Scientists from
Jülich and Xi'an have developed a new method with which crystal structures can
be reconstructed with atomic precision in all three dimensions. Admittedly,
they did not use a picture from a simple digital camera to perform this feat,
but rather an image from an ultra-high resolution electron microscope. The
process is also especially suitable for the spatial mapping of
radiation-sensitive samples, which would be quickly destroyed by the high
energy measurement beam.
Their approach
offers many advantages; radiation-sensitive samples can also be studied, which
would otherwise be quickly damaged by the microscope's high-energy electron
beam. The comparatively short data acquisition time involved could even make it
possible in the future to observe the transient intermediate steps of chemical
reactions. It also enables a measurement procedure to detect not only heavy but
also light chemical elements, such as oxygen.
More
information: