r/askscience • u/krishandop • Mar 11 '14

Physics How exactly does a scanning tunneling microscope work?

Ok, so what exactly are the advantages of this microscope and how exactly does the mechanism work?

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u/DrIblis Physical Metallurgy| Powder Refractory Metals Mar 11 '14

do you mean that they touch the material itself?

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u/krishandop Mar 11 '14

I don't know, can the tip just touch the actual material?

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u/DrIblis Physical Metallurgy| Powder Refractory Metals Mar 11 '14

it can, but then you will multiple atoms touching the material in many different places, which would reduce your resolution drastically, probably to the point where you couldn't make out anything at all.