<ul><li>Understanding how atoms move across metal surfaces is crucial for improving energy storage and generation technologies.</li><li>Simulating atomic motion accurately is challenging, especially in the presence of quantum physics.</li><li>Electrons respond almost instantly to the motion of atomic nuclei due to their lightweight, but the 'adiabatic approximation' shortcut may not always work.</li><li>A new study by scientists George Trenins and Mariana Rossi combined electronic friction with quantum behaviors of atomic nuclei using the path-integral formulation, shedding light on energy exchange at metal surfaces and advancing materials for various technologies.</li></ul>

New study reveals atoms don’t just move—they remember

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