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from the itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-tweezers dept.
In a first for quantum physics, University of Otago researchers have "held" individual atoms in place and observed previously unseen complex atomic interactions.
[...] "Two atoms alone can't form a molecule, it takes at least three to do chemistry. Our work is the first time this basic process has been studied in isolation, and it turns out that it gave several surprising results that were not expected from previous measurement in large clouds of atoms," says Postdoctoral Researcher Marvin Weyland, who spearheaded the experiment.
For example, the researchers were able to see the exact outcome of individual processes, and observed a new process where two of the atoms leave the experiment together. Until now, this level of detail has been impossible to observe in experiments with many atoms.
The ability to control matter at this level promises advances in many fields.
More information: L. A. Reynolds et al. Direct Measurements of Collisional Dynamics in Cold Atom Triads, Physical Review Letters (2020). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.073401
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @01:24AM (4 children)
Our President grabs individual atoms by the pussy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @02:36AM (2 children)
Our AC grabs individual presidents by the scrotum.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @03:13AM (1 child)
Point of order: the current President has no dick or scrotum.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @03:13PM
That's not what Stormy Daniels said. Now your baseless attack makes me wonder what you may, or may not, have between your legs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @06:31AM
No no that's the technical term that scientists use. Grab the atom, knock it the fuck out and jack its shit. Git 'er done.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday February 21 2020, @01:24AM (1 child)
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.073401 [doi.org]
Not open, the fuckers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 5, Informative) by martyb on Friday February 21 2020, @02:15AM
=)
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by anubi on Friday February 21 2020, @04:04AM (6 children)
[...]"Two atoms alone can't form a molecule, it takes at least three to do chemistry. ...
Ummm. Is NaCl a molecule?
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by coolgopher on Friday February 21 2020, @04:27AM
I read it as there needing to be three atoms in presence in order for two to bond, like needing to have a catalyst present. I have no idea whether that's the appropriate reading as TFA didn't elucidate on that part.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @05:57AM (3 children)
That one is debatable, as it would be Na+ and Cl- and the bonding would be mostly electrostatic. However N2, O2, H2, Cl2, and others are covalently bonded molecules, so that statement is garbage.
(Score: 5, Informative) by maxwell demon on Friday February 21 2020, @08:15AM (2 children)
You are quite fast with your qualification as garbage.
A molecule has less energy than two separated atoms. So where do those two atoms deposit their surplus energy when they go into a bound state?
Oh sure, put it into kinetic energy … but then, for that you need to change momentum. But not only energy, but also momentum is conserved. So where do you put that momentum difference?
A third atom that gets the recoil would sure come handy here, wouldn't it?
FTFA:
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @09:20AM (1 child)
They can, and quite often do, emit the energy as a photon.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by maxwell demon on Friday February 21 2020, @05:20PM
While there are chemical reactions that emit light, those are the exception, not the rule. The reason being simply that atoms as a whole are electrically neutral.
You are probably confusing it with atomic excitation (which involve individual electrons in an atom, that is, charged particles). With those, photon emission is indeed quite common. But that's a different process.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday February 22 2020, @01:50PM
CO and NO, or any diatomic gas, would be better examples.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @01:14PM
he, this is pretty cool.
they even but some multimedia (picture) into the article.
now, looking at it, i am not sure where the atom cloud is. the caption is abit short.
it would be cool if that tripod with sown of legs at bottom right quadrant would be the cloud ...
one would assume that "grabing a atom" wasnt just some x-y axis plot?