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It may seem pedantic, but it's not actually a "photograph" since it was taken using an electron beam - from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photograph h
by danparsonson 16y ago
It may seem pedantic, but it's not actually a "photograph" since it was taken using an electron beam - from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photograph http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photograph):
A photograph (often shortened to photo) is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface
The clue is in the name - photo-graph, as in 'photon'. It's an important distinction, as electron microscopy offers much greater resolution than optical microscopy, due to the difference in wavelength between an electron and a photon of the same energy (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/quantum/debrog2.html http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/quantum/debrog2.h...).
It's generally better to stick with the headline when posting news articles ("Research team takes image of hydrogen atom" in this case).
Very interesting article though!
- danparsonson 16y agoI've just noticed that the Telegraph article linked elsewhere in this post has that exact headline, so I guess it's the staff at the Telegraph who need a physics lesson! Presumably the OP updated the link after the initial post.
- hugh3 16y agoAlso while I'm sure it's the first something it's certainly not the first imaging of an individual hydrogen atom; we were "imaging" single hydrogen atoms on various surfaces with scanning tunneling microscopy at least a decade ago. Possibly this is the first time it's been done with SEM though.