Impossible photo of a single atom

in #news7 years ago (edited)

single.atom.in.ion.jpg
A single strontium atom is illuminated by a laser while suspended in the air. The extraordinary photo was taken by David Nadlinger, from the University of Oxford.

When illuminated by a laser of the right blue-violet colour the atom absorbs and re-emits light particles sufficiently quickly for an ordinary camera to capture it in a long exposure photograph.

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Posted from my blog: https://gdsteem.hdat.eu/science/impossible-photo-of-a-single-atom/18/