Detector can count atom by atom

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This cavity-on-a-chip was used in the scientists single-atom detection experiments. The atom detector counts atoms by sensing photons that scatter off the atoms an ability that will assist in a variety of new developments in atom optics devices. Pho ...
This cavity-on-a-chip was used in the scientists’ single-atom detection experiments. The atom detector counts atoms by sensing photons that scatter off the atoms – an ability that will assist in a variety of new developments in atom optics devices. Photo credit: Igor Teper.

More than 80 years have passed since Louis de Broglie discovered that matter can act like a wave as well as a particle. With advances in technology, scientists have recently begun exploiting this strange property of everyday matter for applications such as atom lasers and nanofabrication. To further their understanding of these applications with matter waves, however, scientists need a way to detect and count the exact number of atoms used.


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