Atomic shadow photo

^{The shadow of the ytterbium atom, photos before and after filtering}

Scientists from the Center for Quantum Dynamics at Griffith University (Brisbane, Australia) were the first in the world to photograph the shadow of an individual atom . Scientists have come close to the theoretical limit of microscopy, because a single atom is a minimal object that can be seen in visible light.

The laser-cooled ytterbium ion ( ¹⁷⁴ Yb ⁺ ) was captured in an ion-cyclotron trap and illuminated at a resonating wavelength of 369.5 nm, which was absorbed by the ion. The resulting shadow was recorded through a Fresnel lens on a cooled CCD.



According to scientists, such experiments help us better understand atomic physics and can be useful for quantum computers.