Talk:Field ion microscope

This article is written in American English, which has its own spelling conventions (color, defense, traveled) and some terms that are used in it may be different or absent from other varieties of English. According to the relevant style guide, this should not be changed without broad consensus.

Chemistry Low‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Chemistry, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of chemistry on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.ChemistryWikipedia:WikiProject ChemistryTemplate:WikiProject ChemistryChemistry articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Physics Low‑importance

	Physics portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Physics, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Physics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.PhysicsWikipedia:WikiProject PhysicsTemplate:WikiProject Physicsphysics articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Engineering Mid‑importance

	Engineering portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Engineering, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of engineering on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.EngineeringWikipedia:WikiProject EngineeringTemplate:WikiProject EngineeringEngineering articles
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

Technology

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Technology, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of technology on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.TechnologyWikipedia:WikiProject TechnologyTemplate:WikiProject TechnologyTechnology articles

Glass Low‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Glass, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of glass on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.GlassWikipedia:WikiProject Physics/Taskforces/GlassTemplate:WikiProject Glassglass articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the importance scale.

Comment

Someone may add this link: http://physics.unipune.ernet.in/~fem/ Slicky 08:32, May 17, 2005 (UTC) Corrected linkFitzaubrey 18:16, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Non sequitur

"...a sharp (<50 nm tip radius) metal tip is produced and PLACED IN an ultra high VACUUM chamber , which is backfilled with an imaging gas such as helium or neon.[...] Gas atoms ABSORBED ON THE TIP..."

How could this be if the tip is placed in an "ultra high vacuum chamber"? The only way atoms could be absorbed on the tip is by actually being inside the chamber...

Hrm.

"The curvature of the surface near the tip causes a natural magnification..."

What does that mean?? I think that sentence may need some clarification. 69.139.198.89 21:11, 13 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I am skeptical

I think this should be flagged for experts to look at. I am having trouble believing this is real. If those are atoms in the picture, then what is the reddish "liquid"? Why do some of the "atoms" seem to be joined into an elongated structure while the majority of them seem to be granular? If this is a structure with a single atom at it's tip, why does it look like a large sphere with dimples in it? What about the Heisenberg uncertainty principle for measuring the very tiny? Are the granules electron clouds then? 66.75.41.52 01:17, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The FIM is real. If, for some reason, you don't find J. Chem. Phys. a reputable enough source (!?!), then you can look at any of the other papers on Field Ion Microscopy. As per the caption, "The lighter colored elongated features are traces captured as atoms moved during the imaging process." The "dimples" you see are crystallographic poles. Fig. 6 of the J. Chem. Phys. article is a schematic of the tip. FIM is no longer the only technique which offers sub-nanometer resolution and Heisenberg doesn't forbid this kind of instrumentation. It is a common exercise in physics classes to plug numbers into HUP & find that, because atoms are relatively massive (compared to, say, electrons), their positions can be determined rather precisely. --Karnesky 06:36, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. Us programmers don't get into materials sciences very much. Also, I lack a subscription to the J. Chem. Phys. and am not allowed to read the article online. 66.75.41.52 19:43, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]