CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -What is being described as the ‘first helium microscope ’ is a massive mound of metal developed at University of Newcastle, just north of Sydney, Australia. Researchers have nicknamed it SHeM – the ‘scanning helium microscope’. Traditional microscopes use light which can damage delicate samples.

Detailed explanation-2: -The scanning helium microscope (SHeM) is a novel form of microscopy that uses low energy (5-100 meV) neutral helium atoms to image the surface of a sample without any damage to the sample caused by the imaging process. Since helium is inert and neutral, it can be used to study delicate and insulating surfaces.

Detailed explanation-3: -An atom is simply too small to deflect visible light waves, which means it won’t show up under even the most powerful light-focusing microscopes, Oncel said. Yes, you can see an atom, once you understand that we can examine surfaces with beams of electrons rather than light.