Physicist David Nadlinger from the University of Oxford recently made a major breakthrough by taking the very first image of a single atom. All matter is made of atoms, which have a core of protons and neutrons, while electrons circle around that core. Since atoms are so tiny, measuring just one billionth of a meter, but they exist everywhere in the universe, researching them is important.
Scientists, until now, were unable to observe atoms separately. Nothing much was known about black holes, especially when it came to creating a picture of just one. He overcame this by taking a picture of a strontium atom, chilled with lasers and held in position with magnetic fields. Using an illuminated camera, the scientist saw the atom appear as a glowing blue dot placed between the two electrodes. Because the nucleus can’t be seen, atoms are detected by light reflecting off the surrounding electron cloud.
Strontium was selected because it is stable, plentiful, and fits well with experiments in cooling and quantum physics. Because atoms can have several isotopes, researchers can examine the quantum variations between atoms. It won the UK’s national scientific imaging contest and was seen worldwide.
Apart from its appearances, the image led to a significant advance in quantum research. It showed for the first time that scientists are able to control individual atoms, which will play a key role in the development of quantum computing for fast, transformative advancements in technology.
It does more than record science; it also proves we can now see what was previously hidden. With the help of field practice, people are encouraged to research the unusual world of quantum mechanics. If we capture a single atom, we get a big step closer to learning how the universe functions at the smallest levels and maybe one day using it fully.
