Citat:
Ursprungligen postat av G.W
Tveksamt om det är en atom då de är för små att se.
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This particular apparatus uses strontium because of its size: Strontium has 38 protons, and the diameter of a strontium atom is a few millionths of a millimeter. Normally this would still be much too small to see, but this setup employs a clever trick to make the atom much brighter.
The strontium atom in the photo is hit by a high-powered laser, which causes the electrons orbiting the strontium atom to become more energized. Occasionally, these energized electrons will give off light. With enough energized electrons giving off enough light, it’s possible for an ordinary camera to image the atom.
Still, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to see the atom with your naked eye. This image is a long exposure shot, which means even with all that laser light, it’s still too faint to pick up without equipment. But given how incredibly tiny atoms are, looking at this photo is probably the closest you’re going to get.