Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Atomic Structure

Atomic Structure

Atomic Mass

Atomic Mass

Atoms — and the protons, neutrons, and electrons that compose them — are extremely small. For example, a carbon atom weighs less than 2 × 10−23 g. When describing the properties of tiny objects such as atoms, we use appropriately small units of measure, such as the atomic mass unit (amu). The amu was originally defined based on hydrogen, the lightest element, then later in terms of oxygen. Since 1961, it has been defined with regard to the most abundant isotope of carbon, atoms of which...

Atomic Orbitals

Atomic Orbitals

An atomic orbital represents the three-dimensional regions in an atom where an electron has the highest probability to reside. The radial distribution function indicates the total probability of finding an electron within the thin shell at a distance r from the nucleus. The atomic orbitals have distinct shapes which are determined by l, the angular momentum quantum number. The orbitals are often drawn with a boundary surface, enclosing densest regions of the cloud.

The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom

The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom

Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra.

Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals I

Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals I

The mathematical expression known as the wave function, ψ, contains information about each orbital and the wavelike properties of electrons in an isolated atom. When atoms are bound together in a molecule, the wave functions combine to produce new mathematical descriptions that have different shapes. This process of combining the wave functions for atomic orbitals is called hybridization and is mathematically accomplished by the linear combination of atomic orbitals. The new orbitals that...

The Energies of Atomic Orbitals

The Energies of Atomic Orbitals

In an atom, the negatively charged electrons are attracted to the positively charged nucleus. In a multielectron atom, electron-electron repulsions are also observed. The attractive and repulsive forces are dependent on the distance between the particles, as well as the sign and magnitude of the charges on the individual particles. When the charges on the particles are opposite, they attract each other. If both particles have the same charge, they repel each other.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Few-atom-thick silver films for enhanced nanoscale nonlinear optics.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Ketogenic Diet Alleviates Colorectal Cancer by Attenuating Macrophage M2 Polarisation Triggered by Oncometabolite MMA Derived From the Gut Microbiota.

Cell proliferation·2026

Same author

Probing picometre-scale interlayer deformations via hyperbolic polaritons.

Nature·2026

Same author

Association of the C-reactive protein-triglyceride glucose index with new-onset myocardial infarction risk: a prospective cohort study.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Mid-Infrared Sensing and Ultrafast Photoresponse in Silicon-Based Plasmonic Detectors.

ACS photonics·2026

Same author

Targeted delivery of TGF-β inhibitor via LHRH-NanoTi reverses the NAT10/ac4C-mediated cisplatin-induced immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer.

Journal of nanobiotechnology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Author Spotlight: Introduction to Active Probe Atomic Force Microscopy with Quattro-Parallel Cantilever Arrays

Author Spotlight: Introduction to Active Probe Atomic Force Microscopy with Quattro-Parallel Cantilever Arrays

Published on: June 13, 2023

Lasing and Amplification from Two-Dimensional Atom Arrays.

Vahagn Mkhitaryan¹, Lijun Meng^1,2, Andrea Marini^1,3

¹ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain.

Physical Review Letters

|November 3, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Two-dimensional periodic atom arrays can achieve laser emission with optical pumping. Cooperative interactions enable lasing even with weak atomic scatterers, opening new nanoscale photonics possibilities.

More Related Videos

A 3-dimensional 3D-printed Template for High Throughput Zebrafish Embryo Arraying

A 3-dimensional 3D-printed Template for High Throughput Zebrafish Embryo Arraying

Published on: June 1, 2018

Demonstrating a Multi-drug Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Amplification Microarray

Demonstrating a Multi-drug Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Amplification Microarray

Published on: April 25, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Author Spotlight: Introduction to Active Probe Atomic Force Microscopy with Quattro-Parallel Cantilever Arrays

Author Spotlight: Introduction to Active Probe Atomic Force Microscopy with Quattro-Parallel Cantilever Arrays

Published on: June 13, 2023

A 3-dimensional 3D-printed Template for High Throughput Zebrafish Embryo Arraying

A 3-dimensional 3D-printed Template for High Throughput Zebrafish Embryo Arraying

Published on: June 1, 2018

Demonstrating a Multi-drug Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Amplification Microarray

Demonstrating a Multi-drug Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Amplification Microarray

Published on: April 25, 2014

Area of Science:

Quantum optics
Condensed matter physics
Nanophotonics

Background:

Two-dimensional periodic atom arrays offer unique platforms for light-matter interactions.
External optical pumping is a common method to introduce gain into atomic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the potential of 2D periodic atom arrays for light amplification and laser emission.
To determine the conditions under which lasing can occur in such systems, particularly with weak atomic scatterers.

Main Methods:

Analytical theory was developed for three-level atomic scatterers within a 2D lattice.
The study focused on the cooperative interaction among atoms and the interplay between lattice and atomic resonances.

Main Results:

Lasing is predicted to occur in 2D periodic atom arrays with introduced gain, even for arbitrarily weak atomic scatterers.
A significant interplay between lattice resonances and atomic resonances was revealed by the analytical theory.

Conclusions:

Cooperative effects in 2D atomic lattices are crucial for achieving light amplification and laser emission.
These findings provide a foundation for developing nanoscale devices for generating, manipulating, and controlling coherent photon states.