Get the most accurate photo ever made to atoms

2021/06/14 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Fisika

Beating the 2018 brand, researchers at Cornell University (New York, USA) have made atoms the highest resolution photo ever. In fact, they have managed to double the best resolution so far. It is the resolution at the level of the gauges. In view of the photo it seems to be poorly focused, but it is a consequence of the movement of atoms.

The technique used to photograph atoms is called Pticography, which uses a pixel matrix detector (EMPAD) with an electronic microscope. At all times, the electron beam is projected onto electrons from a relatively different position and, comparing overlapping patterns, they have been able to reconstruct atoms with great precision using complex algorithms. A 2D material has been analyzed, since in a thicker material the dispersion of electrons was greater, which would hinder the process. But the next goal of the research team is to do so with 3D materials. The work has been published in the journal Science.