Capturing those in-between moments: NIST solves timing problem in molecular modeling

		IMAGE: Colorized simulation of what happens to 1100 carbon atoms in a "flat " sheet of graphene about 20 microseconds after the central atom is moved slightly upwards. Darker violet colors indicate... Click here for more information.

A theoretical physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a method for calculating the motions and forces of thousands of atoms simultaneously over a wider range of time scales than previously possible. The method overcomes a longstanding timing gap in modeling nanometer-scale materials and many other physical, chemical and biological systems at atomic and molecular levels.