Some materials convert photons into more free charges than would be expected. Using an ultrafast film, researchers have now been able to get a picture of this process. Physicists from the University of Würzburg were also involved.
Photovoltaics, the conversion of light to electricity, is a key technology for sustainable energy. Since the days of Max Planck and Albert Einstein, we know that light as well as electricity come in tiny, quantized packets called photons and elementary charges, the latter represented by electrons and holes.
Better solar cells thanks to exciton splitting
In a usual solar cell, the energy of a single photon is transferred to free charges in the material, but no more than that. ...
