Watching Atoms Work: Nanocluster Structure and Dynamics

Abstract

In the space of little more than a decade, the resolution of the electron microscope has improved to provide clear views of the atomic world. Not only can atomic arrangements be imaged, but with a little gentle provocation from the electron beam, atoms can be energized and their dynamics can also be revealed. In this issue of ACS Nano, Chen et al. image Si atoms growing under the beam into cubic crystalline arrangements.