Two Indium atoms
embedded in the surface of a copper crystal sit quietly for the three
minutes that pass between the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) images
labeled (a) and (b) are acquired. Twenty seconds later, after interacting
with vacancies (mobile holes in the crystal surface) the two Indium
atoms have jumped from their initial positions, and two more Indium
atoms have leapt into the frame. Researchers from Universiteit Leiden
in the Netherlands propose that the atoms shift positions just as pieces
may be moved about in toys known as slide puzzles
Reported by:
R. van Gastel et al., Physical Review Letters, 12 February, 2001.
Associated
Physics News Update
Back
to Physics News Graphics
