Science Daily February 20, 2020
Researchers in New Zealand trapped and cooled three individual atoms to a temperature of about a millionth of a Kelvin using highly focused laser beams in a hyper-evacuated chamber. They combined the traps containing the atoms to produce controlled interactions which were measured. When the three atoms approach each other, two form a molecule, and all receive a kick from the energy released in the process. A microscope camera allows the process to be magnified and viewed. They 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 research has revealed more about how atoms collide and react with one another. With further development, this technique could provide a way to build and control single molecules of particular chemicals…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE