Atoms and pyramids

1994/07/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Energia

Physicists from the French Atomic Energy Commission have analyzed how copper atoms are placed on a copper surface in their laboratories in the Parisian town of Saclay. Atoms accumulate forming pyramids and then tend to extend to the entire surface.

This migration depends on temperature. The higher the temperature, the easier the separation of atoms into homogeneous layers of the surface. If the temperature is very low, the atoms do not disperse and form a rough surface (at atom level, of course). Thanks to the rediffusion of atoms and molecules on their surface, researchers have discovered that atoms emitted at -73°C form fractal structures, similar to staggered pyramids. Atoms cannot lower levels because they have an energy barrier.