back to article Take a look at atom’s shadow

This image is special, according to Griffith University: it’s the first time anyone’s captured the shadow of a single ytterbium atom, at optical wavelengths (images of single atoms are much easier to capture using scanning electron microscopes). The image takes the world to the “extreme limit” of optical microscopy, the …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    that's actually pretty cool for Australia’s :)

    that's actually pretty cool for Australian’s :)

    all joking aside do they have selection of any real images rather than this single hand drawn mock up, and will they be providing any real re-focused sliced through images of these and other atoms soon so we can actually see inside , we can have Google atom world type views then :)

    all told given the human mind perceive's things far better in visual image form and can leap to breakthroughs by visualizing the real world then this could be huge.

    1. Martin Huizing
      Facepalm

      Re: that's actually pretty cool for Australia’s :)

      *Swings magic wand* Back to school to you!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: that's actually pretty cool for Australia’s :)

        agreed, although i didn't get full marks at typing school, in my defense i did type it correctly on the fist line above and i was at the time also pondering how the World's Smallest Optical Cavities Lead to Most Intense Nano laser Beams, how Twisted Light can now Lead to 2.56 Tb/s Link, and just now i thought how grandma Natzi's dirty, fungus infested feet need looking at.down the old typists nursing home ;)

        anyway,as yet another passing thought, what do you actually think about this story, and now would you improve the imaging quality of the different atoms light absorption to show more detail, and perhaps in the future even get to visually see the electrons orbiting the atom if possible.....

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: that's actually pretty cool for Australia’s :)

      RTFM: http://velorum.ballarat.edu.au/~iwright/apostrophes/

      1. frank ly

        Re: that's actually pretty cool for Australia’s :)

        It's alright, he's a greengrocer.

    3. zemerick

      Re: that's actually pretty cool for Australia’s :)

      The link provided at the end of the article contains the actual image. It is a bit odd though for the article to refer to "this image", but not having the actual full image provided. However, you will notice that the illustration includes a slightly modified part of the actual image ( cropped and increased contrast. )

    4. This post has been deleted by its author

    5. NomNomNom

      Re: that's actually pretty cool for Australia’s :)

      FFS it's not rocket science (<---note the correct use of apostrophe). Why are so many people so useless when it comes to apostrophe's? You only have to learn It ONCE in life and then just APPLY.

      1. Vic

        Re: that's actually pretty cool for Australia’s :)

        > Why are so many people so useless when it comes to apostrophe's?

        *snort*

        Vic.

  2. Long Fei
    Happy

    Wuhh...

    "ytterbium, millikelvin..." Your making these words up aren't you? Or copying them from the original Grimm's fairy tales.

    ;)

    1. Michael Dunn

      Re: Wuhh...

      Actually, terbium, ytrium and ytterbium are all lanthanides, named after the same Swedish(?) town(?)

      1. Olof P
        Boffin

        also erbium!

        and it's not so much a town as a tiny place, whose claim to fame is a mine. Mentioned elements, as well as holmium (after Stockholm), thulium and gadolinium where first found in minerals from the quarry there.

        1. Mips
          Childcatcher

          Re: also erbium!

          I always liked the name Gadolinium, it makes me think of the expletive "you spawning gadderino".

          Just thought you would like to know.

        2. NomNomNom

          Re: also erbium!

          they would make good troll names

  3. Winkypop Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Impressive

    Mind-bogglingly impressive.

  4. nagyeger

    urmmm

    "images of single atoms are much easier to capture using scanning electron microscopes"

    Did you mean TUNNELLING electron microscopes?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Re: urmmm

      you meant to ask

      Did you mean scanning tunneling microscope?

  5. TeeCee Gold badge
    Coat

    So.

    Did they get it to say "Cheese"?

    Is there another atom behind it in the pic doing bunny ears?

  6. FuzzNChips
    Joke

    Pics...

    ... or it din't happen

  7. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    I'm not a physicist but doesn't imaging a single atom like this break the uncertainty principle?

    1. NomNomNom

      not if you draw it roughly

    2. Julz

      Uncertainty reduced as it's sooo coooooool

    3. Mr Temporary Handle
      Meh

      That would pre-suppose the so-called 'uncertainty principle' has any basis in fact. Something the quantum lunatics themselves are still arguing about eighty something years after Heisenberg proposed the idea.

      I've read a lot of 'explanations' of it over the years and they all seem to boil down to what might be more simply described as the margin of error.

      In short, we can't measure things perfectly because our measuring instruments aren't perfect.

      1. Harry Kiri

        I thought the uncertainty principle was related to the concept of information and measurements remove this information changing the state of the particles.

        After that my head melted. its all an intelligent guess anyway.

        Not sure it makes any difference with respect to the atom photo, when I manage to find it...

    4. This post has been deleted by its author

  8. Neoc

    Image?

    The article refers to "This image" but doesn't actually provide it, or a link to said image.

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