Electron microscopes are powerful tools of the future. They are used to obtain images from
Two new studies
Two new studies conducted by collaboratorsMcMorran labs at the University of Oregon are offering new ideas on how to improve electron microscopes. Both involve the use of a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics: an electron can behave both as a wave and as a particle. This is one of many examples of quantum weirdness, where the behavior of subatomic particles appears to violate the laws of classical physics.
In the first study, scientists propose to studyobject under the microscope without coming into contact with it, preventing damage to fragile and invisible to the naked eye samples. And as part of the second work, physicists figured out how to simultaneously perform two measurements on an object. Both studies are published by the scientific journal Physical Review Letters.
Problems of modern technologies
“It’s difficult to observe something without affecting the object, especially in small details,” explains Ben McMorran. “Quantum physics seems to allow us to see more without destroying anything.”
Electron microscopes are used to obtainclose-ups of proteins and cells, as well as non-biological samples, such as new types of materials. Instead of the light used in more traditional microscopes, electronic devices focus a beam of electrons onto the sample. As the beam interacts with the sample, some of the sample's characteristics change. The detector measures changes in the beam, which are then converted into a high-resolution image.
But this powerful electron beam can damage fragile structures in the sample. Over time, it can ruin the very details scientists are trying to study.
How to solve it?
As a workaround, McMorran's teamused the Elitzur-Weidman thought experiment published in the early 1990s. In it, physicists proposed a way to detect a sensitive bomb without touching it or risking exploding it.
The trick is based on a tool known asdiffraction grating. This is a thin membrane with microscopic slits in it. When an electron beam hits a diffraction grating, it is split into two parts.
When these beam splitters are properly aligneddiffraction gratings, after separation, the electron recombines so that it ends up in only one of two possible outputs. Thus, in the new setup, electrons do not collide with the sample, as in traditional electron microscopy. Instead, recombination of the electron beam provides information about the sample under the microscope.
In another study, McMorran's teamused a similar diffraction grating to measure a sample in two places at once. They split the electron beam so that it passed either side of a small gold particle, measuring the tiny bits of energy that the electrons transferred to the particle on each side.
This approach will reveal sensitive nuancesatomic level in the sample and will allow us to understand how particles interact in it. This allows you to look at two separate parts of it and then combine them together and check their wobble data.
Why is it important?
Although the two studies have differenttypes of measurements, they use the same basic setup, known as interferometry. Members of McMorran's team believe their tool could be useful not only in their own laboratory, but also for a wide variety of experiments.
With the right materials and instructionsthe setup can be added to many existing electron microscopes. Other laboratories have already expressed interest in it and want to use the interferometer in their own microscopes.
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