Single Electron Movement Captured

[iMav]

Scientists at Brown University have managed to capture the movement of a single electron on video





By Evan Ackerman
On the face of it, the picture above is totally unremarkable, until you realize that for the first time ever, you’re looking at the movement of a single electron. You know, electrons? Those invisible (until now) little particles that make electricity (and therefore, OhGizmo and all that other technology you know and love and are hopelessly addicted to) possible? In fact, you’ve probably got something like 23,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 electrons whizzing around in you right now. And those little dots in that picture up there show one of them movin’ around. More info, and a video, after the jump.
Now, try and stick with me here while I explain how this works… If you’ve got an electron moving around in a liquid, it pushes all of the atoms around it away a little bit, creating a teeny bubble of space. Most of the time, this bubble gets crushed by the surface tension of the liquid around it. Scientists at Brown University looked at electrons moving though supercooled liquid helium, which has very little surface tension, keeping the bubble alive. Then, they blasted the fluid with sound waves, which alternately increased and decreased the pressure of the fluid, allowing some of the electron bubbles to expand to about the size of a speck of dust, which were made visible by combining a strobe light with a home video camera on “super night mode.”

SOurce & Video

[eggman]

Wow, thats an real achievement.

[Ihatemyself]

do u mean momentum and velocity both were noted simultaneously or just a vague idea of movement was observable .... if momentum and velocity were noted simultaneously than its a big scientific breakthrough .. heisenberg's uncertainity principle is shattered off which is basis of many modern theories of electron movement in atom .But this seems kindo impossible and vague

[iMav]

only the scientists can answer ur question @hateurself

my interpretation:
its more like the path of the electron is clearly visible ....

electron moving around in a liquid, it pushes all of the atoms around it away a little bit, creating a teeny bubble of space

which would imply that they have tracked the bubble left by the electron :/ but thats what i think of it ... i myself dont know will have to look a lot deeper into it

[Ihatemyself]

Why yaar we do have iitians and other science guys on thinkdigit right!

[iMav]

those guys arent less of scientists

[Ankur Gupta]

Well they tracked the bubble not the electron itself so the heisenbergs principle seems intact but then wasnt it valid for all microparticles??

[Ihatemyself]

Yes heisenbergs principle is valid for all microscopic particles though it is strictly invalid for macroscopic objects.I dont think this experiment will revolutionize theories of atomic structure. Remember millikan's oildrop experiment .I thought this is another breakthrough but OK yaar .Where are other science geeks !

[Zeeshan Quireshi]

it's damn cool . Now atleast there's one thing in my chemistry sylabus that's not just "theory" but reality

[Ihatemyself]

Hmmm you are in 12th standard what do u say?

[iMav]

actually this just brings all the theories to life ... till now electron movements were theoretical but this actually shows the movement ... in engg till now what ever u dont understand is an assumption but with this some assumptions will find reasoning

[Zeeshan Quireshi]

Originally Posted by iMav

actually this just brings all the theories to life ... till now electron movements were theoretical but this actually shows the movement ... in engg till now what ever u dont understand is an assumption but with this some assumptions will find reasoning

Yups , everything in chemistry till now was theoretical

[iMav]

abey chemistry chodd puri engg is theoretical ... bas bol dengen ki bachon electron idhar se idhar jata hai aur current flow hota hai ...

[a_k_s_h_a_y]

i think its false how can they see an electron on a camera ???
it can only be predicted....also do consider uncertainty principle !!!

[iMav]

u will get ur answer once u go through the thread and the video

[a_k_s_h_a_y]

then that ppl shal win nobel prize in case if its really true !!!!

[Ihatemyself]

Naah absolutely wrong theories are always for improvement ! We cannot reach to any results without assumption .Everything including our communication with each other started assuming we can communicate .It is not vaguely said that current is flow of electron but current is 'net' movement of electrons .The electrons are always in random motion .But when battery starts circulating them they orient in such a manner that net movement is opp. to flow of current .Dont just call evrything faltoo like a layman buddy. we are digitians remember!

[HellKing]

If it was really THAT big, there would have been breaking news!@

[aneesh kalra]

see although you are able to get the position of the electron by using a strobe light but still when u use strobe light to illuminate it the energy of the light disturbs the electron's energy somewhat and thus leading to a change in its path so what are you able to observe is the new path which is affected by light and not the actual path of the elecrton.So Mr.heisenberg can rest in peace as of now his principle is valid.

[iMav]

^^ well i think those people would have considered it ... the camera they used was nite mode so light

[fun2sh]

dont u guys see that they themselves hav told that the size is abt a dust particle. so hiesenberg principle is valid

[Ihatemyself]

Right fun2sh but ever thought how this electron gives a yellowish spectrum .Cna sound waves be converted into light spectrum ?