Metal surface, helium spin imaging. This imaging technique shows the ions and electrons of a metal surface at the quantum level. Known as the helium-3

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Metal surface, helium spin imaging. This imaging technique shows the ions and electrons of a metal surface at the quantum level. Known as the helium-3 (He-3) spin-echo technique, a beam of polarised He-3 atoms is fired towards the surface of the metal so that the energy changes during scattering can be measured. This technique can record measurements on the sub-nanometre and nanosecond scales. The results are built up digitally to reveal a three-dimensional image of the surface. Here, the metal is seen as a lattice of positive metal ions (blue) in a sea of electrons (red).

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Size: 5120px × 4096px
Photo credit: © EQUINOX GRAPHICS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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