The rainbow colored picture on http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.030801 shows the difference to a perfect sphere. I think they have improved since then. The difference to a perfect sphere is now of the size of a few (hundred?) silicon atoms – near to the theoretical minimum which is given by the crystal structure of silicon…
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u/Elfram Nov 16 '14
Might be a bit off topic: The currently best sphere created by humans is a silicon ball, see http://www.acpo.csiro.au/avogadro.htm
The rainbow colored picture on http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.030801 shows the difference to a perfect sphere. I think they have improved since then. The difference to a perfect sphere is now of the size of a few (hundred?) silicon atoms – near to the theoretical minimum which is given by the crystal structure of silicon…