To quote from the URL below:
To create the quantum mirage, the scientists first moved several dozen
cobalt atoms on a copper surface into an ellipse-shaped ring. Eigler
reflected "It's a pretty arduous task. Took us all morning; three of us
missed not only our coffee break but half of lunch". As Michael Crommie (who
is now a professor at the University of California-Berkeley), Lutz and
Eigler had shown in 1993, the ring atoms acted as a "quantum corral" --
reflecting the copper's surface electrons within the ring into a wave
pattern predicted by quantum mechanics. "Next we constructed little surfers
out of carbon atoms, and set them skimming aroung the elipse" Eigler said.
"It was so cool."
It's a damned interesting article.
Emlyn
(actually, that's not a direct quote)
--------
Evan wrote:
http://www.eurekalert.com/releases/ibm-scn020200.html
Old-fashioned magic just doesn't seem so impressive these days....
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