In a study published in Nature Physics: physicists have just demonstrated a new approach to controlling electrons with light. A European team, including researchers from Paris-Saclay, has induced electrons to move on a time scale of less than a femtosecond, i.e. less than a quadrillionth of a second. At present, our electronic components – based on silicon semiconductors – are activated in picoseconds – thousands of billions of seconds – a thousand times slower than a femtosecond. For years we have been trying to conduct electricity as quickly as possible. To achieve this, researchers have used laser pulses in particular: the idea is to use the ultra-fast light pulse to control the properties of the electrons. This is fundamental research – at the heart of one of the priority themes of the PALM lab – and it will take time to be able to apply these results. However, in the long term, this could push back the current limits of computer systems.