[HN Gopher] Atomic resolution video of salt crystals forming in ...
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Atomic resolution video of salt crystals forming in real time
Author : neltnerb
Score : 101 points
Date : 2021-10-07 12:56 UTC (10 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (phys.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (phys.org)
| johtso wrote:
| This reminds me of my first time using a microscope. I was on a
| course on mushroom identification and we were looking at spores
| and other microscopic features.
|
| I was so surprised when I saw shapes in the viewfinder that
| didn't look organic. There were squares and pyramids, it looked
| like Aztec ruins. And they were growing before my eyes! I then
| realised it was the reagents crystallising in the heat of the
| lamp.
|
| The world of microscopes is like magic, it's a shame that more
| people aren't exposed to it.
|
| Even just a quality 10x hand lens opens up a whole world of
| detail that we don't usually see.
| hellbannedguy wrote:
| Good used microscopes are so cheap now. If I had a child, it
| would be on their desk early, like kindergarden.
| xattt wrote:
| Any suggestions for models to be on the look out for? I
| bought some generic plastic $45 CAD kit that's good enough,
| but would love to have an idea of what to focus on next.
| yummypaint wrote:
| Check out the foldscope
| beecafe wrote:
| If you want something a bit DIY but very capable, check out
| the openFlexure scope. It's a 3d printed body to which you
| can add an objective and it has a 3d printable
| micropositioning stage and Pi camera mount.
| endisneigh wrote:
| at what point does the observing affect the observation?
| dotancohen wrote:
| When she shuts the blinds and calls the cops.
| twodai wrote:
| This is lewd but funny, I needed that laugh.
| sparsely wrote:
| I think in this case the surface interaction effects with the
| nanotube are likely to be much bigger
| amelius wrote:
| How could they tell from the video which atoms were Na and which
| were Cl?
| G3rn0ti wrote:
| While we don't have flying cars, watching single sodium and
| chloride ions forming crystals in 25 FPS surely makes me feel
| like living in the future, finally.
| cromwellian wrote:
| Atomic resolution real-time video at 25 frames per second!!! Holy
| cow! I mean, the nanohorns and salt crystal study is cool and
| all, but the real time video!? That's mind blowing, the kind of
| stuff we saw on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
| miduil wrote:
| Previous discussion:
|
| > Atomic resolution video of salt crystals forming in real time
| (u-tokyo.ac.jp)
|
| > 664 points by rbanffy 8 months ago | 125 comments
|
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25874497
| gavinray wrote:
| "growing"
|
| Expected video to show process of atoms slowly forming together
| or something to shape my mental model.
|
| What I got was a full-formed grid of little atom things that just
| seemed to spring into existence between two frames.
|
| It's still cool. But I am not less confused.
| danparsonson wrote:
| From the article it seems like the 'springing into existence'
| is a process called nucleation:
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleation.
| steerablesafe wrote:
| My guess is that individual atoms entering and leaving the
| formation happens on a much faster timescale than the formation
| switching between quasi-stable states.
|
| It's almost as-if there are mini phase-transitions between
| formation sizes, it's fascinating.
| crispyambulance wrote:
| Both modes are possible, if I read it correctly (see the bottom
| half of the first figure). Pieces of the lattice can "spring"
| into existence very quickly-- that's a phase transition. But,
| once formed, it can also "grow" atom by atom.
| lmilcin wrote:
| The individual atoms are much more mobile than the crystalline
| structure here. They are probably moving way too fast to be
| captured on a time scale that the crystal grows.
|
| Think in terms of trying to make video of a tree growing and
| expecting to see individual water droplets falling from the
| sky.
|
| You can infer the droplets must be there (as the ground would
| otherwise dry out and the tree die) but it is not possible to
| have a video of tree growing sped up so that a human can see it
| growing but also show water droplets falling from the sky.
| omnicognate wrote:
| The video is at atomic resolution. The dots in the
| crystalline structure are individual atoms.
|
| To do this in _realtime video_ is bonkers.
| lmilcin wrote:
| It is bonkers. But the only way we can even have that video
| is because the molecules are being frozen in the
| crystalline lattice.
|
| As far as I know there exists no recording of actual
| molecules in a liquid (except maybe for something extremely
| viscous).
|
| The video reminds me this photo:
| https://petapixel.com/2010/10/27/first-ever-photograph-
| of-a-...
|
| It shows first ever photo of a human being on a busy
| street.
|
| But you would not be able to say so, because the street
| looks completely empty.
|
| The only way we can even see the person is because they
| stood still for long enough to leave imprint. Other than
| this one person, everybody else on this busy street moved
| so fast there is no recognizable imprint of them left.
| Hence the street looks empty.
| omnicognate wrote:
| Gotcha, I misunderstood - thought you were referring to
| the scale of the raindrops relative to the tree, not the
| speed. The photo's a better analogy (and cool).
| s1artibartfast wrote:
| This much is clear. The post above answers the question of
| why we can't see atoms that are not part of the lattice.
| ASalazarMX wrote:
| The grid appears suddenly, but strips of atoms keep piling on
| like those magnet ball toys, and it looks like it grows too big
| for its containment.
|
| Maybe it grows slower as it gains more surface?
| sp332 wrote:
| I know it's just from this year, but January feels like a long
| time ago.
| everyone wrote:
| Is there a link to just the video anywhere?
| luegen wrote:
| https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/video/2021/crystalclose.mp4
| 4wsn wrote:
| https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/video/2021/crystalclose.mp4
| arthurcolle wrote:
| I believe this is from last year, I remember those little squares
| from a past life.
|
| EDIT: January 12, 2021 - looks like my brain isn't fully swiss
| cheesed yet after all
| tryauuum wrote:
| Looks so neat. I hope people from SaltStack will see this
| singularity2001 wrote:
| 20 seconds? I thought molecules speed through a thousand cells in
| a fraction of a second!? How come the formation of salt in this
| setting is so (relatively) exorbitantly slow?
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