User:Madlisa- Origins 3F03/Quantum Microscope

Little Introduction Blurb**

= History & Development =

The idea for a photoionization microscope that could image the wave-function of an atom stemmed out of an experiment proposed by Demakov et al. in the early 1980's. These researchers suggested that electron waves could be imaged when interacting with a static electric field as long as the de Broglie Wavelength of these electrons was large enough. It was not until 1996 that anything resembling the microscopy images proposed by Demakov et al. came to fruition. In 1996 a team of French researchers developed the first photo detachment microscope. The development of this microscope allowed for a direct observation of the oscillatory structure of a wave function to become possible. Photodetachment is the removal of electrons from an atom using interactions with photons or other particles (Pegg, 2006). Photodetachment microscopy made it possible to image the spatial distribution of the ejected electron. The microscope developed in 1996 was the first to image photodetachment rings of a negative Bromine (Br-) ion. These images revealed interference between two electron waves on their way to the detector.

= How it Works =

In order to understand how the photoionization microscope works, it is crucial to understand the concepts of photoionization and the wave function.

Photoionization
For full article, see Photoionization

The Wavefunction
For full article, see Wave function

= Applications =

The quantum microscope has wide applications in the biological sciences. It can be used to understand chemical bonds that are essential for a living, functioning cell. Regular microscopes require strong light levels to deliver a clear picture. However, dynamic biological specimens can be damaged by high light levels. This introduces a constraint on optical power. Furthermore, quantum noise fundamentally limits the sensitivity of the measurement. To overcome this limit, there needs to be more information extracted per photon. Quantum correlations can be used to overcome quantum shot noise limit for measurements of living systems. What this means is that we can use quantum microscopes to view better images of organisms, at a faster rate.

= References =

= External links =
 * www.example.com