology systems. This is essential for equipping today’s students (tomorrow’s engineers, physicists, and chemists) with the latest knowledge and preparing them for the imminent transition toward the Fifth Industrial Revolution.
- The importance of updating scientific research agendas in academic institutions and national research centers to align with current and anticipated scientific discoveries related to engineering materials, particularly nanomaterials. This facilitates a smooth and harmonious transition, helping to foster a scientific environment capable of adapting to the requirements of the Fifth Industrial Revolution and integrating into it.
- Developing micro-systems: Developments in embedded systems, electronic sensors, and control systems are expected to revolutionize ultra-high-precision performance. These systems will become more effective, especially in reducing energy and resource consumption, which will enhance their future efficiency and sustainability. As a result, designing and manufacturing new engineering materials with specific physical properties—such as high conductivity—may soon become possible, allowing the performance of engineering systems to be maximized in support of engineering industries.
In conclusion, it can be said that this scientific leap—based on quantum engineering and attosecond technology, which empowers our innovative vision of material behavior—is a new scientific milestone featuring the participation of Egyptian scientists. It enables a more precise understanding of the physical properties of materials. Without a doubt, this will propel us toward the era of the Fifth Industrial Revolution (IR5.0), supporting the global economy and improving the quality of people’s lives for the better, God willing.
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تابع معنا تحليل قراءة الصحف اليومية مع الكاتب الصحفي Hany Sallam عبر