Manganese Atom (IMAGE)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Manganese Atom

Caption

(Top) This is an atomic-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) image of an indium arsenide crystal surface where a manganese atom has been inserted in place of one of the indium atoms. The displaced indium atom appears as the bright yellow feature on the surface; the embedded manganese atom is only evident by its effect on the neighboring arsenic atoms (the dumbbell-shaped yellow feature). (Bottom) This is the theoretical simulation of the STM image after the atoms finish playing musical chairs, illustrating the origin of the features seen in the experiment (Courtesy of Steven Erwin, Naval Research Laboratory).

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NIST

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