ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy

Have you ever played with a flashlight and noticed how the light beam changes when you shine it at different angles? Well, scientists use a special kind of light called x-rays to look at how electrons, tiny particles that make up matter, behave inside materials. They do this using a very fancy machine called an angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) machine.

The ARPES machine works by shining a beam of x-rays at a material and measuring how electrons are kicked out of the material and fly away. This is called photoemission. Scientists can then look at these electrons to understand how they were moving inside the material before they got kicked out.

One important thing to know is that electrons can move in different directions, kind of like how you and your friends can move in different directions when playing tag. Scientists use the ARPES machine to measure the energy and direction of these electrons.

Think of the ARPES machine like a big camera that takes a picture of how electrons are moving inside the material, but instead of a regular photo, it takes an "electron photo". By measuring the energy and direction of these electrons, scientists can learn a lot about how electrons interact with each other and with the material they are in.

Overall, the ARPES machine is a special tool that helps scientists learn about the microscopic world of electrons and how they behave inside different materials.