An electron microscope forms an image using a focused beam of electrons instead of light, and because electrons have a much shorter wavelength than visible light, it can resolve detail thousands of times finer than any light microscope, down to individual columns of atoms. Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll built the first working electron microscope in 1931 and demonstrated resolution beyond that of light microscopy by 1933; Ruska received the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention, more than half a century after building it, once its impact on biology and materials science was fully clear. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Invented YearSourced to the subject's own account MeasuresSourced to the subject's own accountThe internal structure of a specimen, imaged by transmitted electrons rather than light. 1 Operating PrincipleSourced to the subject's own accountA beam of electrons, accelerated to high voltage and focused by electromagnetic lenses, passes through an ultrathin specimen; because accelerated electrons have a far shorter wavelength than visible light, the resulting image resolves detail well beyond the limit of light microscopy. 1 Operating RangeSourced to the subject's own accountAccelerating voltage is typically about 100 to 300 kilovolts. 1 Partially Attested
ResolutionCapable of resolving detail down to a single column of atoms, though the source gives no specific nanometer figure for that limit. 1 Sourced to the subject's own accountQualitative resolution claim confirmed; the cited source states no specific numeric nanometer or picometer figure. Classification
Instrument ClassSourced to the subject's own account Connections
Invented By
Ruska built the electron optics; Max Knoll led the engineering of the same 1931 to 1933 device and is credited alongside him.
Source Transmission Electron Microscopy (Wikipedia)
Used In
Source Transmission Electron Microscopy (Wikipedia)
Source Transmission Electron Microscopy (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Transmission Electron Microscopy (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIntroduction
capable of imaging at a significantly higher resolution than light microscopes...even as small as a single column of atoms
Background: Electrons section
the wavelength of electrons is related to their kinetic energy via the de Broglie equation
Electron source section
high voltage source (typically ~100-300 kV)
Lede, instrument class
An electron microscope forms an image using a focused beam of electrons instead of light, and because electrons have a much shorter wavelength than visible light, it can resolve detail thousands of times finer than any light microscope, down to individual columns of atoms.
- Used In: Biology
- Used In: Materials Science
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