{"id":30619,"date":"2026-01-16T09:48:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T09:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/?p=30619"},"modified":"2026-01-16T09:48:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T09:48:00","slug":"scientists-use-electrons-as-a-magnifying-glass-to-peer-inside-an-atomic-nucleus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/scientists-use-electrons-as-a-magnifying-glass-to-peer-inside-an-atomic-nucleus","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Use Electrons as a &#8216;Magnifying Glass&#8217; to Peer Inside an Atomic Nucleus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Points<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Researchers have developed a new method to study the complex energy structure of the <sup>173<\/sup>Yb+ ion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They used the atom&#8217;s own electrons as a &#8220;magnifying glass&#8221; to investigate the structure of its nucleus.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The method combines high-resolution laser and microwave spectroscopy with advanced theoretical calculations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The findings provide new insights into the distribution of a nucleus&#8217;s magnetic field.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every atom has a unique &#8220;fingerprint&#8221; of energy levels, and some are more interesting than others. One particular atom, <sup>173<\/sup>Yb+, has a highly complex energy structure that makes it a promising candidate for future quantum technologies. However, that same complexity has also made it very difficult to study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, a team of researchers has developed a new way to get a closer look at this fascinating ion. By trapping a single <sup>173<\/sup>Yb+ ion and using a combination of lasers and microwaves, they were able to precisely measure the tiny energy shifts caused by the interaction between the atom&#8217;s nucleus and its surrounding electrons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think of the nucleus as a tiny, spinning magnet. The researchers used the electrons orbiting the nucleus as a &#8220;magnifying glass&#8221; to see how the magnetic field of that nucleus is distributed. By combining their precise measurements with advanced theoretical calculations, they obtained a new and detailed picture of the nucleus&#8217;s structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To confirm their findings, the team also performed the same measurements on a different atomic species, <sup>171<\/sup>Yb+, which has a different nucleus but the same electron shell. This comparison helped them isolate the effects of the nuclear structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Our measurements show that even very subtle properties of the atomic nucleus can be accessed through the surrounding electron cloud,&#8221; explained one of the researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This new understanding is not just an academic exercise. It provides an important foundation for using complex ions such as <sup>173<\/sup>Yb+ to build ultra-precise atomic clocks and to test fundamental laws of physics in new ways. By learning how to &#8220;read&#8221; the information encoded in the electron cloud, scientists are opening up a new window into the mysterious world of the atomic nucleus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prl\/abstract\/10.1103\/rcdh-s4d7\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prl\/abstract\/10.1103\/rcdh-s4d7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Physical Review Letters<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(2026).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points Every atom has a unique &#8220;fingerprint&#8221; of energy levels, and some are more interesting than others. One particular atom, 173Yb+, has a highly&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}