Researchers have devised a method to accurately measure an atom’s three-dimensional position with a single image, revolutionizing quantum mechanics experiments and material development by facilitating precise atom manipulation and tracking.For over ten years, physicists have been able to pinpoint the exact positions of individual atoms with a precision finer than one-thousandth of a millimeter using a specialized microscope. However, this method has so far only provided the x and y coordinates.
The principle is very similar if you want to observe individual atoms instead of cells. So-called quantum gas microscopy can be used for this purpose. It allows you to straightforwardly determine the x and y coordinates of an atom. However, it is much more difficult to measure its z coordinate, i.e., the distance to the objective lens: In order to find out on what plane the atom is located, multiple images must be taken in which the focus is shifted across various different planes.
The image of an atom produced by a quantum gas microscope is normally a round, slightly blurred speck. The researchers have distorted it into a dumbbell shape . The direction in which the dumbbell is pointing shows the z coordinate. Credit: IAP/University of Bonn “The dumbbell thus acts a bit like the needle on a compass, allowing us to read off the z coordinate according to its orientation,” says Prof. Dr. Dieter Meschede. The IAP researcher, whose research group carried out the study, is also a member of the transdisciplinary research area “Matter” at the University of Bonn.The new method makes it possible to precisely determine the position of an atom in three dimensions with one single image.
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