Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope - io9 Comments

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

Jeff-Minor — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:50:39 PST

This thing still uses electrons, right? I wonder what the limit is for being able to see the very small? We're getting to the point where seeing the very small is going to leave us with more empty space than anything else. After all, most of the univese is empty.

Jeff-Minor

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

jamesi-kins — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 07:51:46 PST

I don't savvy "Section in the ASME sense", but it's definitely not a surface image - it's an image of a section of a 3-d structure, where the 3-d structure looks something like two cones with their tips stuck together. I think the structure is a break junction [en.wikipedia.org] , which is a tiny point of contact between two sections of wire that have been drawn apart until they are very nearly separated. The formation of the junction can be controlled very precisely by using a piezo controller and monitoring the conductivity of the junction, so one can reproducibly leave a tiny neck of material - here it seems to be about 4 nanometers across. Gold structures this size are stable - you don't need millions of gold atoms for them to stick together.

jamesi-kins

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

Eac_o_System — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:35:08 PST

@nutbastard: I thought the picture was weird too. How could those dots bond anything? Shouldn't there be millions of them, at any size smallness?

Eac_o_System

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

nutbastard — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:46:43 PST

@jamesi-kins:

so we're seeing a Section in the ASME sense, or a surface? Oy i am not well versed in atomic scale stuff. But i guess in this specific case, almost no one is (considering these images couldn't have existed until they built this thing!)

But yes, watching individual atoms change positions, for some reason, seems almost... pornographic... in the sense that yer seeing something normally locked away in Gods Nightstand Drawer.

nutbastard

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

jamesi-kins — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:50:19 PST

@nutbastard: From the article, it sounds like they're able to focus the electron beam precisely in a plane, so we are seeing a slice through one plane of the crystal lattice of this gold nanojunction with atomic precision. You can kind of see that at the edges, the spots get smaller - I think that's because the surface atoms don't line up with the crystal packing in the center of the junction - they're shifted above or below the plane of focus.

What I think is cool is this: "From each exposure to the next, individual gold atoms could be seen changing positions." I'd like to see the animation of the gold atoms moving around.

jamesi-kins

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

nutbastard — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:13:27 PST

We're just seeing the crystal lattice here, right, those dots aren't individual atoms... right??

nutbastard

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

nutbastard — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:12:10 PST

good god look at that huge 60 something position terminal strip just dangling there!

How much of a hurry were they in?? Cable assembly and wire drawings are a bitch, but man, it is such a bitch to fix things that are put together like that and very easy to break them.

nutbastard

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

Eac_o_System — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:06:01 PST

A giant inhaler + wires = the greatest micro-scope yet!

Eac_o_System

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

frankXchange — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:32:29 PST

What colours is it available in? Does it include the flash, or is that extra?

frankXchange

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:50:25 PST

@Transuranic: I know! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that.

Annalee Newitz

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

Transuranic — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:37:36 PST

That is one sexy microscope. Microscope, I want you to do me, RIGHT HERE.

Transuranic

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

deckard97 — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:42:51 PST

Hey! How did you guys get a picture of my stereo/computer?

deckard97

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

MeepsZoR — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:36:22 PST

Ah, interesting... interesting...

I propose that we use this beam to change SOMETHING into NOTHING, then back again.

The molecules would remain suspended in the beam, and when it turns off, all the molecules fall back into place, and VIOLA!

MeepsZoR

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

Simon Piper — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:32:43 PST

where do you put the sample?

Simon Piper

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

demonwolf — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:18:14 PST

but will it blend?

demonwolf

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

Biggrz — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:35:12 PST

Wow, I love this stuff. Thanks IO9!

Biggrz

Atomic Structures Captured by New, Ultra-Powerful Microscope

papercup mixmaster — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:32:29 PST

My favorite aspect of things like this isthat the device is built only to be functional, not designed, or to look neat for any public. It's a heap of (highly organized, I'm sure) cables and wires in a black metal frame - and it's just waiting to do some awesome science. I can't wait for more pictures.

papercup mixmaster