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Most Detailed Photos of an Atom Yet

Posted by timothy on from the one-downmanship dept.

BuzzSkyline writes "Ukrainian researchers have managed to take pictures of atoms that reveal structure of the electron clouds surrounding carbon nuclei in unprecedented detail. Although the images offer no surprises (they look much like the sketches of electron orbitals included in high school science texts), this is the first time that anyone has directly imaged atoms at this level, rather than inferring the structure of the orbitals from indirect measurements such as electron or X-ray interferometry."

22 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. really? by timmarhy · · Score: 3, Funny

    looks like it was done in MS paint to me...

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    1. Re:really? by ModernGeek · · Score: 5, Funny

      The shadows are all wrong.

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    2. Re:really? by Canazza · · Score: 4, Funny

      Physicists are not photographers! They obviously had the shutter speed too low - Look how blurry the picture is!

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    3. Re:really? by miro+f · · Score: 4, Funny

      can't really call it a photograph if it was taken with electrons rather than light.
      I wonder how they can tell the electron is blue?

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    4. Re:really? by Stenchwarrior · · Score: 2, Funny

      Looks like the magic 8-ball to me.

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    5. Re:really? by tsa · · Score: 2, Funny

      Duh. It's in a vacuum! Of course it's blue.

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    6. Re:really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Everybody knows electrons are blue!

      NB:
      Its the same with quarks but they are not blue ;)
      http://www.particleadventure.org/quarks.html

    7. Re:really? by nacturation · · Score: 5, Funny

      Looks like a smurf sat on the photocopier.

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  2. There are other ones by houghi · · Score: 2, Funny

    There are other ones like this one or even the inside of one like here

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  3. Wooo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Particle porn! Could you shave off those electron clouds, now?

  4. mirror by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    .
    (not actual size)

  5. Re:Unscaled photo link by PGC · · Score: 5, Funny

    Unscaled, wow. That is one HUGE atom.... no wonder they were capable of photographing it.

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  6. Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    So this is what's powering my netbook!

  7. (do not mod) by aepervius · · Score: 4, Funny

    ignore. Reply done to undo bad moderation

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    1. Re:(do not mod) by machine321 · · Score: 5, Funny

      MOD PARENT UP!

  8. Re:Unscaled photo link by miro+f · · Score: 4, Funny

    I have embedded the unscaled photos in this post.

    Millions of them

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  9. Re:Speaking as a chemist by commodore64_love · · Score: 1, Funny

    I don't remember learning any chemistry in my U.S. government-run school. Although I did get an A in drivers ed and sewing/cooking (home economics).

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  10. If you squint... by Drakkenmensch · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... you can see Bigfoot in the background!

  11. Re:Speaking as a chemist by __aamnbm3774 · · Score: 2, Funny

    damn, the UK is so great. I wish more people actually wanted to move into your country and got the hell out of mine.

  12. Cool by Elwar123 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Atoms are blue. I guess that explains why the sky is blue...it's full of atoms.

  13. Re:It makes me very suspicious indeed. by MiniMike · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wait until you've read the paper in Phys Rev B then, it's possible the reporter just put their own spin on it...

  14. Re:Pity this is AC by chill · · Score: 2, Funny

    It looks like a significant experiment, but the summary is quite wrong as to what is being shown.

    Dude, this is Slashdot and the discussion is on elementary particle physics. What exactly did you expect?

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