“İlk Defa Atomik Boyutta Görüntüleme Gerçekleşti: Tüm Rekorlar Kırıldı!”

Scientists have developed a new microscopy technique that enables observation of light at an atomic scale. Known as ultralow oscillation scattering near-field optical microscopy (ULA-SNOM), this method captures light in a volume of just one cubic nanometer, allowing for images with atomic resolution.

The ULA-SNOM technique makes it possible to visualize previously indiscernible atomic structures, singular defects, and even molecules. The team achieved this breakthrough by combining an atomic force microscope with visible laser light and a specially crafted silver tip.

The smallest feature size limitation has been overcome!

ULA-SNOM surpasses the diffraction limit that restricts optical microscopes to a resolution of about 200 nanometers, which means that this technology has exceeded the smallest feature size limit that an optical imaging system can achieve. Researchers managed to concentrate light in an area even smaller than atomic scale using a silver tip that oscillates at just one nanometer.

Tests conducted on silicon islands that are a single atom thick revealed distinct differences in optical signals between silicon and silver regions. The team worked at a temperature of 8 Kelvin (-265°C) and in ultra-high vacuum to ensure that the system was extraordinarily stable. Let’s see how this new imaging technique will impact the work of scientists…