Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

12:45
Detection and Quantification of Tunneling Nanotubes Using 3D Volume View Images
Published on: August 31, 2022
The tunneling microscope: a new look at the atomic world
Summary
A novel tunneling microscope provides atomic-scale surface imaging, revealing the structure of silicon crystals. This breakthrough offers unprecedented views of matter at the atomic level.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Science
- Physics
Background:
- The development of advanced microscopy techniques is crucial for understanding matter at the nanoscale.
- Previous methods lacked the resolution to visualize atomic structures directly in real space.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and discuss the capabilities of the new tunneling microscope.
- To explore the physics underlying tunneling microscopy.
- To present results from imaging silicon crystal surfaces.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a newly developed tunneling microscope.
- Generating real-space images of surface atomic structures.
- Analyzing the physics principles of the tunneling technique.
Main Results:
- The tunneling microscope successfully generated real-space images with atomic resolution.
- Specific results from the study of silicon crystal surfaces were obtained.
- The capabilities and limitations of the technique were elucidated.
Conclusions:
- The tunneling microscope represents a significant advancement in surface analysis.
- It provides a new perspective on matter at the atomic scale.
- The technique shows promise for future materials science research.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Microscopy Techniques
The early pioneers of microscopy opened a window into the invisible world of microorganisms. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes that leveraged nonvisible light, such as fluorescence microscopy that uses an ultraviolet light source and electron microscopy that uses short-wavelength electron beams. These advances significantly improved magnification, image resolution, and contrast. By comparison, the...
Transmission Electron Microscopy
In 1931, physicist Ernst Ruska—building on the idea that magnetic fields can direct an electron beam just as lenses can direct a beam of light in an optical microscope—developed the first prototype of the electron microscope. This development led to the development of the field of electron microscopy. In the transmission electron microscope (TEM), electrons are produced by a hot tungsten element and accelerated by a potential difference in an electron gun, which gives them up to 400 keV in...
Overview of Electron Microscopy
The wavelengths of visible light ultimately limit the maximum theoretical resolution of images created by light microscopes. Most light microscopes can only magnify 1000X, and a few can magnify up to 1500X. Electrons, like electromagnetic radiation, can behave like waves, but with wavelengths of 0.005 nm, they produce significantly greater resolution up to 0.05 nm as compared to 500 nm for visible light. An electron microscope (EM) can create a sharp image that is magnified up to 2,000,000X.
Atomic Force Microscopy
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a type of scanning probe microscopy that can analyze topographic details of various specimens like ceramics, glass, polymers, and biological samples. AFM offers over 1000 times more resolution than the optical imaging system. Images generated from AFM are three-dimensional surface profiles, offering an advantage over the flat, two-dimensional images from other imaging techniques.
The AFM Probe
The probe is regarded as the heart of any AFM setup and comprises the...
The AFM Probe
The probe is regarded as the heart of any AFM setup and comprises the...
Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to determine the 3D structure of biological samples with the help of techniques such as electron microscope tomography and single-particle reconstruction. While single-particle reconstruction can examine macromolecules and macromolecular complexes in vitro conditions only, tomography permits the study of cell components or small cells in vivo.
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
Atomic Structure
All matter is composed of atoms, the smallest individual units of elements. Each atom is made up of three subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Together, these three particles account for the mass and the charge of an atom.The History of Atomic TheoryThe first person to propose that everything on Earth is made up of tiny particles was the Greek philosopher Democritus, around 450 B.C. He used the term atomos, Greek for “indivisible,” from which the modern term “atom” is derived.

