IBM makes stop motion movie at atomic level

[3v0]

Each sphere is an atom.

link

 

[DerStrom8]

That was brilliant! Thanks for sharing 3v0!

 

[Pommie]

Awesome but it makes me wonder, what are the atoms sitting on? Something not made of atoms?

Mike.

 

[Norator]

Awesome but it makes me wonder, what are the atoms sitting on? Something not made of atoms?

Mike.

It's the legendary ether!

 

[3v0]

It's the legendary ether!

Just guessing but I think they are on top a layer of much smaller atoms.

 

[Norator]

Maybe.

". . .the smallest atom is helium with a radius of 32 pm, while one of the largest is caesium at 225 pm.[80]"

 

[Mr RB]

Maybe suspended in a magnetic field?

 

[3v0]

this is the vid about making the movie

They say it is on a surface and mention carbon monoxide. They can hear the sound as they move them!

 

[april]

What they don't seem to say is to photograph them they have the device at -265 C and under high vacuum so we are not seeing atoms as we know them, we are seeing a frozen molecule in space equivalent perhaps. Notice the hexagonal crystaline appearance

https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8225491.stm

An amazing achievement but not quite seeing the atom