Directly Imaged Hydrogen atoms

[TemperateSeaIsland]

I was doing my weekly look through journals and noticed this story, thought I might share as it was quite cool.

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/86/i29/8629notw1.html

Lightweight Atoms Imaged

New method renders conventional instruments capable of 'seeing' hydrogen atoms

Mitch Jacoby

IF YOU THINK that imaging individual hydrogen atoms in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) is impossible, think again. Researchers in California report success in that endeavor, long considered extremely difficult at best. What's more, the scientists conducted their imaging experiment with what they describe as a "run of the mill" microscope (Nature 2008, 454, 319).....

 

[Avatar]

So the image is actually beta particles(electrons) bounced off the hydrogen atom, yes? Kinda like bouncing a few thousand tennis balls off a house onto a surface that will mark the the tennis ball striking that surface. And from that do you get this:

Or this:

Just wondering.

 

[Vene]

More like this:

 

[Ryal Kane]

Neat. There are some things in this universe we really can't get our visual brains around and atoms are one of them but still.. neat.

 

[Tinker Grey]

That's cool. Thanks for posting this.