Scientists succeed in X-raying single atom

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – In a major breakthrough, scientists have succeeded in X-raying a single atom.

The atom is the smallest unit of any element or material you deal with.

According to scientists, the most advanced X-ray machines could only shine through an attogram, which is a cluster of 10,000 atoms.

However, Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois has developed a new technique, using a new synchrotron instrument, to achieve this breakthrough.

Beyond physics, this achievement will help medical science to fight serious, life-threatening diseases.

It will also contribute to the development of super-fast quantum computers and other advances in materials and ecological science.

According to Ohio State College professor Saw Wai Hla, the discovery will change the world.

The professor is the lead author of the paper describing the discovery.

“Atoms can be routinely imaged with scanning probe microscopes—but without X-rays one cannot tell what they are made of,” he said.

He said that it is now possible to identify the type of a particular atom and to measure its chemical state. 

Since the discovery by Roentgen in 1895, X-rays are now used in a variety of fields.

Astronauts use them to study the composition of rocks.

The invention of synchrotron X-rays advanced the technology by examining the material in minute detail.

Researchers claim that the discovery will spawn new technologies in areas such as quantum information and the detection of trace elements in environmental and medical research.

Researcher at Ohio Tolulope Michael Ajayi said this discovery will give birth to new technologies in areas such as quantum information and the detection of trace elements in environmental and medical research, to name a few.

“This achievement also opens the road for advanced materials science instrumentation,” he added.